IRON MOUNTAIN — The Dickinson County Democratic Party will have a nonpartisan public forum on the state’s public mental health services at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 9, at the LIUNA Labor Hall, 1800 N. Stephenson Ave., Iron Mountain.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has announced it’s moving to a competitor procurement process for the state’s prepaid inpatient health plan, or PIHP, contracts.

One concern is such bid-out plans in the past have opened the door for privatization of Michigan’s public mental health system and eliminated control at the local level, forum organizers said.

Guest speakers will be Mandy Padgett, CEO of Northpointe Behavioral Healthcare System, and Megan Rooney, CEO of Northcare Network.