Tama County Supervisor Mark Doland pictured in August 2022 – prior to his service on the Board of Supervisors – after joining the Marshalltown Police and Community Team (MPACT) as an advocate. TAMA-GRUNDY FILE PHOTO

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Mental wellness is an important topic in my life and has been for many years. I have assisted many in my personal and professional life who need support in these areas.

In my early teen years, I lost an aunt to suicide. A few years later, I lost my cousin to suicide as well (her son). It left our family heartbroken. I had an uncle that struggled with schizophrenia and threatened my family’s life when I was a youth. I wasn’t old enough to understand why my uncle would make such threats so I just had to trust my mom to keep me safe. As I grew older and started my career, I was led into the path of being a “people helper.” If you know, you know.

The conclusion that I have come to is that mental health/substance use disorder resources are in high demand and as a society in general, we are offering very little. Tama County is especially struggling in this area. My plan is to identify service providers in our area and get together to discuss what services we have in place and where we have gaps.

I believe that we have a duty to take care of our people and especially those who cannot advocate for themselves. As a society in general, we are more open than we have before. It is shared by many Tama County residents that we are far behind. It is time to do something about it.

This morning (Monday, May 5), the Tama County Board of Supervisors approved a proclamation recognizing May as Mental Health Awareness Month. Within the proclamation, we call on all partners in the Tama County community to lift up this issue to END THE STIGMA!

I am thankful for the support and encouragement that our board and staff have shown to support efforts to improve our system locally. It is long overdue. If you would like to be involved in this project, please reach out!

Mark Doland is the chairman of the Tama County Board of Supervisors and represents District 4 which includes Toledo and Garwin. He can be reached at 641-481-2533 or mdoland@tamacounty.org.