Marion council honors Mental Health Awareness Month as providers urge expanded co‑responder coverage

The Marion City Council on May 21 proclaimed May 2026 Mental Health Awareness Month and heard an annual update from Foundation 2 Crisis Services and the Linn County Mental Health Access Center on local crisis response and the law‑enforcement liaison (co‑responder) model.

Jenna Shonifer of Foundation 2 said the nonprofit fields more than 90,000 crisis support requests annually across Iowa and connects Marion residents to 24/7 phone, text and chat services and school‑based supports. "We support schools when they experience a suicide," Shonifer said, and emphasized that callers can also reach 988 for free, confidential help.

Rochelle Wilcox, the Marion Police Department’s law‑enforcement liaison and a co‑responder, described day‑to‑day duties that include real‑time dispatch responses, non‑urgent interventions and follow‑up case coordination. Wilcox said her team prioritizes stabilizing people in the community and linking them to services to avoid unnecessary hospitalizations or criminal‑justice contacts. "Typically, after I go out with a client… I do a follow‑up usually within 14 days," she said, adding that in fiscal year 2026 about 96 percent of clients reported they had not visited an emergency room since she last interacted with them and roughly 91 percent reported no new law‑enforcement contact.

Erin Foster, director of the Linn County Mental Health Access Center, said the access center contracts with providers to deliver walk‑in crisis care and — this year — added withdrawal management (detox) to its services. Foster warned that detox capacity is limited statewide: "There are only around 11 detox licenses across the state, and only three or four provide services to those who do not have private insurance," she said, calling that an important statewide gap that affects local capacity.

Foundation 2’s Kelly Zepeda, program manager, said the liaison program’s turnover is low compared with other programs and that Foundation 2’s regional contracts create shared documentation and continuity of care across jurisdictions. Presenters also said the Marion Police Department is pursuing federal funding through the Bureau of Justice Assistance to expand the liaison program.

Public comment amplified support for the co‑responder model and urged continued investment. "This partnership represents a more compassionate framework for public safety," resident Iris said, while pressing the council to sustain and grow services. Iris referenced the recent fatal shooting of Sabre Bernard during a mental‑health crisis, saying the tragedy underscores the need for proactive structural changes.

Anna Clymer of the Marion Alliance for Racial Equity commended the department’s $8,000 de‑escalation training grant and the decision to pursue accreditation, but urged deeper investment and better data transparency. Clymer pressed for disaggregated reporting of use‑of‑force and traffic‑stop outcomes by race and ethnicity to help identify disparities.

The council accepted the presentation, issued the proclamation and voiced support for continuing partnerships with Linn County and Foundation 2 as staff pursue funding and program expansion.

Next steps: staff said they will continue pursuing grant funding and coordination with county partners to increase coverage and that council will monitor funding opportunities and program outcomes.