As a helping heart for our communities, we share tips through our blog on managing mental health struggles and connecting with disability services.
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Mental Health, Services a Priority for LGBTQ+ Community
When it comes to providing mental health support, Heart of Iowa Community Services (HICS) is here with a helping heart for residents — including youth — living in Audubon, Dallas and Guthrie counties. Just like adults, children, including adolescents and young adults, can face complex mental health issues. When their identity is challenged, it is critical for parents, caregivers and friends know how to provide support.
04.18.2023
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Any way you say it, HICS is committed to improving brain health.
For the past couple of years, Heart of Iowa Community Services (HICS), along with the rest of Iowa’s 14 Mental Health and Disability Services (MHDS) Regions, have adopted the term brain health in efforts to reduce the stigmas associated with mental illness, brain health disease and brain illness. Now, the language suggestion has made its way to the Capital, where supporters say opening up the language and terminology allows for more preventative and earlier treatments of those Iowans with brain health issues.
03.16.2023
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What are signs of emotional unhealth in a person?
Unlike physical illnesses, there are no simple medical tests to diagnose mental illnesses. A mental health care professional can study a patient using a list of symptoms, behaviors and feelings over a period of time to make an official diagnosis of a mental illness, as well as ways to offer mental health support.
03.15.2023
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Heart of Iowa onboards additional partners to CIT co-responder program in 2023.
In response to a growing need for mental health resources for law enforcement professionals, Heart of Iowa Community Services (HICS) has made plans to expand its innovative Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) co-responder program throughout the Dallas County and Des Moines metro region in 2023.
02.15.2023
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How can you help someone in need of mental health assistance?
Providing resources for someone in need of mental health support shows that you’re willing to do what it takes to help someone through hard times.
01.16.2023
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Telehealth expands therapy options for youth.
As the world acclimated to video calls via smartphones and computers, providers from all corners of the health care industry starting meeting with their patients online. Heart of Iowa Community Services (HICS) played a significant role in connecting residents of Audubon, Dallas and Guthrie counties with telehealth providers to meet their brain health (mental health) needs.
01.10.2023
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Finding alcohol dependency support through HICS
The October 2022 “Iowa’s Evolving Drug Trends” report showed that two years after the COVID-19 pandemic fueled extensive drinking nationwide, Iowans are still partaking in higher-than-average amounts of binge drinking in comparison to the rest of the country. Factor in holiday celebrations, and there can come a point when social drinking turns into something more serious: alcohol abuse.
12.14.2022
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Support and care for family caregivers is available.
Heart of Iowa Community Services (HICS) understands the responsibilities family caregivers face on a daily, ongoing basis and asks, Who is taking care of the caregiver? Research from the Administration for Community Living has indicated caregiving can take a toll on a person’s emotional, physical and financial health, especially for those ages 50 and older who are providing aid.
11.22.2022