For over a decade, Devin Mahoney-Rold, a mother from Harlan, Iowa, recognized the need for help but struggled to find it within the existing mental health and addiction recovery programs.
A generous grant from philanthropist Mackenzie Scott, the former wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, is set to expand the programs offered by NAMI Southwest Iowa.
Devin Mahoney-Rold, who has struggled with addiction and sought help, shared her experience by saying, “I would call and say, ‘I need to go to detox or I need to go somewhere because I can’t stop drinking, and I don’t want to die.'”
However, she didn’t initially connect her addiction to underlying mental health issues, as her primary focus was on seeking help and breaking the cycle of incarceration and rehab. She considers herself in recovery for the last three years.
Approximately 8.5 million adults in the U.S. are dealing with both mental illness and substance use disorders, a condition often referred to as “dual diagnosis.”
Anna Killpack, the local executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), emphasized that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to treating individuals with a dual diagnosis. She expressed the need for innovative approaches to provide effective help to those dealing with this complex combination of issues.
The NAMI chapter in southwest Iowa applied for and received $100,000 from the funds awarded to NAMI at the national level by Mackenzie Scott. The project, called ReConnect, is designed to help individuals and families understand the connection between mental health and substance use disorders, enabling them to reconnect with themselves, their families, and the path to recovery.
Devin Mahoney-Rold has become a peer leader, helping others on their journey to recovery. She highlighted the fact that NAMI offers all of its services for free and is led by trained peers who have personally experienced similar challenges.
While NAMI has chapters in both Nebraska and Iowa, the ReConnect program is currently only available through the Neola chapter. The grant from Mackenzie Scott is expected to usher in new ways of assisting people dealing with mental health and substance use disorders.
Anna Killpack expressed optimism regarding the impact of Scott’s national gift to NAMI, stating, “I think we’re going to see a lot of new ways to help people.”
