The Mental Health Council, a non-profit organization representing each of Arkansas’s 12 community mental health centers and two specialty centers, want to reassure the community that its member organizations stand committed to helping clients displaced by the closing of Little Rock Community Mental Health Center (LRCMHC), a long-standing behavioral healthcare organization. LRCMHC recently announced it will no longer provide services to clients after September 23rd. New state programs and federal changes have created a challenging environment for many service providers to operate.
Earlier this year, The Centers for Youth and Families became the official Community Mental Health Center for Region 6, which covers Little Rock and south Pulaski County. Community Mental Health Centers (CMHCs) provide indigent populations with access to mental health services and are supported by state and federal dollars.
“The Mental Health Council is ready and willing to provide resources to assist in transitioning LRMHC’s clients who may be unclear about where and how to seek continued treatment,” said Danny Stanley, MHCA President. He adds, “As healthcare providers, we are first and foremost concerned with minimizing service gaps and not letting community members fall through the cracks. As needed, our members have voiced a willingness to provide staff to help The Centers with new client intake, assessments, and treatment.”
The Centers For Youth and Families recently acquired 17,000 square feet of office space that will expand outpatient treatment capabilities as well as house a pharmacy. Melissa Dawson, CEO of The Centers, has said the agency is committed to meeting the needs of the community. “With our CMHC designation, we are responsible for providing behavioral health services to citizens most in need,” she said. “We are proactively engaging community service agencies and non-profits who work with homeless and indigent populations to let them know we are here and ready to serve.” The agency hired a full-time care coordinator on July 1 to conduct community outreach and assist designated populations.
The Mental Health Council has a long history of coming together and providing behavioral health services to Arkansans in their time of need. Member nonprofits have joined forces after agency closings, natural disasters, and public tragedies like the Westside Middle School shooting in Jonesboro, to render aid and help ensure mental health services are available to all who seek them.
Mental Health Council of Arkansas 500 Woodlane Street, Suite 136S Little Rock, AR 72201
Dianne Skaggs, LCSW
Executive Director
501-372-7062
[email protected]
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