Washington County crisis facility faces uncertain future
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Government and community officials are not sure what lies ahead for the Washington County Crisis Stabilization Unit.
Driving the news: The state recently told the county it's slashing monthly funding for the facility by one-third — from $90,000 to $60,000 — starting in October.
How it works: The voluntary, 16-bed unit in the former home of the juvenile detention center in Fayetteville is intended to keep people experiencing mental health crises out of jail.
People believed to be in need of treatment for issues like mental health or substance abuse disorders can be referred for a stay of 72-96 hours by police, emergency rooms, behavioral health services, family, friends or themselves.
- The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences provides staff and relies on the state for all other expenses. Washington County spent $250,000 to renovate the building before the unit opened in 2019. The facility is one of four in the state that opened over the course of 2018 and 2019 as part of a state pilot program.
Context: On average, the Washington County unit sees 14 patients a month at a cost of about $7,860 per patient, according to data from the state. For comparison, the Pulaski County unit sees an average of 67 patients at $1,761 each.
- A spokesperson for Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders' office told Axios the administration is helping units across the state improve billing revenue and increase admissions.
- The administration said it’s working on an alternative, financially solvent mental health treatment facility option for Washington County, should that be needed.
What they're saying: "We are hopeful we will be able to work with the state and county to find other funding sources and resources that will allow UAMS to continue to provide these lifesaving services," a UAMS statement to Axios read.
- "There's no way, in my view, that the county can take on that funding burden," Washington County Judge Patrick Deakins told the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Flashback: The unit reopened last spring after being shut down for a year. UAMS agreed to provide staff including nurses and psychiatrists — something that Springdale-based counseling service Ozark Guidance had been doing.
- The unit closed in 2021 when Ozark Guidance could no longer afford to pay for staff after the state cut monthly funding from $133,000 to $90,000.