Dust is flying and walls are coming down at the future site of The Roundhouse, Hamilton County’s drop-in mental health center at Shashi Station. Workers began demolition at the northeast corner of the Shashi Station on Monday. The 13,045 sq.ft. space will house consultation rooms, group spaces, quiet meditation rooms, administration and clerical offices, a reception desk and session areas. The project is expected to be completed by mid-May, said Hamilton County Supervisor Doug Bailey who has worked on the project.

Work began in the Shashi Station offices of Central Iowa Recovery on Jan. 13 with a targeted mid-May opening date.Central Iowa Recovery’s primary focus is intensive psychiatric rehabilitation through three sub-acute support programs – Intensive Psychiatric Rehabilitation Service, Peer Support Service and Community Support Service, explained CIR executive director Tim Bedford.  

Central Iowa Recovery serves 20 central Iowa counties.  It has two other drop-in centers in Boone and Indianola.  The Webster City Center, called The Roundhouse, will expand the services that provide a scheduled curriculum of options that get a person involved in their own success, said Bedford.  That treatment includes skill-building and interaction not only with trained practitioners but with peer support.    

Aimed to assist adults with chronic mental illness who are 18 years of age and older, trained staff and practitioners follow the tiered recovery model, said Bedford.  The average length of the program runs between 18 – 24 months.  Currently, the program has a 75 percent success rate, he said.

Each drop-in center has its own unique curriculum, developed to cater to those it serves, said Bedford.  For instance at Rose Center in Boone, programs include mediation sessions, a pool table, art courses and culinary classes.  Through a recent donation, guitar lessons are being offered and a small combo band is forming.

“All our staff is incredibly recovery oriented,” said Bedford.

That same philosophy will be followed for when the Roundhouse in Webster City opens in May, said Bedford.

“Doug Bailey is supporting the development of a Serenity Garden with cook-outs and chessboards available,” said Bedford.  “We hope to develop vegetable gardens and then we will invite experienced gardeners from the community in to help.”

Bedford predicts that the drop-in center in Webster City will initially be open 24 hours a week.   As the program is regionally funded, CIR will need to show usage in order to be eligible for additional funds.   Since the Hamilton County site is the headquarters of CIR, he predicts that attendance numbers will quickly increase.  As an example, attendance at the Boone facility grew from only a handful of persons at the beginning two years ago to over 50 people being served daily.

“It didn’t take very long,” said Bedford.  “Now we are going hog wild and it is pretty cool.”

Bedford anticipates that the Webster City location will start out with 20-24 people served.

“We expect that to expand quickly,” he said.

The Roundhouse will double CIR’s existing facility space with additional session areas for groups.  CIR staffs 11 qualified practitioners and nine operating practitioners, so the added space for office and administrators is needed.

“Shashi Station will be very beneficial in how we operate,” said Bedford.  “Having the Roundhouse Drop-In Center in the community will provide a lot more people the support and guidance than have been served in the past.”

Bedford also applauds the accessibility to all the services in a “One Stop Shop.”

“It is an avenue for people to get connected to those resources and all they have to offer,” said Bedford.By TERESA WOOD

editor@freemanjournal.net

Work began in the Shashi Station offices of Central Iowa Recovery on Jan. 13 with a targeted mid-May opening date.

Central Iowa Recovery’s primary focus is intensive psychiatric rehabilitation through three sub-acute support programs – Intensive Psychiatric Rehabilitation Service, Peer Support Service and Community Support Service, explained CIR executive director Tim Bedford.  

Central Iowa Recovery serves 20 central Iowa counties.  It has two other drop-in centers in Boone and Indianola.  The Webster City Center, called The Roundhouse, will expand the services that provide a scheduled curriculum of options that get a person involved in their own success, said Bedford.  That treatment includes skill-building and interaction not only with trained practitioners but with peer support.    

Aimed to assist adults with chronic mental illness who are 18 years of age and older, trained staff and practitioners follow the tiered recovery model, said Bedford.  The average length of the program runs between 18 – 24 months.  Currently, the program has a 75 percent success rate, he said.

Each drop-in center has its own unique curriculum, developed to cater to those it serves, said Bedford.  For instance at Rose Center in Boone, programs include mediation sessions, a pool table, art courses and culinary classes.  Through a recent donation, guitar lessons are being offered and a small combo band is forming.

“All our staff is incredibly recovery oriented,” said Bedford.

That same philosophy will be followed for when the Roundhouse in Webster City opens in May, said Bedford.

“Doug Bailey is supporting the development of a Serenity Garden with cook-outs and chessboards available,” said Bedford.  “We hope to develop vegetable gardens and then we will invite experienced gardeners from the community in to help.”

Bedford predicts that the drop-in center in Webster City will initially be open 24 hours a week.   As the program is regionally funded, CIR will need to show usage in order to be eligible for additional funds.   Since the Hamilton County site is the headquarters of CIR, he predicts that attendance numbers will quickly increase.  As an example, attendance at the Boone facility grew from only a handful of persons at the beginning two years ago to over 50 people being served daily.

“It didn’t take very long,” said Bedford.  “Now we are going hog wild and it is pretty cool.”

Bedford anticipates that the Webster City location will start out with 20-24 people served.

“We expect that to expand quickly,” he said.

The Roundhouse will double CIR’s existing facility space with additional session areas for groups.  CIR staffs 11 qualified practitioners and nine operating practitioners, so the added space for office and administrators is needed.

“Shashi Station will be very beneficial in how we operate,” said Bedford.  “Having the Roundhouse Drop-In Center in the community will provide a lot more people the support and guidance than have been served in the past.”

Bedford also applauds the accessibility to all the services in a “One Stop Shop.”

“It is an avenue for people to get connected to those resources and all they have to offer,” said Bedford.