[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 158 (Thursday, September 29, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1000-E1001]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING BERNIE WAGONER AS IOWAN OF THE WEEK

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. CYNTHIA AXNE

                                of iowa

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 29, 2022

  Mrs. AXNE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to proudly honor Bernie 
Wagoner as Iowan of the Week. Throughout her career, she has 
demonstrated a commitment to serving her community. As the co-founder 
and Clinical Director for Southwest Iowa Families in Clarinda, Iowa, 
Bernie has served countless people in need of assistance throughout my 
district,
  Bernie has a clear track record of serving others. While in junior 
high, Bernie's grandmother was hospitalized with a psychiatric 
condition, and that experience motivated Bernie to pursue a degree in 
Psychology from the University of Nebraska. Moving to Iowa after that, 
she was employed in intellectual disability and mental health services 
before founding Southwest Iowa Families as a non-profit in 1993. Bernie 
saw a need for a non-profit that could provide permanency and benefit 
the community more than a traditional private practice.
  Over almost 30 years, Southwest Iowa Families has strived to ensure 
that community needs were being met. Bernie has always stressed the 
importance of available and affordable rural mental health services. 
Outpatient mental health care and counseling have been a staple of 
Southwest Iowa Families since its inception. Over the years, Bernie has 
helped ensure that the mission evolved to meet the needs of the 
Southwest Iowa community. Seeing a need for the development of services 
for vulnerable 0- to 5-year-old children, in 2010 the Agency achieved 
Healthy Families of America accreditation for Southwest Iowa Families--
which was an intense process and qualified the organization to interact 
with and directly assist parents and children at risk of abuse and 
neglect. Thanks to the constancy of Southwest Iowa Families, Bernie has 
started to see young parents visit who the organization first met as 
young children. The organization also accepts and distributes various 
donations of clothing and furniture to then distribute to in need 
families and

[[Page E1001]]

continues to be willing to evolve based on community needs.
  Bernie, along with her fellow staff at Southwest Iowa Families, has 
been leading the way for the construction of a new base of operations 
for the non-profit. The new center in Clarinda is in the final stages 
of planning and will increase the number of available counseling rooms 
as well as provide a larger waiting room to effectively manage adult 
clients and their children. With this development, Bernie looks forward 
to being able to expand their staff and providing more services needed 
in the community.
  Bernie tells us that 1 in 5 individuals will have a mental health 
issue that needs professional attention at some point in their lives. 
Reliable mental health services in rural areas are critical to ensure 
that anyone who needs help has access to treatment. Mental health 
services such as Southwest Iowa Families ensure that rural communities 
remain great places to live and work. Bernie Wagoner's extensive work 
for the Southwest Iowa community has been incredibly valuable, and I am 
proud to name her Iowan of the Week.

                          ____________________