Arisa Health, which is the designated community mental health center (CMHC) in 41 counties in Arkansas, including all of Northeast Arkansas, will not submit a bid to the State of Arkansas for a new CMHC contract.
Jonesboro, AR – JonesboroRightNow.com – Arisa Health, which is the designated community mental health center (CMHC) in 41 counties in Arkansas, including all of Northeast Arkansas, will not submit a bid to the State of Arkansas for a new CMHC contract.
Arisa Health provides various mental health services to uninsured, underinsured, Medicaid, and other vulnerable populations. It is funded through state and federal funding.
According to a statement released to Jonesboro Right Now, the organization said while it had “absorbed” funding gaps in the past, the level of supplemental support required in the most recent community mental health center services contract cycle had “grown exponentially and is no longer sustainable.”
“While the CMHC services have been a core part of Arisa’s identity, they represent only a portion of the organization’s comprehensive behavioral health services, which Arisa Health will continue to serve and grow through additional state programs, as well as care for Medicaid clients, including PASSE members, and other vulnerable populations,” the statement said.
The statement said the invitation for bid solicitation included a significant annual reduction of approximately $4.4 million in total funding to the organization. It added that during communication with state of Arkansas officials, issues raised regarding the situation were not addressed.
The statement said those issues included insufficient rates, lack of code parity for community mental health centers, adjustments for inflation and population growth, and workforce shortages driven by wage inflation.
“It is simply not possible to recruit and retain a behavioral health workforce without allowing for even a modest increase in compensation in response to rising inflation,” the statement said.
The current contract expires June 30. After it expires, Arisa will close some of its locations and no longer be the state-contracted provider for mobile crisis, forensic restoration services, and services for incarcerated people. The statement added that this will affects, clients, staff and the communities it serves.
Arisa currently operates a clinic in each of the 41 counties it serves. “Thirteen outpatient clinics, which currently handle more than 70 percent of Arisa’s clients, will remain open and serve as hubs for services throughout the 41 counties,” the statement said. “Arisa will actively engage with clients whose services are tied to CMHC funding to ensure they are aware of these changes. Once DHS announces the new CMHC providers for each region, Arisa will work closely with them to support a smooth transition and help clients maintain access to care.”
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Arisa Health was formed when four community health providers, Counseling Associate, Mid-South Health Systems, Ozark Guidance, and Professional Counseling Associates merged. Mid-South and now Arisa has provided community mental health services to the Northeast Arkansas counties for 49 years.
In 2025, NAMI Arkansas, which is a part of the nationwide organization National Alliance on Mental Illness, reported that in Arkansas, 546,000 adults have a mental health condition, and 47,000 adolescents experience a major depressive episode each year. In addition, over 1,100,000 people in the state live in a community without enough mental health professionals.
This is a developing story. JRN will provide updates as they are available.
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