Western arkansas crisis response partnership - sebastian county in partnership with western arkansas counseling & guidance center (TGC), a certified community behavioral health clinic (CCBHC), will…

The Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded $750,000 to County of Sebastian on September 30, 2026, under the Center for Mental Health Services Projects of Regional and National Significance program (CFDA 93.532).

County of Sebastian, in partnership with Western Arkansas Counseling & Guidance Center, a certified community behavioral health clinic, will restore, enhance, and sustain a behavioral-health-led mobile crisis team serving children, youth, adults, and families experiencing mental health, substance use, suicide-related, overdose-related, and co-occurring crises in Sebastian County, Arkansas. The mobile crisis team will provide timely, community-based crisis response; establish formal partnerships with 988, 911/public safety answering points, law enforcement, EMS, hospitals, and community providers; and divert individuals from law enforcement, emergency departments, and jail toward stabilization and care. The project will integrate the clinic's 24/7 crisis line and CCBHC infrastructure into a coordinated crisis continuum and build formal referral and dispatch pathways.

Sebastian County carries dual HRSA designations as a medically underserved area and a health professional shortage area for behavioral health. Prior mobile crisis capacity was reduced after sudden funding loss. Fort Smith police call volume for behavioral health crises rose from 871 in 2022 to 2,814 in 2024; the suicide rate (18.6 per 100,000) and drug overdose death rate (24 per 100,000) exceed national levels.

The award covers the period from September 30, 2026, through September 29, 2030, with place of performance in Fort Smith, Arkansas.

Western arkansas crisis response partnership - sebastian county in partnership with western arkansas counseling & guidance center (TGC), a certified community behavioral health clinic (CCBHC), will restore, enhance, and sustain a behavioral-health-led mobile crisis team (MCT) serving children, youth, adults, and families experiencing mental health, substance use, suicide-related, overdose-related, and CO-occurring crises. The project will provide timely, community-based crisis response; partnerships with 988, 911/psap, law enforcement, EMS, hospitals, and community providers; and divert individuals from law-enforcement, emergency departments (ED), and jail toward stabilization and care. Geographic area and need. Sebastian is the hub for behavioral health, emergency response, and social services for a broader substantially rural region. Sebastian carries dual hrsa designations as a medically underserved area and a health professional shortage area for behavioral health. TGC previously operated a MCT that was reduced after a sudden loss of funding, leaving the county without adequate dedicated mobile crisis capacity. Behavioral health crises increasingly flow through law enforcement and EDS: fort smith police department call volume rose from 871 (2022) to 2,814 (2024), and the suicide (18.6 per 100,000) and drug overdose death rate (24 per 100,000) exceed national levels. This capacity-building project will restore and improve MCT services, build formal referral and dispatch pathways, and integrate TGC's 24/7 crisis line and CCBHC infrastructure into a coordinated crisis continuum. Population of focus and population served. Communities that will benefit include children, youth, adults, families, veterans, justice-involved individuals, rural residents, and people with serious mental illness (SMI), substance use disorder (SUD), or CO-occurring disorders (COD). The MCT provides services to the county population with clinical characteristics including suicide and overdose risk, SMI, SUD, COD, trauma, and acute psychiatric crisis. Service needs include DE-escalation, crisis triage and risk screening, safety planning, stabilization, transportation coordination, warm handoffs, and follow-up. Strategies to increase capacity. The project will (1) develop an MCT services implementation plan; (2) establish/enhance a behavioral-health-led MCT using a two-person model with peer support and telehealth-enabled clinical consultation; (3) formalize partnerships and standardized dispatch, referral, and diversion protocols with crisis-system partners; (4) implement a CQI process tracking required kpis; (5) conduct crisis system planning and mapping; (6) deliver evidence-based crisis training to staff and partners; and (7) develop sustainability strategies. Project goals. Goal 1: restore and enhance behavioral-health-led mobile crisis response capacity. Goal 2: strengthen crisis-system partnerships, referral pathways, and diversion from restrictive settings. Goal 3: improve crisis-system planning, training, quality, and accountability. Goal 4: build a sustainable mobile crisis response model for sebastian. Measurable objectives. Submit an MCT services implementation plan by month 4 and establish operational MCT by month 6; document crisis triage, suicide screening, disposition, and follow-up in at least 90% of responses by end of year 1 (Y1); increase mobile crisis response volume 25% over Y1 baseline by end of Y2; achieve community stabilization or direct linkage to care in at least 75% of responses by Y4; execute written agreements with at least 4 crisis-system partners and implement standardized referral/dispatch protocols within 12 months; increase diversion or community-resolution outcomes 20% over baseline by Y4; complete crisis-system planning and implement CQI with quarterly review in Y1; deliver at least eight crisis trainings annually, with at least 75% of trained partners demonstrating increased knowledge by Y2; and complete and annually update a financial sustainability plan