EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the fifth in a series of articles about suicide prevention and mental health treatment.
Many who experience depression or feel suicidal say they see no other options, but a growing number of local, state and national resources are available to those in need.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is free, confidential and available 24 hours a day at 800-273-8255. The Lifeline was made possible through a $9 million federal grant in 2004. Information about suicide prevention and more than 150 crisis centers is available online at http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
The Arkansas Crisis Center, the only center in the state, is located in Springdale. The center can be found on Facebook, Twitter and its own Web page at http://www.arcrisis.org, or can be reached by calling 888-274-7472.
Madelyn Gould, professor of epidemiology in psychiatry at Columbia University, conducted studies that showed knowledge of the Lifeline had a positive impact on those in crisis. About 12 percent of suicidal callers said talking to someone prevented them from harming themselves and dying by suicide.
About half the callers sought emergency services or mental health services from a counselor's referral. About 80 percent of callers said the Lifeline was a factor in keeping them alive.
The Crisis Text Line is also free and available 24 hours every day at 741-741. Affiliated counselors have exchanged 13 million text messages with users in crisis since it was founded in 2013.
Members of the Garland County Suicide Prevention Coalition are working with local partners, as well as state and national organizations, to grow awareness and connect people with the resources they need. The group was founded in 2014 after a community needs assessment by Project HOPE, which stands for Health, Opportunities, People and Education.
Local suicide rates have grown even more significant since. Garland County, with 37 suicide deaths, had the third-highest rate in the state in 2014. Another 41 suicide deaths occurred in Garland County in 2015.
The Coalition hosted the "Cracked, Not Broken Suicide Prevention Conference" at National Park College with the United Way of Garland County and the Arkansas Department of Health on March 10. The conference was held to help educate professionals and provide resources to local residents.
Community Counseling
One of the Coalition's major partners is Community Counseling Services Inc. The not-for-profit corporation was founded in 1967 in response to a shift in the industry away from the institution-based model to a more community-based care model.
CCS is accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. The organization serves Garland, Hot Spring, Clark, Pike and Montgomery counties.
Community Counseling's annual budget is $13 million. A total of 58 mental health professionals and 46 mental health paraprofessionals are on staff. They make up about two-thirds of the 158 total employees.
The organization serves about 5,000 individuals every year. Information about CCS is available on its website, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Outpatient counseling is offered to children and adults. A community support day treatment program is available for adults.
The rehabilitative day program, medication management, case management, counseling services and off-site services are meant to help clients and their families find comfort and success interacting with the community. Also offered are school-based services with licensed therapists and paraprofessionals currently housed in several local schools.
Walk-in clinics are available in all three outpatient locations in Hot Springs, Malvern and Arkadelphia. Anyone from the community can walk into a location and be seen by a mental health professional the same day without scheduling an appointment.
The main office in Hot Springs is located at 125 Dons Way. The office is open for walk-ins from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. weekdays.
The Malvern office is located at 1615 Martin Luther King Blvd. and can be reached at 501-332-5236. Walk-in times are Tuesday from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Thursday from 8:30-11 a.m.
The Arkadelphia office is located at 201 N. 26th St. and is available at 870-246-4123. Walk-in times are Tuesday from 8:30-11 a.m. and Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Patients at all offices can make appointments during office hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. Hours have been extended for more availability to patients. Counselors are flexible for after-hours appointments to accommodate their patients' schedules.
Community Counseling offers 24-hour emergency service through its phone line at 501-624-7711, which is the local office number. The service is also available at 800-264-2410.
Anyone in an emergency situation should call 911 first. Local residents can also visit the emergency departments at CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs, 300 Werner St., 501-622-1000, or National Park Medical Center, 1910 Malvern Ave., 501-321-1000.
Callers to the emergency counseling line will be put in contact with a mental health professional to help them through their crisis, assess their needs and determine the next steps to take.
Community Counseling's Turning Points, located at 505 W. Grand Ave., serves families with children from preschool ages through the eighth grade. The day program is designed to accommodate children who are at-risk for developing behavioral or emotional challenges.
Therapy is incorporated with the curriculum to provide children with an environment for recovery. The organization has had many locations in its history, but is currently housed in the four area offices.
Garland County Coalition
Susie Reece was a volunteer for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention when she was asked to chair the local group. Reece is the public relations and mental health promotions officer for the Arkansas Suicide Prevention Network, which recently underwent personnel changes.
Reece has published one book and plans to release another. She and local members coordinate with the ASPN and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
"As of right now, everything is volunteer, everything is on our own money and what we are capable of doing," Reece said. "With funding, of course that improves our ability to help."
The group is available on Facebook and Instagram. Reece can be reached at 501-249-9758 and [email protected].
Reece said the Arkansas Department of Health recently received a $3.1 million Garrett Lee Smith Suicide Prevention Grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Grants are meant to support suicide prevention work in campus, state and tribal communities.
"There's a few of us that feel that Arkansas could very well be a national model within the next couple of years," Reece said.
Other local members of the coalition include Cindy Hamilton, One Wing Christ-centered Counseling; Billie Holsomback, Area Agency on Aging; Darla Kelsay, Community Counseling; Kylee Malkmus, Levi Hospital; and Janet McAdams, recently retired from the Garland County Health Unit.
Malkmus planned a conference last year for first responders. About 75 local law enforcement officers, mental health professionals and paramedics attended the event at Embassy Suites Hot Springs -- Hotel & Spa.
Holsomback heads the Survivor of Suicide Loss Grief Group, which is sponsored by the Coalition and Garland County Project HOPE. Call 501-627-5441 to learn about the group.
Meetings are held on the third Tuesday of each month from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in the Dublin Room of the Mercy Heart Center at CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs. The coalition is working to establish a grief group for survivors of suicide attempts.
The group has already offered Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training for those 16 and older who want to be able to provide suicide first aid. ASIST teaches intervention skills and has been shown to reduce suicidality. More training sessions are planned.
Other resources
Levi offers inpatient and outpatient services at 300 Prospect Ave. for adults only. The hospital can be reached at 501-624-1281. Patients can reach services after office hours.
Dayspring Behavior Health offers outpatient services and adult day treatment at 1820 Central Ave., Suite D. The 24-hour phone line is available at 501-609-0400.
Living Hope offers outpatient and school-based services. The office is located at 3604 Central Ave., Suite C, and can be reached at 501-623-9220.
Children-only service providers include The Pointe Behavioral Health in Hot Springs and Methodist Health in Maumelle.
Outpatient and school-based services are available through The Pointe. The office is located at 1249 Lakeside Road. Call 501-262-2766 during the day and 800-880-3322 after office hours.
Methodist Health provides inpatient, outpatient and school-based services. Same-day assessment appointments are offered.
The 24-hour Methodist phone line is available at 501-803-3388. The office is located at 1601 Murphy Drive in Maumelle.
Some organizations, including Therapeutic Family Services in Hot Springs and Arkansas Counseling and Psychodiagnostics in Arkadelphia, offer Medicaid-only services.
Outpatient services and medication management is provided by Therapeutic Family Services. The office is located at 600 Main St., Suite V. The organization's 24-hour phone line is available at 501-321-8200.
ACAP offers outpatient and school-based services. Call 870-230-8217 during business hours.
The ACAP office is located at 2607 Caddo St. in Arkadelphia. An additional office works with the Lake Hamilton School District.
Another regional provider is The Bridgeway, which offers inpatient and outpatient services. Treatment is available for dual diagnosis of mental health and substance abuse.
The office is located at 21 Bridgeway Road in North Little Rock. A 24-hour phone line is available at 501-771-1500.
Local on 03/20/2016