Civil Mental Health Court in Johnson County finds success in first year - The Daily Iowan

The Daily Iowan

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Civil Mental Health Court in Johnson County finds success in first year - The Daily Iowan

When Leslie Carpenter, whose son has a severe mental illness, realized Iowa did not have the proper resources to care for his needs, she decided to take matters into her own hands. Iowa is ranked 51st out of all U.S. states and territories for its low number of state psychiatric beds, according to the Treatment Advocacy Center. In 2023, Iowa had 64 in-patient beds, which equates to two beds per 100,000 patients in need. Carpenter, tired of runni…