Group makes plea for mental health crisis unit in NWA

FAYETTEVILLE — A coalition has made its case to the governor’s office and now waits to hear if Northwest Arkansas will get one of three crisis stabilization units for the mentally ill.

“We need it because there are too many people with mental illnesses in jail,” said Nancy Kahanak, facilitator for the Judicial Equality for Mental Illness Coalition of Northwest Arkansas.

“The second piece, of course, is we need more services for people with mental illnesses so that once they’ve gone through the crisis center, they have the services of a psychiatrist or whatever else they need.”

The coalition is working to change the state’s system of treating the mentally ill. Members want to make sure people who are incarcerated receive mental health treatment if needed. The group’s membership includes current and retired mental health professionals, law officers and community members.

The Legislature approved three crisis units for the

state. They are meant to divert mentally ill people away from jails and into treatment. A unit would be a 24-hour center where someone who is arrested could receive treatment rather than being taken to jail, according to information from the coalition.

“We’re trying to get a facility in our area because numbers-wise it just makes sense. It obviously could reduce the jail population; it’s clearly the right, humane thing to do,” said Circuit Judge Cristi Beaumont. “We have more numbers than Pulaski County does when you add up Washington, Madison and Benton.”

SHOW ME THE MONEY

Crisis stabilization units, crisis intervention training and diversion programs of some nature exist in 45 states, including Arkansas’ surrounding states, according to the Association of Arkansas Counties.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson set $5 million aside to establish the units in his 2017 budget.

Northwest Medical Center-Springdale has agreed to provide space for a unit. Ozark Guidance and Northwest have agreed to staff and operate the unit. Northwest also has the capability to care for people that need to stay more than 24 hours.

“Having it at Northwest in Springdale, it’s basically between Washington and Benton counties, which is very centrally located,” Beaumont said. “If you have an individual that needs to stay longer than 24 hours, they can put on a 72-hour hold and keep them upstairs. It’s my understanding they’re trying to expand and add another 20 beds.”

Letters of support have come from county judges, law enforcement officials, health care providers, mayors, quorum courts and groups interested in mental health issues and the legal system.

“What I’m really encouraged about is the community, not just law enforcement or the court system, but the community at large trying to ramp up an effort to get this done,” Washington County Sheriff Tim Helder said. “I think everybody recognizes the need. That’s encouraging.”

About one-fourth of the daily average 650 detainees at the Washington County jail suffer from some type of mental illness, according to Helder. Deputies respond to about four calls a day that involve an underlying mental crisis. Lt. Tion Augustine was shot last spring when he responded to one of the calls.

The numbers in Benton County, which has an average of 500 detainees per day, are similar, according to a letter from County Judge Barry Moehring to the governor.

“Sending them directly to jail ignores their underlying mental illness and leads to recidivism and excessive incarceration times, which adds additional cost to taxpayers,” Moehring wrote. “We believe effective treatment of the mentally ill is not only humane and necessary, but is a cost-effective way to reduce our jail population, as well as making our communities safer.”

BEATING THE ODDS

Helder said Northwest Arkansas could be passed over despite the population numbers because only three units are proposed initially.

“I think we’re geographically challenged at this point because you’ve gotta assume the Little Rock area is going to get one, and I think Sebastian [County] is more than likely going to get one because they’ve done a lot of work for the last couple of years kind of coming to this point,” Helder said. “I don’t begrudge them that.”

If Little Rock and Fort Smith were selected, Northwest Arkansas would be competing with the rest of the state to host the remaining unit.

“If it’s strictly numbers driven and need driven, then I think we’re certainly in line to get one, but I just don’t know how that’s going to work,” Helder said.

He said startup money is critical to the the region establishing a stabilization unit, whether through the state or local initiative.

“I’m going to assume that once these three kick off and the state recognizes there is that huge need, they’ll find the ability to create more of them, and they’re going to have to be able to find a funding mechanism to sustain at least a portion of each unit, I think,” Helder said.

Kahanak said the coalition has been working on the project for four years. She said she believes the chances of getting a unit are perhaps 50-50 but said overwhelming support for the idea should help the governor look favorably on the region’s bid.

“If we don’t get it this year, we’ll still be working towards it,” Kahanak said. “When I was working at Ozark Guidance, we had case managers and were serving a lot of people. Those people with mental illness did not go away, but the money from the state went away.”