Governor Terry Branstad has not sustained funding for the Mt. Pleasant and Clarinda mental health facilities and they are scheduled to close at the end of the fiscal year. Iowa Senator Rich Taylor from District 42 said he was blindsided by the decision. Taylor began serving in the Iowa Senate two years ago and has been working to expand mental health care in the state. Taylor states upon hearing the news he stood on the Senate floor and begged for help from fellow senators.

He urges citizens who are concerned and upset to voice their opinions to the governor and their legislators. Mt. Pleasant will lose 80 jobs with the closure. Taylor did state he met personally with Branstad this week and they are scheduling another meeting to discuss the issue.

Also, tomorrow is a chance to speak out at the legislative forum at 8:30 a.m. at the Iowa Wesleyan College library in Mt. Pleasant. Taylor says Charles Palmer, director of the Iowa Department of Human Services, is set to be in attendance. For more information about the issue listen to the full interview with Taylor during today’s Washington Page.