FAYETTEVILLE -- The Northwest Arkansas Crisis Stabilization Unit is set to reopen more than a year after it was closed in a dispute over funding.
The reopening will be formally announced at 1 p.m. today at the crisis unit at 105 N. Mill Ave. by County Judge Joseph Wood and Kristen McAllister. The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences hired Allister as director of the facility.
McAllister also was director of the unit for Ozark Guidance when it opened in June 2019. Washington County and the school agreed in January on a contract for the school to operate the unit.
The 16-bed unit serves as an alternative to jail. Participation is voluntary for those treated, who are usually accused of creating a disturbance, trespassing or other disruptive behaviors, law enforcement officials said.
Fayetteville Police Chief Mike Reynolds said having the crisis unit open will provide a needed service to the community.
"We certainly see it as a valuable resource for law enforcement," Reynolds said. "It gives us an opportunity to provide services to those in our community who might need them if they're battling a mental health crisis."
There were 1,250 referrals to the facility and 755 people were admitted for treatment while the crisis unit was open from July 2019 through June 2021, according to a report prepared by the Fayetteville Police Department after the unit closed last year. Of the total number of referrals, 917 were from Washington County and 188 from Benton County. The unit covered Washington, Benton, Madison, Carroll, Boone and Newton counties.
Fayetteville police officers made the most use of the facility, which Reynolds said is likely due to proximity and to the level of training provided to officers. Reynolds said 67 officers in his department have completed a nine-hour training course and 37 have completed a 40-hour crisis intervention training program.
Washington County Justice of the Peace Evelyn Rios Stafford said she is glad to see the unit reopening. Stafford had lobbied for the county to make up the shortfall in funding or do anything else it could to get the crisis unit back in operation. She said the state should consider expanding the program.
"It gives me hope for providing diversionary services in our county that can keep people out of jail, where they don't belong, and get them into other facilities where they can get the help they need," Stafford said. "It's only 16 beds, so it's not a cure-all, but it's going to help some people who need assistance."
The Northwest Arkansas unit closed June 30, 2021. Ozark Guidance President Laura Tyler said in July 2021 the company, a nonprofit group, couldn't absorb a state funding cut of $43,000 a month from $133,000 to $90,000. The remaining three crisis units in the state continued to operate with the reduced level of state funding.
Jay Cantrell, chief deputy with the Washington County Sheriff's Office, said the impact of the crisis unit on overcrowding at the jail is minimal, considering the facility can only house 16 people at a time. Cantrell said the crisis unit does provide a needed service, and he is glad it will resume operating.
"We're very excited that it's going to be reopening," Cantrell said. "It gives us another resource, another tool we can use to get people where they need to be to get help."
Sarah Moore, with the Arkansas Justice Reform Coalition, said the crisis unit is one part of what should be a larger effort to provide services to people in the community. The group has lobbied the county to explore alternatives to incarceration rather than a planned expansion of the county's Detention Center.
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Arkansas opened four, 16-bed crisis stabilization units as a pilot program. The Sebastian County unit in Fort Smith opened in March 2018. The Pulaski County unit in Little Rock opened in August 2018. The Northwest Arkansas unit in Fayetteville opened in June 2019, and the Craighead County unit in Jonesboro opened in October 2019. The state paid the operating costs of the units through June 2021 while evaluating the program’s effectiveness. In June 2021, the state reduces its funding for the units and the Northwest Arkansas unit was closed when the medical services provider said it could not operate with the reduced revenue.
Source: NWA Democrat-Gazette