Ongoing Partnerships with Higher Plain

The Beyond Depression: Tools for Collaboration Project

Major Depression is the most costly disability faced by Americans. When untreated, Major Depression co-occurs with chronic illnesses, and health outcomes are compromised.

For this reason, The Higher Plain, Inc. has partnered with the Wellmark Foundation, which sponsors the Beyond Depression Project.

This project is an effort to disseminate three toolkits developed by Higher Plain, Inc. regarding best practice treatment of Major Depression. The Beyond Depression Toolkits are tailored for:

Primary Care Providers
Those Living With Depression
Community Members

Four general dissemination methods will be:

Building and enhancing relationships with state stakeholders
Professional and community training
Internet access to toolkits and updated resources
Technical assistance and consultation.

The goals are:

1. The Beyond Depression Project will be expanded in Iowa so health care providers, professionals and paraprofessionals, consumers and their families, and community members will have knowledge of science-based best practices for treating Major Depression.
2. Our goal in Cedar County is to enhance the knowledge of Major Depression and best practice treatments among all segments of communities, while strengthening the community continuum of care through collaboration.

The Madison, Adair, and Guthrie Counties Network Planning Project

This partnership is a joint effort of a variety of health care entities interested in strengthening rural mental health services. Project Network members represent the local leadership of Rural Health Clinics, a community mental health center, a state faith-based organization, county public health agencies, a critical access hospital, Rural Development, and representatives of consumers and their families.

The goals are:

1. Establish a relationship between selected representatives of Rural Hospitals, Rural Health Clinics, consumer groups, and Mental Health Services from both private and public health care entities to enumerate potential benefits of forming a rural mental health network.


2. Build consensus among Network partners to enable a strategic planning process which will lead to the Network’s sustainability.


3. Increase the awareness among network partners regarding the impact of the “stigma of receiving mental health services”.


4. Determine the level of need for changing the structure of the provision of emergency mental health services in Primary Care Settings, including emergency room, and the role law enforcement, has in this process.


5. The Network partners will develop a methodology for establishing and promoting a rural Community Continuum of Care composed of a cross section of health care professionals, community supports, consumers and their families enhancing mental health services in rural areas.

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The Higher Plain, Inc. || 680 Garfield Rd. || West Branch, IA 52358 || Phone: 319-643-5628 || Email us.