Christina Bohannan, who is running for Congress as a Democrat in Iowa’s new First Congressional District, is finishing a two-day tour through Marion County on Wednesday.  Bohannan’s tour started on Monday with events in Prairie City and Pleasantville. On Tuesday, Bohannan made multiple stops in Knoxville at Weiler, the Knoxville VFW Post 3519, and Peace Tree Brewing. The tour covered several topics including veterans issues, education, and mental health. Bohannan spoke about Iowa’s mental health crisis at her stop at Peace Tree in Knoxville.

“Over the last several years, Iowa has become literally the worst state in the country in the number of psychiatric beds in relation to our population. Governor Brandstad closed down two major mental health facilities and did not replace them with anything. We are now 49th or 50th in the country for the number of available psychiatric beds. With this shortage, when someone is in crisis there is nowhere for them to go, sometimes for months.”

Bohannan had several special guests on her tour, including Mike Overman, candidate for Iowa House District 37, Admiral Mike Franken, candidate for U.S. Senate, Tyler Stewart, candidate for Iowa State Senate District 11, Lisa Fleishman, candidate for Iowa State Senate District 11, John Norwood, candidate for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, and Joe Kerner, candidate for Iowa State House District 21.

The tour will continue at private and public events in Marion, Warren, Mahaska, and Jasper counties on Wednesday.