Iowa Primary Care Association outlines district navigation services, shares Mason City access details

Iowa Primary Care Association officials presented an overview of the state’s new district-based behavioral-health administrative structure and described system-navigation services available to Cerro Gordo County residents.

Ashley Marciniac, district 3 leader for the Iowa Primary Care Association, told the board that the state moved from a regional system to a districting system on July 1 of the prior year to create a single access point and reduce service silos. "Big changes happened as of July 1 of last year. So we went from the regional system to the districting system," Marciniac said, adding that the goal is to streamline access and allow districts to tailor supports to community needs.

Sarah Jansen, senior lead navigator for District 3, described the navigation service. She said there are no eligibility requirements or diagnosis thresholds to receive help: navigators provide education, help with applications (including Medicaid, SNAP and housing), make warm referrals and will place calls on behalf of clients when needed. "No wrong door is the approach that we'd like to say that we provide," Jansen said, describing the service as short-term assistance that connects people to longer-term case management when appropriate.

Presenters said navigation is standardized statewide so callers receive the same support regardless of district. Jansen said the program has handled more than 20,000 inbound and outbound calls to date, a statewide figure, and that district- and county-level breakdowns are pending state review. Jansen also said the team has a Mason City presence: navigators are available at Cerro Gordo County Public Health on Mondays and Wednesdays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Mary French, a community health consultant with the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services Behavioral Health Division, attended to provide technical assistance and to facilitate communication with the state. Ashley Marciniac described advisory councils for districts and noted a current vacancy on the District 3 advisory council after Sheriff Jeff Brinkley’s retirement; she encouraged qualified law-enforcement candidates to apply.

Presenters provided contact information for Iowa PCA leadership and district navigators and said they are conducting outreach—flyers, social media and radio—to raise awareness of the free navigation service. Marciniac said district assessment reports and plans are with the state for review and will be released publicly when available; those materials are intended as community-informed guides rather than county mandates.

The board did not take action on the presentation; presenters said county-level performance metrics will follow once state review is complete.