Rachel Bussan

Rachel Bussan wants to have a positive impact on mental health treatment in Iowa through her new seat on the Iowa Developmental Disabilities Council.

The 2001 Webster City High School graduate was recently appointed to a three-year term on that council by Gov. Kim Reynolds.

“The Mission Statement for the Iowa Developmental Disability Council is: Create change with and for persons with developmental disabilities so they can live, work, learn, and play in the community of their choosing,” Bussan said in an online interview. “It’s federally funded, and there is a D.D. Council in every U.S. state. Our council focuses on advocacy, building capacity for necessary services/supports, and implementing systemic change on the state level.

“The areas I am the most experienced in are workforce development/workplace accessibility, and issues related to mental health. However, I am happy to help with whatever is needed.”

Bussan works as a collection services specialist at the West Des Moines Public Library. She has a B.A. in English language and literature from Buena Vista University, and a masters in library science from the University of Iowa.

“My career has involved public service in various state and local public libraries. My previous job was at the Iowa Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. I learned a great deal about accessibility and serving patrons with various disabilities.

“In my current role at West Des Moines Public Library, I have worked extensively with the city’s DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) department, the Iowa Library Association, and various library organizations. I focus on neurodiversity and employment, as well as neurodiversity and accessibility of library facilities. I have also collaborated with the Autism Society of Iowa and the Iowa D.D. Council in the past at conferences and meetings with state legislators.”

She added, “I have autism. Most of my issues are sensory related. I’m extra sensitive to light, sound, smell and touch. I wear sound-blocking earmuffs at work to help me concentrate. I tend to process speech more slowly than writing, so I take notes and use email whenever I can. Both things are pretty common for people who are autistic, although not everyone has them. As Dr. Stephen Shore says, ‘If you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism.'”

Bussan cites her own fortune in the workplace when looking to support others.

“I’m excited to work on projects to improve employment prospects for people with developmental disabilities. People with disabilities have much higher unemployment rates and are often underemployed and underpaid. I would like to work to help change that.”

Bussan said, “I would also like to work on mental health initiatives. This would help all of Iowa, not just those with disabilities. For example, Iowa ranks last of all U.S. states on psychiatric bed availability, with only 1.2 beds for 100,000 adults,” according to NAMI Iowa statistics.

“This can lead to people waiting far too long for a spot to open up when they or a loved one are experiencing a mental health crisis. As someone with a mental health condition, I have waited several months to get appointments before. And I am lucky to be paid well and have excellent health insurance.

“It saddens me to think of what people who aren’t so fortunate go through. The rate of mental illness in the United States is: 22.8% of U.S. adults experienced mental illness in 2021 (57.8 million people). This represents one in five adults, 16.5% of U.S. youth aged 6-17 experienced a mental health disorder in 2016 (7.7 million people),” again according to the nonprofit NAMI.

“For people with disabilities, the rates are even higher,” Bussan said, citing another NAMI statistic: “Adults with disabilities reported mental distress 4.6 times as often as those without disabilities.”

Bussan, whose parents are Tony and Jill Bussan, of Webster City, paid tribute to collective efforts that she sees as having a positive impact on access to help.

“I will say that there have been two game-changing laws passed in my lifetime. One was the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) which requires private insurance to cover mental health and addiction treatment. That passed in 2008. Before that I couldn’t access therapy or medication management. It caused a great deal of suffering and made it very difficult to work.

“The second was the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) prohibits the use of pre-existing conditions — such as heart disease or a cancer diagnosis — to deny, increase premiums, or impose waiting periods for health insurance coverage. That passed in 2010. I could disclose health issues without losing coverage for them if I lost coverage or had to switch insurers. For all of its flaws — I am a big proponent of universal health coverage — that law changed many lives.”