There is good news and bad news on the mental health front in Northwest Arkansas.
What's The Point?
Northwest Arkansas should move to the forefront in the effort to match mental health services with those who need it most.
The good news is actually great news: Many local health organizations are introducing new services or growing existing services for our friends and neighbors afflicted with mental illnesses.
The bad news is, sadly, pretty predictable: the community's need for these kind of services outstrips their availability, even with recent additions and expansions.
One in four Americans face some form of mental illness, but less than half of them ever seek treatment, according to our story on the topic last week. Those who do seek help often encounter a support system -- if they can find one at all -- clogged with other patients.
A number of Northwest Arkansas health care providers, both non-profit and private, have worked to address the needs by expanding the availability of therapy in all age groups, and adding beds for those who need longer term care.
Northwest Medical Center and Mercy Hospital have committed resources and beds to the treatment of the mentally ill, as well as those suffering from cognitive disorders. Private companies such as Clarity Pointe, Vantage Point and Springwoods Behavioral Health have expanded services locally for a variety of mental health conditions.
And, of course, there's Ozark Guidance, the backbone of mental health treatment in the region. It sees thousands of clients of all ages across the region.
Still, the number of people in search of those services continues to grow along with the population. Local providers can't keep up.
Worse, those in need of mental health care who can't afford it often end up in the last place they need to be: jail.
"This is a situation we are honestly ill-equipped to deal with," Washington County Sheriff Tim Helder told a group of mental health advocates at a recent forum.
While Washington and Benton County sheriff's offices have made strides in identifying mental illnesses among those who end up in jail, there's little or no support on how to work with them once the determination has been made. While a mentally ill inmate may get referred by the court to the Arkansas State Hospital for evaluation, the wait for an open bed there can be months long. Meanwhile, the inmate sits in jail with no treatment.
Helder, at the same meeting, made an excellent suggestion: establish a 40 to 50 bed forensic evaluation site in Northwest Arkansas where trained professionals determine the best course of action for mentally ill inmates. It would certainly shorten the time needed to make the evaluations. That would help everyone in the state, not just Northwest Arkansas, by reducing the traffic at the State Hospital.
So how can something like that happen? Well, certainly not overnight. But state Sen. Uvalde Lindsey of Fayetteville, speaking at the same conference as Helder, offered another suggestion: pitch a pilot program to lawmakers to be based in Northwest Arkansas that could grow into a real benefit for the mentally ill across the state.
This region is the perfect place for such an effort. As the state's second-most populous community, Northwest Arkansas has great demand for such services. Add to that the region's health care community's commitment to find ways to provide mental health services, and you've got a good recipe for local support.
This is a concept worth pursuing by local mental health advocates and local lawmakers. Northwest Arkansas is the right place for an effort like this. And it's far past the right time.
Commentary on 04/27/2014