• Home
  • News
    • Politics & Government
    • Business & Economy
    • Crime / Courts
    • Health / Medicine
  • Sports
    • High School Sports
    • Radio Iowa Poll
  • Affiliates
    • Affiliate Support Page
  • Contact Us
    • Reporters

Radio Iowa

Iowa's Radio News Network

You are here: Home / Politics / Govt / Governor signs bill to help parents of mentally ill

Governor signs bill to help parents of mentally ill

May 5, 2005 By admin

Iowa’s governor has signed a bill into law that will help parents who’re finding it hard to pay for the meds a mentally ill child needs. In many instances, parents in that situation have been forced to give up custody of their kid so the child would be a ward of the state and the state would pay for the child’s medications and counseling. Susan Benson-Blaine of Harlan fought to keep her son at home rather than give him up to the state. Colton, who is now 14, is bipolar and has some anxiety disorders. She convinced state officials to provide her the financial help to pay for her son’s medications and counseling without giving up her parental rights. So what was her reacton when Benson-Blaine was told she should give up her son? Benson-Blaine says she got very angry, and decided it wasn’t right. She believes her son would have gotten worse if he had been put in an institution. “I just decided I’m fighting for this one, and luckily I won,” Benson-Blaine says. Benson-Blaine got emotional when talking about the bill. “I hope it helps a lot of families like us,” Benson-Blaine said. “Thank you.” Benson-Blaine was by the governor’s side Thursday, holding a picture of her son, as Vilsack signed the bill into law. Representative Lisa Heddens, a Democrat from Ames, is a social worker who says the issue movtivated her to run for the House. “I’ve been listening to families for probably three-and-a-half, four years, listening to their stories about how they had to relinquish custody in order to access services,” Heddens says. “It really became my drive into politics to rectify the situation.”

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: Politics / Govt

Featured Stories

Exhibit features lesser known works of Grant Wood

Testing finds 21 new CWD cases in deer

It may become a crime in Iowa to use fake urine in workplace drug tests

February trending 18 degrees below average temperature

Iowa House Education Committee votes to end tenure at UI, ISU, UNI

TwitterFacebook
Tweets by RadioIowa

New look and new format at girls’ state basketball

Youngstown State takes action against assistant football coach

Iowa’s Jack Nunge lost for the season

Key stretch begins for #9 Iowa

Drake’s Roman Penn lost for the season

More Sports

eNews and Updates

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Archives

Copyright © 2021 ยท Learfield News & Ag, LLC