A Stronger Safety Net

With assist from Foundation, Mary Greeley expands Intensive Outpatient Program

Mary Greeley Medical Center is launching an expanded Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) for people in need of mental health services—a level of care designed to meet people where they are and keep them well, close to home. It’s a timely addition for the region: for years, the nearest IOP option was in Des Moines.

“Having an IOP in Ames is going to be a huge benefit to our patients,” says Chris Mayfield, MSN, Director of Behavioral Health Services.

IOP fills a crucial gap between traditional weekly therapy and inpatient hospitalization. Participants meet three days a week for three hours of therapist-led group work with individualized goals and evidence-based curriculum. Groups typically include 8–12 participants and serve two pathways: a step-up for people whose symptoms are escalating in outpatient care, and a step-down for those leaving an inpatient stay who need structured support to transition home.

What Care Looks Like

• Structure: Three group sessions weekly (three hours each) built around a proven, skills-based curriculum (authorized in eight-week blocks to streamline coverage).
• Personalization: Participants identify goals in their first sessions; clinicians add individual therapy as needed to reinforce progress.
• Access: Referrals from inpatient units, the ED, and community providers; the program can shorten inpatient stays and prevent hospitalizations.
• Capacity: Launching with about nine participants per group (minimum eight; up to 12).

Meeting the Moment

The demand for this level of care is undeniable.

“We see somewhere between 240 and 340 referrals for inpatient services each month,” says Matt Aitchison, Senior Director of Nursing Operations. “We’ve already expanded beds; we can’t instantly add more. IOP is a service we can expand to keep some patients from needing an inpatient experience while providing them the help they need.”

The program also creates a safer on-ramp for people who arrive through the Emergency Department in distress but may not require admission. 

“In these cases, it could be somebody who doesn’t have any experience with mental health services prior,” Aitchison explains. “We can start with IOP, then transition them to an appropriate level of therapy based on their needs.”

Building a Regional Leader

The IOP is the latest addition to Mary Greeley’s comprehensive behavioral health continuum, which includes inpatient, subacute, and outpatient care; ARCH community outreach, and now IOP. This expansion reflects a broader initiative to unify these services under a single, coordinated approach.

“Bringing services together under one umbrella lets us see what the needs are across the community and make the right decisions for our patients,” Aitchison says. That integrated approach, combined with IOP access in Ames, positions Mary Greeley as a regional leader at a time when many health systems are cutting back.

Mayfield is candid about why this matters.

“I am very passionate about growing behavioral health and about keeping people out of the hospital and out of the justice system,” she says. “The Foundation’s support to help us do that is critical. Behavioral health is just as important as any other health, and it means a lot to have a Foundation that understands that.”

Chris Ries (left), Licensed Mental Health Family Counselor, and Jen Rogers, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, will lead the Intensive Outpatient Program at Mary Greeley Medical Center.

Powered by Philanthropy

The Mary Greeley Foundation has been instrumental in turning the IOP plan into reality by funding the program’s clinical curriculum, equipping therapy spaces, and helping the team launch in a near-term location while work continues on a longer-range vision for a comprehensive outpatient behavioral health clinic. 

Just as important, philanthropy has provided momentum.

“The momentum of multiple donors who want to give and want to see more of these services, that’s truly how the Foundation has helped us,” Aitchison says. “And going forward, the Foundation has shared a vision for helping us address the real-world barriers our patients face like transportation or food and housing insecurity. These things can derail someone’s ability to attend treatment. The Foundation support is about helping people be clinically well and practically stable.” 

‘Doing what’s right’

Mary Greeley’s behavioral health leaders emphasize the expansion is about both mission and stewardship.

“Offering needed services like these to the community is not driven by profit,” Aitchison says. “It’s about being good stewards so we can expand access. We do what’s right for our patients, and being financially responsible gives us the ability to do even more.”

Mayfield adds that the ultimate goal is simple: timely care, close to home.

“For a long time, we kept people inpatient longer because we couldn’t find an IOP. Now, Ames has its own program. People can stay near their support systems, build skills, and move forward.”