CONWAY, Ark. (KTHV) - A behavioral hospital broke ground Thursday in Conway. Acadia Health Care will begin construction at the Meadows Office and Technology Park soon.
Mayor of Conway, Tab Townsell said, “Acadia will provide services for behavioral health issues on a short term basis for really central Arkansas and maybe to the extent of the rest of the state of Arkansas.”
This facility provides behavioral health and addiction services to all ages. The $24 million project is 65,000 square feet on 11 acres of land and it will have 80 beds and employ roughly 150 Arkansans .
“It adds another layer of healthcare provision to the regional provision of healthcare,” said Townsell.
The behavioral health facilities in Conway right now only offer outpatient services. The closest inpatient facilities are in Little Rock and Fort Smith.
Juvenile court judge, Troy Braswell, thinks a local facility will give families an easier and quicker option.
“If we can get them treatment and get them back on track, it's going to do wonders for our community,” he said.
When it comes to young offenders, Judge Braswell said he'd rather have them in a treatment facility instead of locked up in jail.
“It breaks the cycle of a juvenile defender graduating and becoming an adult offender,” Braswell added.
The hospital is set to open near the end of 2017.