Roughly half of adults with a mental illness receive no treatment. In Iowa, that is 181,000 people struggling every day with issues, from depression and anxiety to drug abuse. Worse still, these same issues are affecting kids. One in six children ages 2-8 are diagnosed with a mental, behavioral or developmental disorder.
Beginning July 11, Osceola Regional Health Center will offer behavioral health services in the Osceola Community Health Services building at 115 Cedar Lane, in Sibley, Iowa. These services will include direct access to needed therapy and medication management for patients.
“In Osceola County, behavioral health services have been limited for many years. Not only has the need been great, but it continues to grow and create an even greater health disparity in our area. Osceola Regional Health Center’s mission is to meet the needs of our community. In the 2022 community health needs assessment (CHNA) mental health was identified as a primary area of need by community members,” said Ben Davis, CEO of Osceola Regional Health Center,
Osceola Regional Health Center recently received funding from the Impact Grant from Care Connections of Northern Iowa. “This will allow us to provide new services for patients in Osceola County and the surrounding areas. Thank you for supporting our community,” said a grateful Davis, when talking about the $50,000 grant that was awarded to the hospital for the advancement of mental health.
Tasha Jennings, DNP/ARNP, PMHNP-BC, FNP-BC, will exclusively be seeing behavioral health patients. She recently graduated with a post-masters certificate as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner from Briar Cliff University and is very excited to offer medication management and therapy for anxiety, depression, ADHD, ADD, autism, anorexia/bulimia, bipolar, schizophrenia, personality disorders, sexual assault, dementia, just to name a few.
“The mind can do some amazing things to help a person persevere through some pretty awful trauma,” said Jennings when talking about a women who had just escaped from human trafficking. Jennings helped women while working in Iowa Falls for Wings of Refuge, an organization that helps those affected by human trafficking.
“Some of the most amazing things I saw with Wings of Refuge was seeing women ‘graduate’ from the program which means they no longer need the help of the staff every day. They no longer need the protection of the safe house and can live elsewhere. At this time they are living in the community, working and still have access to the support they had, but they are able to do it independently, and feel safe and secure. They are able to make healthy choices. It was so powerful.”
“That experience has had a profound impact on my life,” Jennings continued.
Jennings herself has gone through some serious hardships; divorce, depression, the loss of family members and with this comes a very deep understanding of the importance of mental health.
Jennings’s advises, “It’s okay to be happy and it’s okay to be sad. It’s okay to have all sorts of emotions, but if you are having difficulty with it or if someone else has voiced concern, come see me.”
Along with Jennings’s services, the Osceola Community Health Services building is also home to the office of Amanda Ten Napel, MS, LMFT, CEAP, SAP, owner of Interconnections Therapy, LLC. Amanda has been working in the therapy field for nearly 8 years and loves seeing her clients’ improve.
“I love the transition of when a client starts to say positive things about themselves, set healthy boundaries in their lives and begins to see their worth!” Ten Napel said when discussing her favorite part of her job.
Ten Napel specializes in marriage and family therapy, but also sees patients suffering from depression, PTSD, anxiety among other things.
“In my mind, everyone can benefit from therapy, even if there aren’t major mental health symptoms occurring. It is beneficial to just have that non-judgmental ear to let things fall on and be able to release some of those things on your mind.”
Ten Napel continued, “I hope and do feel like me having my practice here full-time has been helpful in getting some of those needs addressed. With my continued service and the addition of Tasha Jennings being able to serve our area’s psychiatric needs, our community is definitely moving in the right direction!”
Jennings and Ten Napel will work collaboratively to provide services out of the Osceola Community Health Services building. For more information or to schedule an appointment with Tasha Jennings, call 712-754-5329 or 712-754-2400 to schedule an appointment with Amanda Ten Napel.