Division Profile

The Division of Behavioral Health Services is one of eleven major divisions and four offices within the Arkansas Department of Health & Human Services.  The Division of Behavioral Health Services is responsible for ensuring the provision of mental health services throughout the State of Arkansas.  Community-based services are provided statewide through contractual arrangements with fifteen private, non-profit community mental health centers (CMHCs), their affiliates, and three mental health clinics.  There are 15 catchment areas in which the CMHCs have service sites in 69 of the 75 counties.  Services are provided from 135 sites throughout the State of Arkansas.

The Division of Behavioral Health Services is responsible for the oversight and operation of the Arkansas State Hospital (ASH), a psychiatric inpatient treatment facility for those with mental or emotional disorders.  The Arkansas State Hospital includes 90 adult acute inpatient beds, 88 forensic beds, 20 adolescent acute inpatient beds, 20 adolescent sex offender beds and 16 adolescent dual diagnosis (MI/DD) beds.

The division also operates the Arkansas Health Center (AHC), formerly known as the Benton Services Center, a 320-bed long-term care psychiatric nursing facility which serves the needs of elderly Arkansans with disabilities who require specialized services and programs not generally available through community nursing homes.  Also included in the public mental health system are various other organizations that serve a more specialized population.  These organizations include:

•   Birch Tree Communities, Incorporated
•   Centers for Youth and Families
•   Child Study Center
•   Greater Assistance for Those in Need (GAIN)
•   Small Group Therapy, Inc.

There are several organizations within the Arkansas public mental health system that provide support services to clients and family members.  These organizations strive to reduce the number of incidences of abuse and neglect of consumers in the mental health system and in the community.  These organizations include:

•   National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) - Arkansas
•   Disability Rights Center