By Jamie Nicpon | Office of Communications & Marketing | 5-11-2018
Recent advocacy and committee work by Assistant Professor Vanessa Kimm has led to improved legislation and a new governing board that aims to improve pediatric mental health services in Iowa.
Signed into law in late March 2018 and formally titled House File 2456, the bill outlines comprehensive mental health reform legislation. As part of this reform, Governor Kim Reynolds also signed an executive order creating a Children’s Mental Health Board, providing the first of many steps to establish a children’s mental health system in Iowa. The bipartisan legislation builds on the state’s existing mental health system and provides all Iowans with access to the full array of mental health care they need, no matter where they live.
“As I said in my Condition of the State address, to improve Iowa’s mental health system, we must identify the gaps,” Gov. Reynolds said. “The lack of a coordinated children’s mental health system is a significant gap.
“This Children’s Mental Health Board will take a comprehensive look at what resources are currently in place and develop a strategic plan with specific recommendations to implement a children’s mental health system. The establishment of this Children’s Mental Health Board lays the foundation of a system that will provide the help Iowa’s youth – and their families – are seeking.”
Kimm, DNP, RN, ARNP, CPNP, planned and led the annual legislative day on the hill for nurse practitioners, which was co-sponsored by the Iowa Association of Nurse Practitioners (IANP) and the Iowa Nurse Practitioner Society (INPS). She also worked on a legislative committee with other nurse practitioners to advocate for bills impacting the health care of Iowans.
“There were many contributors to the mental health reform bill from many fields and from across the state,” explained Dr. Kimm. “I was able to advocate for this bill as president-elect of IANP and through our lobbyist’s (Joe Kelly) continued advocacy on our behalf for child health related legislation in Iowa.”
Dr. Kimm was initially exposed to the world of health care through the untimely deaths of family members during her adolescent years. She was inspired by the impact that health care providers could have on patients and their families. With an innate love for children, and teaching, she ultimately achieved the best of both worlds.
“Combining these interests, I chose to become a pediatric nurse practitioner, with the hopes of combining teaching and health care to positively impact the lives of children,” she said.
Leading up to the completion of her doctorate in 2017, Dr. Kimm was involved in a capstone project that focused on improving access to care for Iowa children with autism. Through this project, she was able to align with other advocates in Iowa and help to successfully pass the insurance reform bill HF215, which requires health insurance companies to reimburse families of children with autism for behavioral intervention. As president-elect for IANP, Dr. Kimm has been able to continue following her passion for improving mental health care for Iowa’s children by advocating for policy that advances access to mental health services for children in Iowa.
“I organized and led the Iowa Legislative day on the Hill for nurse practitioners at the capitol building and had a chance to meet with my representatives and express the importance of mental health reform for Iowa’s children, she added. “Ideally, I would love to have a seat at the table on the children’s mental health board to continue working toward improved mental health care services for the children in our state.”
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