Ouachita Behavioral Health adds program for ex-inmates

HOT SPRINGS — Ouachita Behavioral Health and Wellness recently received a $1,236,000 grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to develop a new program to help people recently released from incarceration.

The program provides mental health services, substance abuse peer support, forensic support with the criminal justice system and case management services, as well as a warmline that provides information and support.

The project is overseen by the diversion team, composed of six employees from OBHAW, who provide different services to the clients in the program.

Kristal Caldwell, mental health professional on the diversion team, said the clients in the program typically meet with all six members of the diversion team.

“We all work in conjunction,” Caldwell said. “So we’re all meeting with the client typically at least weekly or every other week so that we all stay in touch and we have regular staffing. So, we all know where we are in our separate processes with them.”

Sandra Gonzalez, project director for the team, said the grant was awarded to OBHAW in September. The diversion team was assembled and the project was ready to begin offering services on Jan. 18.

“It’s called the diversion team because we’re trying to divert people. Instead of them sitting in jail, help them to go to inpatient, maybe they need outpatient, so especially trying to divert them out of the jail system,” she said.

The SAMHSA award is a two-year grant, which means the project has two years to prove it is successful.

“We have two years to basically determine if it’s going to be a viable program,” she said. “It’s also trying to make it sustainable so that we’re going to be able to hopefully continue this program.”

Some of the services offered provide help in areas such as obtaining medical insurance, employment or housing. One of the goals of the program is to reduce the chances of those involved in the justice system reoffending.

“Anything that helps get them support to help get them independence,” Gonzalez said. “So it prevents them from going back into jail.”

Caldwell, who formerly worked in the mental health intake portion of Ouachita River Correctional Unit in Malvern, said another goal of the project is to provide those involved in the criminal justice system with the resources they need.

“Once you’re out into the community, we want to give you whatever resources we can help you with,” she said. “So that you’re not re-entering the criminal justice system. So we can help people stabilize in the community.

“I could see a lot of times when people were leaving (the prison) for the community, sometimes they didn’t have housing that was appropriate to go to, or people were leaving without insurance. Employment’s always an issue. And it’s typically a requirement of parole or probation. So, if you can get help with that it definitely helps keep you on track with your requirements to keep you out of trouble.”

A referral is required to receive services. Referrals can come from court officials, correctional staff, probation/ parole officers, health professionals or self-referrals.

Referrals can be placed thro0ugh the program’s warmline, a non-emergency phone line that provides information and support. The warmline is (501) 385-1588 and is available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“You’ve heard of a hotline, but this is a little different,” Gonzalez said. “This is not a crisis line. You actually get a person on the phone to talk to and she will route you to either our team or somebody else in OBHAW that’s going to be able to assist you.”

The program is available in all five OBHAW locations: Hot Springs, Malvern, Arkadelphia, Glenwood and Mount Ida.

To receive services from the program, clients must be involved in the criminal justice system, have a significant mental illness and have a co-occurring disorder such as substance abuse.

“They have to have all three and that’s why it makes it a little more special about our program,” Gonzalez said. “Because a lot of programs are not willing to take people with a significant mental illness plus substance abuse disorder.”