WATERLOO â A mother herself, 42-year-old Mandy Gesme knows the mental toll of COVID-19 on families.
Her kids want to know if they will have basketball practice. They wonder whether their music concerts will be held in the school auditorium. Her 5-year-old innocently asks whether her grandfather looks older since she hasnât seen him recently.
Gesme is one of 10 local staff members from Pathways Behavioral Services working on the COVID Recovery Iowa project, an initiative that supports Iowans with free mental health services. The Iowa Department of Human Services received about $1 million in federal funds to start the program. Staffers based in Waterloo, Cedar Falls and Waverly focus on families and children who seek help.