Webster County is part of the Central Iowa Community Services (CICS) mental health region. CICS seeks to provide individualized supports that assure choice, empowerment, and community integration for persons with mental illness, intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. CICS serves to provide individuals with access to a regionwide system of services and supports by taking applications, making eligibility decisions, evaluating need, and working to create and implement a mental health and/or disability service (MHDS) plan.

Child Health Specialty Clinics (CHSC) serves Iowa children and youth (from birth through 21 years of age) who have or are at risk of having a special health care need. These can include chronic conditions like asthma or diabetes, behavioral or developmental disorders like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or autism and more complex medical needs like spina bifida.

CHSC provides

• Family to Family Support-individual problem solving and emotional support as you care for your child.
• Care Coordination-help access the care your child needs.
• Clinical Services-gap filling clinical services and access to pediatric specialty providers.
• Systems Building-build partnerships and expand community based services and supports for families.

The Fort Dodge Human Rights Commission is a neutral fact-finding agency whose mission is to secure for all individuals within the City of Fort Dodge freedom from discrimination because of race, color, religion, creed, sex, national origin, age or mental or physical disability in connection with employment, public accommodations, housing, and credit.

The Department provides services to people who are legally blind or visually impaired. It offers a comprehensive array of options to build confidence and independence in all aspects of life through the Orientation Center, Vocational Rehabilitation Program, Independent Living Rehabilitation Services, Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Business Enterprises Program, Aids and Devices Store, Public Education and In-Service Training.

The Orientation Center is a residential blindness training program that provides in-depth, individualized blindness training to adults so that they can return to their home communities, imbued with confidence and equipped to live independently. Training may include GED preparation, college preparation, classes in Braille, computer classes, cane travel, industrial arts, home and personal management.

Vocational Rehabilitation Program provides services in career counseling, technology assessment and training, adaptive devices for training and employment, job-seeking assistance, including seminars to teach job-seeking skills, supported employment assistance, job coaching, work site assessment and follow up, self-employment planning and follow along, post-employment follow up, blindness and attitude counseling.

Independent Living Rehabilitation Services has teachers that travel to the person's home or in small group settings. Services included are training in adaptive techniques for cooking, shopping, communication, travel, and leisure activities, peer counseling, support groups, basic adaptive devices, information and referral services, and in-service training for other service providers.

The Department will accept volunteers for transcribing print to Braille, narrating/recording print texts, proofreading Braille, tape and print materials, and providing clerical support.

Individualized services for people with disabilities to help them become employed.

LifeWorks Community Services provides residential and vocational services to adults and children with intellectual disabilities and/or mental illness.

One Vision opened its first Children's Autism Center in Clear Lake in 2013 and has expanded services to the Fort Dodge area. The center offers hope for families overwhelmed by the challenges of raising a child on the autism spectrum.

Additional information can be found on our Facebook Page One Vision Children's Autism Center: https://www.facebook.com/ovcac

Opportunity Village, based in Clear Lake, provides and supports services to individuals with disabilities, of all ages, throughout northern Iowa. Northwoods Living, a service of Opportunity Village, concentrates on the Fort Dodge area. Additional services, such as the Children's Autism Center, are available through Opportunity Village.

Cash benefits for the retired, disabled and survivors. Cash benefits for people with low income and resources who are either blind, disabled or over age 65. Assistance filing for Medicare and extra assistance for prescription drugs.

Provides public health programs, home health services, nursing care, health counseling and immunizations and vaccinations. Additional services also include screenings, CPR/First Aid classes, nutrition programs, environmental health services, senior health, adolescent mental health, communicable diseases, maternal health, child health, developmental screenings, Breast & Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program and a child care nurse consultant program. Other programs managed by the Webster County Health Department include: Family Foundations, Healthy and Well Kids in Iowa (Hawk-i), I-Smile Dental Health, Prescriptions for Kids, Teen Information Pregnancy Prevention Program (TIPP), Tobacco/Smoking Cessation Program, Webster County Family Planning Clinic and the Women, Infants & Children (WIC) Program.

Call the Health Department with questions Monday through Friday from 8 AM to 4:30 PM. An on-call nurse is also available 24/7 for questions/concerns.