New crisis unit open; fee draws questions
NW mental-health site operational
FAYETTEVILLE — The Northwest Arkansas Crisis Stabilization Unit is open and providing mental health services, although Washington County officials acknowledged some local governments have questions about a fee tied to the operation.
“We’ve had some calls, some concerns about the Northwest Arkansas CSU,” County Judge Joseph Wood said Thursday.
The Northwest Arkansas Crisis Stabilization Unit is part of a pilot program funded by the state. Gov. Asa Hutchinson has made about $6.4 million available to pay operating costs for four units located in Craighead, Pulaski, Sebastian and Washington counties.
The units are meant to provide mental health treatment and referrals to individuals as an alternative to incarceration. The state plans to operate the four units through June 2021 and use the information gathered in that time to evaluate the effectiveness of the program.
Wood said mayors, police chiefs and sheriffs from the four counties served by the Northwest Arkansas Crisis Stabilization Unit — Benton, Carroll, Madison and
Washington — were asked to attend a meeting to discuss the operation and particularly a $40 daily fee Washington County proposed to offset some costs. Wood said Pulaski County has a $50 fee and Sebastian County has a $5 fee for the crisis units in those counties.
Wood said the county will delay imposition of the fee until Jan. 1 to give the cities time to budget for the cost.
The state provides money for operating costs for the units but not for maintenance, said Washington County Attorney Brian Lester.
County officials said they didn’t have any details on admissions to the crisis unit in the 2½ weeks since it opened. Kelly Cantrell, public information officer for the sheriff’s office, said deputies have taken four people to the unit and two were admitted.
Kathryn Griffin, the state’s justice reinvestment coordinator, said she wasn’t surprised by the slow pace of admissions at the Northwest Arkansas unit. She said units in Sebastian and Pulaski counties also started slowly.
In March 2018, the first month of operation for the Sebastian County unit saw 43 individuals taken to the unit and 32 admitted. In May 2019 there were 91 admissions. In Pulaski County, Griffin said, there were seven referrals and three admissions in the first 11 days after the unit opened in mid-August 2018.
“So that’s not unusual,” Griffin said of the slow start for the units. “It’s really all about bringing law enforcement on board.”
Lester said he sent the cities and counties served by the Northwest Arkansas unit an interlocal agreement and a memorandum of understanding including a $40 fee, which prompted questions.
Steve Zega, the city attorney for Lincoln, advised his city not to approve the agreement until he could answer questions about the fee, the budgeting process, the oversight provided and whether the city could end its participation. Zega sent the county a letter outlining his concern June 19.
Kit Williams, Fayetteville’s city attorney, said in a letter sent to the county that his city needs financial data to show the justification for a fee before agreeing to it. He said a fee isn’t a major issue, but Williams suggested a regional board should be formed to oversee the operation.
Williams said the city supports the concept of the crisis unit but wants more transparency and wider representation on an independent board to oversee the operation. Williams cited the regional airport, regional solid waste districts and ambulance authority in Washington County as examples of independent authorities overseeing public service entities.
“They have very successfully operated that system in a very open way for the last 10 years,” Williams said of the Washington County Regional Ambulance Authority. “In my opinion, that’s by far the best method to have one of these regional boards operate.”
Lester said the state law authorizing the crisis stabilization units recommends a Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee oversee the unit, and Washington County has such a board. The 15-member coordinating committee includes representatives from the Fayetteville and Springdale police departments; circuit judges; the prosecuting attorney and public defender; all four county judges; a representative from Ozark Guidance, which provides the mental health services for the unit; a community representative; and a justice of the peace.