The Arkansas State Hospital (ASH) is a component of the Division of Behavioral Health Services.  ASH is licensed by the Arkansas Department of Health and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and is accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO).  ASH operates a total of 234 patient beds in three service areas: General Adult, Forensic, and Adolescent.

General Adult Service

The General Adult Service is comprised of three 30-bed units for persons 18 years of age and older.  All admissions to these units must first be screened by one of the 15 community mental health centers (CMHC’s) to assure appropriateness of admission, continuity of care, and treatment within the least restrictive setting.  Each CMHC offers an array of services from brief intervention therapies to long-term community support services.  The CMHC’s offer 24-hour emergency care and persons in need of more restrictive care may be treated in a local hospital or crisis unit, where possible.  It is the philosophy of the Division of Behavioral Health Services that responsibility, authority, and accountability for client services should be at the local level.

Forensic Service

The Forensic Service is comprised of four 20 to 24-bed adult units whose mission is to assess and treat individuals with mental illness who have committed a crime, and to consult with the Court of record.  All persons treated on Forensic services are court-ordered for either an evaluation or treatment.

Adolescent Service

The Adolescent Service is comprised of three units: an 18-bed coeducational program for adolescents 13-17 years of age who are in need of acute or residential care; an 18-bed program for adolescent male sexual offenders 13-17 years of age; and a 16-bed program for adolescent males 13-17 years of age who have mental health problems and developmental disabilities. Patients may be referred by local CMHC’s, other divisions of the Department of Human Services, private treatment providers, or the juvenile courts.

Education and Training

The Arkansas State Hospital is committed to the education of mental health providers and serves as a training site for nursing, medical, social work, and psychology students and trainees.  Many members of our clinical staff serve on the faculties of UAMS and other local universities.  Nursing students from several local schools spend clinical time at ASH, and social work graduate students participate in clinical rotations here.  ASH has a psychology internship program with plans to initiate a Forensic Psychology Postdoctoral Program in 2010.  ASH is a clinical site for UAMS’s General, Child, and Adolescent Psychiatry Residencies, and is the primary clinical site for the UAMS Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship Program.  In conjunction with UAMS, ASH served as a host site for the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology Part II Examinations June 4-6, 2010.

INFO LINK: Arkansas State Hospital Nursing Department