The town of Mount Pleasant, Iowa is fighting to keep the Mental Health Institution open. Monday night, they held a public forum to convince state leaders to keep the institution from closing. There are 2 big reasons people don't want the facility to close. One is people who need treatment for mental illnesses or substance abuse won't have anywhere to go in Southeastern Iowa. The another issue is economics. People say they can't afford to lose another local business.

To get their point across, more than 500 people filled the mental health institutions gym. They told the 11 member task force if they lose the facilities 93 full time jobs it will put the town in danger. "If you were to remove those jobs from the local economy that would add to what has been tremendous job losses."

In the past few years, Southeastern Iowa communities have lost 5400 manufacturing jobs, making it hard for the institutions workers to find work. "Their children that depend on the insurance, the income and other benefits from that employment."

Another point the crowd wanted to get across to the 11-member task force, closing the mount pleasant facility will make it hard for people who need help to get it. The institution is the only in the state with a dual diagnosis unit and chemical dependency unit. There's currently a waiting list, and experts say if the state run institution closes, there aren't enough mental health facilities to fill the gap. "Some patients fall through the cracks there, they don't get the longer term treatment they need when weekly outpatient isn't enough and 2 to 3 days in the hospital isn't enough."

And there's concern that if the institution is closed, homelessness and county jail populations will increase. "I'm hoping you'll be intelligent, compassionate people and when you think about cutting costs to state and pass them onto the county and community."

The task force will make a recommendation about what mental health facility will close. They'll pass their findings onto the state legislature, who will make the final decision.