An inpatient drug and alcohol rehab center in Gassville, Arkansas is now the home of parolees who are being released from Arkansas state prison.
Ozark Mountain Alcohol Residential Treatment (OMART) is an inpatient drug and alcohol rehab center located in Gassville, within Baxter County. They use the 12-step method to treat their patients.
There were 28 drug-related overdose deaths in Baxter County, according to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Program.
OMART is currently the only inpatient drug and alcohol rehab center in Gassville, according to a report by the 2017 National Directory of Drug and Alcohol Abuse Treatment Facilities. The report also revealed that there are only three facilities in Baxter County but the other two are located in Mountain Home.
The inpatient drug and alcohol rehab center had survived a near-closure as they lost their contract to deliver treatment services and only accepted people who could pay. Now they have completed the full transition from a drug treatment for all to a facility that primarily focuses on people with substance use disorders getting out of jail.
OMART has worked together with the Arkansas Community Correction (ACC) to ensure that their inpatient drug and alcohol rehab center is adequate for parolees.
The ACC is an agency that is in charge of and organizes the direction of parolees after they are released from jail. The agency ensures public safety by working with community partnerships to not only hold parolees accountable but also reintroduce them into society as law-abiding citizens.
Established in 1993 as the Department of Community Punishment, the ACC has been the main point of communication for OMART regarding how each parolee transfer should be handled.
It was approximately a decade ago that OMART gained authorization to place 16 beds in their inpatient drug and alcohol rehab center.
Heith Hogan, the facility board’s president, stated that because of a ‘grandfather clause,’ it allowed the inpatient drug and alcohol rehab center to increase the number of beds without permission from the city of Gassville or required community hearing.
He stated that his organization did not intentionally try and hide the information about parolees being able to have access to the treatment center. He said that they have had temporary housing for years.
Hogan had a meeting with several Arkansas associates to discuss the change; these associates included Arkansas Senator Scott Flippo, Arkansas Representative Jack Fortner, officials from the city of Gassville, the ACC, Baxter County Sheriff’s Department and the Department of Corrections.
He clarified the modification of the status of the facility and because of this, officers were now permitted to search the inpatient drug and alcohol rehab center should they render it needed.
Hogan highlighted that parolees… (Continue Reading)
Author: Robert B. Hayek
Robert B Hayek is a reporter for Addiction Now and covers features and local spotlight stories. He previously worked for Fox Sports as a production assistant as well as a writer and reporter for an online website called Real Talk Sports Network. He has lived in Southern California his entire life, is a lover of books and writing and also surfs. Contact Robert at roberth@addictionnow.com
