1. a. The counties comprising a mental health and disability services region shall enter into an agreement under chapter 28E to form a regional administrator under the control of a governing board to function on behalf of those counties.

 b. A region exempted from the requirement to enter into a chapter 28E agreement prior to July 1, 2014, shall submit written documents demonstrating that the region has formed a regional administrator under the control of a governing board to function on behalf of that region and otherwise comply with the requirements of this section.

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Terms Used In Iowa Code 225C.57

  • Child: includes but shall not be limited to a stepchild, foster child, or legally adopted child and means a child actually or apparently under eighteen years of age, and a dependent person eighteen years of age or over who is unable to maintain the person's self and is likely to become a public charge. See Iowa Code 252A.2
  • children: means a person or persons under eighteen years of age. See Iowa Code 225C.2
  • Court: shall mean and include any court upon which jurisdiction has been conferred to determine the liability of persons for the support of dependents. See Iowa Code 252A.2
  • Department: means the department of health and human services. See Iowa Code 249L.2
  • Department: means the department of health and human services. See Iowa Code 225C.2
  • Disability services: means services and other support available to a person with mental illness, an intellectual disability or other developmental disability, or brain injury. See Iowa Code 225C.2
  • following: when used by way of reference to a chapter or other part of a statute mean the next preceding or next following chapter or other part. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • person: means individual, corporation, limited liability company, government or governmental subdivision or agency, business trust, estate, trust, partnership or association, or any other legal entity. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • Regional administrator: means the same as defined in section 225C. See Iowa Code 225C.2
 2. The governing board shall comply with all of the following requirements:

 a. Each member of the governing board shall have one vote.
 b. The membership of the governing board shall not include employees of the department of health and human services or a nonelected employee of a county.
 c. The membership of the governing board shall consist of the following:

 (1) Members representing the boards of supervisors of counties comprising the region. Members representing the boards of supervisors for a region’s counties shall not exceed forty-nine percent of the total membership of the governing board.
 (2) One member who is an adult person who utilizes mental health and disability services or is an actively involved relative of such an adult person. This member shall be designated by the regional advisory committee formed by the governing board pursuant to paragraph “d”.
 (3) One member representing adult service providers in the region. This member shall be designated by the regional advisory committee formed by the governing board pursuant to paragraph “d”.
 (4) One member representing children‘s behavioral health services providers in the region. This member shall be designated by the regional children’s advisory committee formed by the governing board pursuant to paragraph “e”.
 (5) One member representing the education system in the region. This member shall be designated by the regional children’s advisory committee formed by the governing board pursuant to paragraph “e”.
 (6) One member who is a parent of a child who utilizes children’s behavioral health services or who is an actively involved relative of such a child. This member shall be designated by the regional children’s advisory committee formed by the governing board pursuant to paragraph “e”.
 (7) One member representing law enforcement in the region.
 (8) One member representing the judicial system in the region.
 d. The governing board shall have a regional advisory committee consisting of adults who utilize services or actively involved relatives of such adults, service providers, and regional governing board members.
 e. The governing board shall have a regional children’s advisory committee consisting of parents of children who utilize services or actively involved relatives of such children, a member of the education system, an early childhood advocate, a child welfare advocate, a children’s behavioral health service provider, a member of the juvenile court, a pediatrician, a child care provider, a local law enforcement representative, and regional governing board members.
 3. a. The regional administrator shall be under the control of the governing board. The regional administrator shall enter into performance-based contracts with the department in accordance with section 225C.4, subsection 1, paragraph “x”, for the regional administrator to manage, on behalf of the counties comprising the region, the mental health and disability services that are not funded by the medical assistance program under chapter 249A and for coordinating with the department the provision of mental health and disability services that are funded under the medical assistance program.

 b. The regional administrator staff shall include one or more coordinators of mental health and disability services and one or more coordinators of children’s behavioral health services. A coordinator shall possess a bachelor’s or higher level degree in a human services-related or administration-related field, including but not limited to social work, psychology, nursing, or public or business administration, from an accredited college or university. However, in lieu of a degree in public or business administration, a coordinator may provide documentation of relevant management experience. An action of a coordinator involving a clinical decision shall be made in conjunction with a professional who is trained in the delivery of the mental health or disability service or children’s behavioral health service addressed by the clinical decision. The regional administrator shall determine whether referral to a coordinator of mental health and disability services or children’s behavioral health services is required for a person or child seeking to access a service through a local access point of the regional service system or the children’s behavioral health system.