Avoiding a crisis

Make sure stabilization unit stays open

Don’t you love it when political leaders explain why something wasn’t the reason behind an event, then choose not to explain what was the reason?

This newspaper had a story the other day about Gov. Asa Hutchinson appearing before the Arkansas Sheriff’s Association in Rogers. He worried aloud during that appearance that the mental strains of the pandemic could lead to a rise in crime.

It allowed Hutchinson to tout something he should be proud of — his leadership in developing regional crisis intervention units in Jonesboro, Fort Smith, Little Rock and Fayetteville. The 16-bed units provide a place for officers to take people going through a mental health crisis for treatment rather than incarceration. Each of the four counties provided a facility, but operational funding comes from the state.

Hutchinson said the crisis units will help blunt an increase in crime.

Perhaps. There are many causes of crime and mental illness explains a fraction of any increase. But his point is well taken: “We need to strengthen the crisis units statewide and get the one in Fayetteville back into operation,” he said.

It’s been a year since Fayetteville’s unit closed, ostensibly when the medical provider withdrew because the state cut funding after the first two years of the units’ operations. In Rogers, though, Hutchinson insisted funding was not a problem for Fayetteville, noting how other centers have continued to provide services without interruption.

So what was the problem, then, governor? And how can it be avoided in the future?

We’re thankful the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences is taking on operation of the Fayetteville-based unit. That state agencies seems likely to be a more stable provider for the future. But reopening has been a tedious process and Northwest Arkansas has had to endure as a critical resource for public safety retools.

Glitches happen. Sometimes things don’t go as planned. But it’s terrible no working solution to prevent closure could be found in Fayetteville. Let’s hope avoiding a future closure will be a high priority, because the premise behind the crisis stabilization units is solid and beneficial to Northwest Arkansas. A yearlong disruption has helped no one.