A new partnership between two nonprofit health organizations aims to address the substantial need for better access to mental health care in Central Iowa.

Eyerly Ball Community Mental Health Services and UnityPoint Health-Des Moines announced today that effective Jan. 1, they officially aligned their two organizations to better serve the physical and behavioral health needs of residents in Central Iowa.

“It’s the best of both worlds for Eyerly Ball,” CEO Cynthia Steidl Bishop said. “We will remain a locally run community health organization, while also gaining the benefits of a broader system’s services, experience and expertise. This is good for our clients, employees, providers and our local economy.”

The volunteer boards of both organizations in November 2016 approved a letter of intent to affiliate, which served as the framework for writing the final affiliation agreement during the past year. In December, both boards approved the affiliation with the official start date of Jan. 1. “We are excited about our partnership with Eyerly Ball,” said UnityPoint Health-Des Moines President and CEO Eric Crowell. “They share our culture of patient-focused care, community-minded spirit and high-quality health care. We know there is a great need in our community for access to mental health care, and it is our hope through this affiliation we will be able to better serve those in need.”

Behavioral health has consistently ranked among the top health care needs throughout Central Iowa, yet the demand for services has far outweighed the supply of behavioral health care services. Despite the increased need for behavioral health services, many health care organizations no longer provide those services because they are difficult to sustain operationally and financially.

In a release, Crowell and Steidl Bishop said both organizations are committed to developing a behavioral health organization with “diverse levels of care, support for all patients, innovative practices and strong outcomes.” They said they are also committed to the development of local education and training programs to attract future behavioral health providers to the region.

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