In the News

MARION — When Tom Daubs first started working as a cop, calls involving a mental health issue “weren’t nearly as common as they are now.”

“But we still don’t have many options in place, as far as dealing with them,” said Daubs, public information officer for the Marion Police Department.

MARION, Iowa (KCRG) – Over the past five years, the Marion Police Department has spent 7,700 hours handling calls related to mental health that say they might not be fit to respond to.

That’s why the Marion City Council is approving a partnership with Foundation 2 to hire a crisis counselor.

It is now more than a month out from the Aug. 10 derecho that tore through homes and trees in Cedar Rapids and beyond. For some people, the trauma of that day may only now be catching up to them.

“What people could be experiencing is the aftermath of the traumatic event — for children, the effects often show up two weeks after the event; for adults, four weeks,” said licensed marriage and family therapist and mental health first aid instructor Shoshannah Guerrero.

When the derecho slammed into the state one month ago, many Iowans were already struggling with extreme stress. Accessing mental health care can be a major challenge in rural Iowa in the best of times. Some local leaders worry the devastation of the storm will push some even closer to crisis.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KWWL) – Nonprofit human service agency, Foundation 2, has been assisting those with mental health issues following the derecho.

The mental health of many has been suffering since the beginning of the pandemic, now the derecho is another reason why the demand for mental health providers is high.