Statewide health organization expands services in Northeast Arkansas
JONESBORO, Ark. — Methodist Family Health has expanded its services for children and families in Northeast Arkansas with the opening today of Methodist Children’s Behavioral Hospital–Jonesboro (MCBH–Jonesboro).
The new 70-bed acute psychiatric hospital will serve patients under the age of 18 who need short-term, inpatient treatment for mental health crises, filling an urgent need for area families who previously had to travel long distances to find care.
“This hospital provides a vital service for children and families who need immediate behavioral healthcare close to home,” said Kayla Beamon, hospital administrator for MCBH–Jonesboro. “Our team is dedicated to offering compassionate, effective treatment in a safe, healing environment right here in northeast Arkansas.”
Methodist Family Health purchased the former Arkansas Continued Care Hospital building at 3024 Red Wolf Blvd., Suite 1, in 2024 and remodeled it with enhanced safety features and therapeutic spaces that promote stability, recovery and hope. Professor Susan Whiteland and students from the Arkansas State University College of Liberal Arts and Communication donated over 80 hours to complete hand-painted murals, and the Junior Auxiliary Crown Club of Jonesboro painted ceiling tiles as a service project. Integrating this artwork throughout the facility creates a visually therapeutic environment that reduces the hospital’s clinical feel and reinforces a sense of comfort and support.
In addition to the new hospital, Methodist Family Health operates the Dacus Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility in Bono, an inpatient living and learning environment for teenage boys with chronic disorders, Methodist Counseling Clinic in Jonesboro, and school-based counseling programs in the Jonesboro and Nettleton Public School Districts and at Success Academy in Jonesboro.
The organization’s expansion in Northeast Arkansas reflects a commitment to making mental healthcare more accessible statewide.
“With Methodist Children’s Behavioral Hospital–Jonesboro, we’re bringing high-quality, compassionate, inpatient psychiatric care directly to the community,” said Methodist Family Health president and CEO Andy Altom.
The new hospital will be a training and observation resource for students in Arkansas State University’s School of Nursing and Health Professions and Department of Psychology and Counseling who need exposure to an inpatient psychiatric care environment, Altom added.
The Jonesboro facility joins Methodist Family Health’s statewide system of care, which includes inpatient and outpatient services, residential programs, counseling clinics, and the nonprofit’s Methodist Children’s Behavioral Hospital in Maumelle, which is both an acute and subacute facility for Arkansas children and families struggling with psychiatric, behavioral and emotional issues.
Children in Methodist Family Health facilities and programs receive essential and therapeutic items, inspirational materials, Christmas presents and transportation assistance from Methodist Family Health Foundation, an independent nonprofit organization that raises funds and receives in-kind donations on behalf of Methodist Family Health to help children in their care focus on healing.
MCBH-J plans to begin serving clients the week of Jan. 19.
About Methodist Family Health
Methodist Family Health (MFH) is a comprehensive, statewide mental and behavioral health system whose mission is to provide the best possible care for Arkansans who face trauma and other serious mental health struggles. Founded in 1899 as an orphanage and later known as the Methodist Children’s Home, MFH now serves more than 4,000 individuals and families each year. Its services include Methodist Children’s Behavioral Hospitals in Maumelle and Jonesboro, the state’s only nonprofit behavioral health hospitals for children, as well as residential psychiatric treatment, therapeutic group homes for teens in foster care, therapeutic day treatment school, outpatient and school-based counseling, Kaleidoscope Grief Center, and Arkansas CARES, a family-centered substance use recovery program for pregnant women and mothers. All programs are accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and certified by The Teaching-Family Association, reflecting MFH’s commitment to high-quality, evidence-based care. For more information about Methodist Family Health and its services, visit MethodistFamily.org.
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44 beds to 70 and no new construction? Do tell.