$5 million SAMHSA grant expands mental health, substance use services at Ozark Guidance

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has awarded a two-year, $5 million grant to Springdale-based nonprofit Ozark Guidance.

The money will expand mental health and substance use services to adults with serious mental illness, children and adolescents with serious emotional disturbance and individuals with co-occurring disorders.

Ozark Guidance Center, an affiliate of Springdale-based Arisa Health, is a nonprofit community mental health center serving eight counties in Northwest Arkansas. It operates in over 150 schools and is governed by a local board of directors.

“We have seen the impact that the pandemic has had on both the access to and the demand for behavioral health care services,” said Erica Boughfman, Arisa Health Northwest Region Vice President of Clinical Services. “This funding will allow Ozark Guidance to better address the behavioral health care needs of the people in our community and enhance the delivery of clinical services that were impacted by Covid-19.”

Arisa Health has 1,200 employees and operates four affiliated community health centers in Springdale, Conway, Jonesboro and North Little Rock.

The SAMHSA grant is part of an $825 million distribution to 231 community mental health centers across the country.