As visitors approach the front door of the Heartland Family Service Peer Center in Council Bluffs, they may notice the vibrant colors of community-created artwork reflecting off the glass, which offers a subtle, uplifting sense of hope and opportunity. Stepping inside, there may be as many as 40 to 50 people visiting the center. Some people are participating in planned or impromptu activities, while others are relaxing in the comfortable and inviting atmosphere.

Currently, a core group of six peer professionals keeps the center thriving. “Our staff are the backbone and the heart of the Peer Center,” says Behavioral Health Engagement Coordinator Scott Zimmerman.

Heartland Family Service Peer Center team (from left to right): Mikayla Davy, PSS and Intensive Behavioral Health Navigator, Brittiny Sampson, PRC, Dede Crummer, Lead PSS, Dominique Miller, PSS, Scott Zimmerman, Behavioral Health Engagement Coordinator, and Jason Laroche, PSS.

One reason for the robust attendance and sustained interest in the Peer Center can be traced to the agency’s values of teamwork and inclusivity. Weaving in the strengths-based values of peer support, the Heartland Family Service team developed and implemented a unique approach to creating a culture of recovery throughout their organization.

Because inclusion is a central element of Heartland's philosophy, the organization made the decision to have the Peer Center serve as the operational location for the Iowa Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC). According to Zimmerman, “We were having such success with the Peer Center, we decided that that is where the CCBHC program would be housed. It really has shot our attendance up.” Along with providing office space for CCBHC navigators, care team specialists, and peer staff on the Crisis Response team, the center houses additional programs, including Intensive Psychiatric Rehabilitation (IPR), Community Support, and InShape. The center serves as the home base for approximately 30 professionals across various programs and services.

Zimmerman reinforces the agency’s focus on its core values: “The team is very close and supports each other both professionally and personally. Everyone working at the Peer Center embodies and cherishes the values of Peer Support Specialists, regardless of their roles.  Although each position has its own set of boundaries and expectations that may differ from the boundaries and expectations of peer support, the common thread is that everyone walks alongside whoever it is they are working with.”

Strengthening the community, in addition to the individual and the family, is a key part of Heartland Family Service’s mission. Validating individuals where they are and communicating that there are many roads to recovery is well demonstrated by the CCBHC team. Zimmerman explains, “They go out into the community and meet with people, they meet with referrals and try to get an idea of what their story is and try to help connect them to the appropriate services.”

Mikayla Davy, Peer Support Specialist and Navigator, emphasizes the benefits of being able to offer this level of engagement to members of the community, “It’s really been a wonderful program. We’ve had a lot of success with people. I think just having the capability to be flexible with people and cater to whatever it is that they’re needing has provided a lot of opportunity. A lot of people have had quite the 180-degree turn in their lives, which is really cool.”

Zimmerman says the Peer Center also serves as a hub in Council Bluffs, and frequently staff from other programs and organizations stop by to facilitate a group, meet with referrals, or just catch up with other community members. He says, “We have staff from housing services, the hospital, police department, among others, come on a regular basis.”

Heartland Family Service plans to open additional peer centers throughout a nine-county area, including Monona, Harrison, Shelby, Pottawattamie, Cass, Mills, Montgomery, Fremont, and Page counties, beginning this year. Heartland also plans to create a mobile peer center to better serve rural communities.

Davy sums it up by sharing, “I think having a community space where people can come in and see other people who are involved in these programs and what sort of success they’ve had, and these people are becoming part of a community together. I think that draws a lot of people into engaging with more services and feeling more inspired to be involved than maybe they would otherwise. It also makes it more accessible because it’s not just coming for your appointment once a week or once a month. You’re in here and part of this space with people, and with us.”

___

The Heartland Family Service Peer Support Center is open Monday–Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and is located at 3415 W. Broadway, Suite B, Council Bluffs, IA  51501. Join them on Facebook.