NPD, Newton Daily News to host mental health panel

The Newton Daily News and the Newton Police Department are sponsoring a community conversation to raise awareness about mental illness and crisis response. Newton Police Chief Rob Burdess will moderate the conversation, which will be held at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 10 in the City of Newton’s council chambers on West Fourth Street South.

There will be seven featured panelists, but written questions from the audience will also be considered. The event is open to the public, and will also be broadcast live on Mediacom channels 12, 85 and 121.12.

“The forum is a great opportunity for the Newton Police Department to partner with local stakeholders in bringing awareness to the mental health challenges faced by our community on a daily basis,” Burdess said. “The Community Conversation provides an opportunity for the expert panelists to educate the public on the issue and will also provide a level of advocacy for those in need.”

The featured panelists are Leslie Ross, of Optimae LifeServices, Marilyn Deppe, of National Alliance on Mental Health-Jasper County, Capstone Behavioral Health Director Julie Smith, Jasper County Sheriff John Halferty, Lora Mattson, of Skiff Medical Center, Central Iowa Community Services CEO Jody Eaton and District Court Judge Terry Rickers.

Newton Daily News Editor Abigail Pelzer said the aim of the community forum is to raise awareness and understanding about the impact of mental health in the community. When Burdess, the recently hired chief, identified mental health problems as one of the largest issues impacting Newton, she said she felt a call to action.

“The role of a newspaper is not only to provide quality news, it is to act as a community leader,” Pelzer said. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to partner with the NPD — and an excellent panel — to get this conversation started and begin looking for.”

Public input will be encouraged. There will be a list of pre-written questions asked of various panelists as starting points, but Pelzer and Burdess will also review and consider all written questions. Attendees are asked to focus on mental-health resources and procedures when forming questions.

The event also comes on the heels of a three-part Newton Daily News series on mental-health resource shortages: Read Part One here, Part Two here and Part Three here.

Burdess said this type of meeting is part of a greater outreach mission that’s a critical component of helping the public see law enforcement as a community partner, rather than an adversary.

“Through awareness we hope to identify resources and opportunities to collaborate for the benefit of our community members who struggle with mental health issues,” Burdess said. “The long term hope, through this forum and future ventures, is to bring about positive change that will dramatically impact the lives of those individuals and families that are affected by mental illness.”

Contact Jason W. Brooks at 641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or jbrooks@newtondailynews.com