Michaela Ramm is a health care reporter for the Des Moines Register who covers a wide range of health-related topics for a statewide audience. She was a 2020-2021 Poynter-Koch Media and Journalism Fellow.
A reporter finds rising needs, funding gaps, and families forced to give up custody for care.
Heather Preston, an Iowa mom of five adopted sons with behavioral health needs, struggles to find care due to waitlists, low Medicaid funding, and a lack of therapists across the state.
The severity of youth mental health needs intensified after the COVID-19 pandemic, with more children exhibiting extreme behaviors.
Iowa youth face a growing mental health crisis worsened by lack of early care, long wait times, and a broken system. Families only get help after crisis, prompting reform efforts.
