Hundreds of inmates across Northeast Arkansas jails will lose access to mental health services after Arisa Health, the designated Community Mental Health Center, announced it will not renew its contract. The company cited unsustainable financial pressure, stating that “the level of supplemental support required in the most recent contract cycle has grown exponentially and is no longer sustainable.” According to Arisa, the company faced approximately $4.4 million reduction from the Invitation for Bid Solicitation.
Arisa’s services include mental health screenings for incarcerated individuals and identifying facilities for inmates who could be a threat to themselves or others. Byron Carter, major at Poinsett County Detention Center, emphasized the impact of losing these services. “Those individuals may not get the help that they need. And it really impacts the inmates and how they act in our facility,” Carter said. “And that impacts the morale and things of our staff, because they’re having to deal with and take care of issues that could be taken care of with a mental health facility.” Staff at detention centers have mental health training but not at the level professionals provide, Carter noted.
Service Gap and Response
Arisa’s contract will end on June 30, and the company will also cease operating as the state’s provider for mobile crisis and forensic restoration services. Arkansas Representative Dwight Tosh, a former law enforcement officer, called for attention to the issue and emphasized the need to address the funding gap. “Those mental health programs, we have to address that. We can’t leave that gap in there that doesn’t provide those mental health services,” Tosh said. Arisa stated it will work closely with the new Community Mental Health Center providers once announced by the Department of Human Services to support a smooth transition and help clients maintain access to care, though no replacement provider has yet been identified.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.kait8.com/2026/05/09/northeast-arkansas-jails-lose-mental-health-services-provider-will-not-renew-contract/