Health professionals, law enforcement officers and court officials met at the Medical Center of South Arkansas last week to discuss the available resources for individuals suffering from alcohol and substance abuse, discuss challenges and brainstorm about potential solutions.
The meeting was organized by the Medical Withdrawal Management program at MCSA. The program is a “voluntary inpatient medical withdrawal management for people suffering from substance and alcohol abuse” that’s been operational since last year. MCSA’s program is the first step for many
individuals suffering from addiction; after the individual is stabilized, medical professionals work to place them in a facility to assist with their recovery, often a rehabilitation facility.
The discussion was led by Loren Beck, an alcohol and drug counselor at the Arkansas Counseling and and Mental Health Center. One of the topics was a need for a residential facility after the South Arkansas Substance Abuse facility (SASA) was shut down in 2016. A former employee of the facility was charged and convicted of embezzling more than $140,000 from the nonprofit. The closure gave drug and alcohol treatment in South Central Arkansas a bad reputation, but Beck said the need for a treatment center is greater than ever.
“We need a residential facility, right here, and we need it bad,” he said. “In the old days, it was simple. Instead of sitting in jail for 45 days, waiting to be
assessed and then going through drug court, [people suffering from addiction] were already in treatment. They were ready for drug court. I loved those days. It works beautifully when someone already has experience with recovering going into drug court.”
El Dorado council member Willie McGhee noted that substance abuse is a significant problem in Arkansas. The state is second in the number of opioid prescriptions per person, he said, adding that people are turning to street drugs when they’re no longer able to get their opioid prescriptions. He said that individuals arrested by law enforcement need drug/alcohol and mental health screenings earlier in the legal process.
“When I worked for the regional health, there were a lot of people with mental illness that were locked up,” he said. “There were people in jail who needed to be in rehab.”
Beck agreed that due to a system that doesn’t provide services quickly to screen and place people suffering from substance abuse or mental illness in treatment facilities, the prison system and first responders are bearing the brunt of the issue.
The group discussed potential funding for behavioral health assessments, adjustments to the current process when individuals are arrested, and the need for treatment centers and lockdown rehabilitation facilities. The group plans to meet again soon and continue to connect professionals with other professionals and resources.