CICS April Newsletter

CICS Recognized as Organization of the Year

CICS was recognized as the 2017 Organization of the Year by the Brain Injury Alliance of Iowa for its dedication and commitment to providing support for individuals with brain injuries.

“We are so pleased to honor CICS and their efforts to recognize how brain injuries can affect mental health,” said Geoffrey Lauer, MA, executive director of BIAIA. “Their support helps us give individuals who have suffered a brain injury the information, resources and support they need.”

Jody Eaton, CEO of CICS, and Russell Wood, a director with CICS, accepted the award at the 25th Annual Best Practices in Brain Injury Services Conference, “Shattering the Myths, Unmasking the Opportunities,” on March 2nd at the Embassy Suites in Des Moines, Iowa.

Calendar of Events

April 3

CICS/Community Corrections Meeting
— Hamilton County,
500 Fairmeadow Drive
Webster City, IA | 9:00–12:00 p.m.

April 5

CICS/Community Corrections Meeting
— Newton,
1030 West 2nd Street South
Newton, IA | 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.

April 11

Capstone Ribbon Cutting for Poweshiek Office,
200 4th Avenue West
Grinnell, IA | 9:30 a.m.

April 12

Boone County Learning Community
— Rose Center,
920 6th Street
Boone, IA | 9:00 a.m.

April 20

MHDS Commission
— Polk County River Place, Rm. 1,
2309 Euclid Avenue
Des Moines, IA | 9:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m.

April 20

Mike Walling/Benefits and Consulting Training
— Ames City Hall Building,
515 Clark Avenue
Ames, IA | 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.

April 21

Trauma 101 & Recovery Training for the State of Iowa Alternative Schools,
515 Clark Avenue
Ames, IA | 8:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m.

April 28

Hamilton County Learning Community,
500 Farimeadow Drive
Webster City, IA | 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m.

By the Numbers

5.3 million Americans

— or two percent of the U.S. population — currently have a long-term or lifelong need for help with everyday activities because of traumatic brain injury (TBI)^*.

3 out of 10 people

with TBI will likely experience depression; approximately only ONE in 10 people without TBI experience depression^*.

13 percent of CICS calls

in 2016 were related to psychiatric care.

^{*Statistics from BrainLine}

CICS in the Real World

There’s a new CICS project underway in Boone County, and it’s the first of its kind for the region.

“As a region, we’ve established transitional living centers for single individuals, but this will be our first foray into a family transition center,” said John Grush, CICS director for Boone County.

Currently called the Crawford Hall Family Shelter, CICS is working to redevelop the space into its first family transition center. While the official name of the facility is yet to be determined, this shelter will be designed to help families who become homeless transition into a stable environment. Right now, the Crawford Hall Family Shelter only serves women; mothers, children and single women can access the facility. That means families who become homeless must separate if there are men present.

“When we look at a family transition center, we look at the entire family unit,” Grush said. “Right now, if a family becomes homeless, the mother and children can stay at this shelter in Boone County, while the father has to go somewhere else.”

Grush hopes to see the Crawford Hall Family Shelter undergo these changes by early fall. The first step is to present the plan to the CICS Governance Board at the end of April. If it’s approved, a request for proposal will be issued, and it should take through July for CICS to select a provider to run the shelter. From there, it could take a couple months to get the new shelter staffed. Grush says any necessary upgrades or renovations to the building could potentially push back this timeline, but thanks to a state grant, current staff at Crawford Hall Family Shelter have ensured it is updated.

CICS is stepping in to transform this shelter so it can offer the quality of service it has always wanted to. Grush says currently, as a nonprofit organization, Crawford Hall Family Shelter has relied solely on donations and grants for funding. That’s created challenges in staffing and quality of service.

“It’s been a challenge for them to raise enough money to run the shelter the way they want to,” Grush said. “It’s always been a challenge to staff it. We as a region would fully fund the new shelter.”

That means the provider eventually selected will be able to focus on quality, while CICS will handle everything else. The payoff? The first family transition center in the CICS region, helping homeless families get back on their feet, together.

Provider Profile

Eyerly Ball

In the 1960s, two Des Moines area women, Jeannette Eyerly and Elizabeth Ball, were pioneers in advocating for the mentally ill. They were committed to helping people lead productive lives within the community rather than being shut away in a hospital or institution. Ms. Eyerly and Ms. Ball worked relentlessly, pleading with local officials, giving a voice to the helpless and paving the way for the Polk County Mental Health Center, which opened in 1969.

Today that innovative solution, to what was once a neglected problem, has grown to become Eyerly Ball, a pioneering source for outpatient, residential and outreach mental health services. As a leader in providing services that respond to the changing mental health needs in our community, Eyerly Ball has evolved over the years from a single outpatient clinic to include multiple clinic locations, residential facilities, community outreach programs, jail diversion, crisis services and much more.

Eyerly Ball has services available for a wide array of mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety, chronic mental illness, substance abuse and more. Depending on the severity of need, Eyerly Ball offers outpatient therapy and psychiatric services, community-based treatment and residential services.

Partnering with CICS, Eyerly Ball offers services in four of the region’s counties: Madison, Warren, Boone and Story. Eyerly Ball is especially excited about its newly expanded efforts in Warren County, offering more therapy services, as well as a med provider. This means medication and psychiatric services will now be available in Warren County through Eyerly Ball.

In addition to these new services, Eyerly Ball is proud to partner with police departments in Story County to follow up on all calls related to mental health issues. It also has an in-unit staffer at Mary Greeley Medical Center in Ames to follow up with clients transitioning out of the hospital, ensuring they remain stable and healthy.

CICS 126 S. Kellogg Ave. Suite 001, Ames, Iowa 50010

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