Articles from January 2026

Shifts in Iowa’s Peer Workforce Amid Integrated Health Home Closure

Thursday, January 8, 2026
In 2025, Iowa began a major system realignment. Given the scale of this transition and the important role of peer professionals in behavioral health, understanding workforce changes is essential. In this research brief, Katelyn Akright describes changes in the number, type, and location of employed peer professionals between 2024 and 2025, using the Iowa Peer Support Inventory (PSI). She considers both statewide trends and regional variation, as well as shifts in the types of employed peer professionals (PSS, FPSS, and RC) across Iowa.