Updated perspective

Cruising down U.S. 67, Rex Nelson provided a drive-by history of the Arkansas Health Center (AHC) in a recent column. Old brick buildings on tree-lined boulevards lend themselves to outdated perspectives. Previous names do not do justice to 21st century care, nor reflect current thinking about psychiatry and neuroscience.

Inside the gates, one gets a fuller picture: on-site medical care, nursing training, medical therapies, counseling, games, socials, gardening, walks, and golf cart rides. No longer isolated, AHC hosted 4,000-plus Saline County neighbors to mingle with residents, staff, and families for Independence Day. They were seen picnicking by the fishing pond, listening to a local band, watching children on fair rides, eating from food trucks, and watching a fireworks display.

The residential building is a bilevel nursing home, circa 1982, boasting a 5-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. AHC is generously staffed and technologically equipped to provide care for individuals with complicated physical, cognitive and behavioral needs when those needs cannot be met elsewhere. Their best resource is the people who work with love and patience. We psychologists and other mental health professionals try hard to enlighten the public on modern conceptualizations of brain-behavior relationships to help communities and individuals become healthier, without fear of stigma. We invite Mr. Nelson and all who have not had a close look to take a step inside the gate and gain an updated perspective. ELIZABETH SPECK-KERN

Little Rock