Case Study: Eastern Iowa Mental Health and Disability Services Region

Overview

The Eastern Iowa Mental Health and Disability Services Region (EIMHDS) serves Cedar, Clinton, Jackson, Muscatine, and Scott Counties, providing access to mental health, disability, and crisis services for thousands of residents across eastern Iowa. In moments of stress, uncertainty, or crisis, clarity and consistency are not optional, they are essential.

Vortex has partnered with the Eastern Iowa MHDS Region over many years, supporting ongoing public-facing communication through print, digital, and environmental materials that prioritize accessibility, calm, and trust.

The Responsibility

Unlike commercial brands, public mental health systems operate under constant pressure. Information must be accurate, easy to understand, culturally inclusive, and immediately actionable. Messaging must remain steady across years, leadership changes, and evolving community needs.

For EIMHDS, the challenge was not a single campaign, but maintaining a recognizable, dependable presence across dozens of touchpoints, from crisis cards and magnets to billboards, brochures, and multilingual materials supporting the regional crisis system.

The Approach

Vortex approached the Eastern Iowa MHDS Region as a long-term communications partner, not a one-off vendor. The focus was on building and maintaining a visual and messaging system that could be extended across formats while remaining immediately recognizable to the public.

Key priorities included:

• Clear, compassionate language appropriate for high-stress situations
• Strong visual consistency across counties and service providers
• Materials designed for real-world use, not just display
• Accessibility across languages and literacy levels

Every piece needed to work on its own — and as part of a larger system.

The Execution

Over time, Vortex designed and produced a wide range of materials supporting the Eastern Iowa MHDS Region and its crisis partners, including magnets, crisis cards, brochures, business cards, postcards, and billboards. These pieces reinforced core messages such as “You are not alone” and ensured crisis contact information remained highly visible and easy to act on.

Special attention was given to bilingual communication, with English and Spanish crisis materials designed in parallel to maintain clarity and equity across communities. QR codes, county maps, and consistent typography helped residents quickly understand where to turn and what to expect when reaching out for help.

Internal-facing materials, including professional business cards for care coordinators and crisis staff, were also developed to align with the same regional identity, reinforcing trust at every level of interaction.

The Result

The Eastern Iowa MHDS Region now benefits from a stable, recognizable communications system that residents, providers, and partner organizations can rely on. Across counties and service environments, materials feel cohesive, calm, and consistent, supporting the region’s mission without distraction.

The work has helped ensure that when someone needs help, the message is clear, the number is visible, and the response feels human.

Why This Matters

In crisis communication, design is not decoration — it is infrastructure. The Eastern Iowa MHDS Region’s materials succeed because they remove barriers, reduce confusion, and reinforce trust at critical moments.

Consistency saves time. Clarity saves energy. And sometimes, it helps someone take the next step toward support.

Takeaway

Strong public-service brands are built through stewardship, not campaigns. They require patience, discipline, and partners who understand the weight of the message.

Vortex was proud to support the Eastern Iowa Mental Health and Disability Services Region through years of consistent, trust-focused communications.