The opioid crisis and the rising prevalence of substance use among young people have spurred a critical need for specialized substance abuse treatment programs tailored to adolescents.
Arkansas currently does not offer residential, inpatient substance abuse treatment facilities for youth, aside from more costly private options. Efforts are underway to address this gap. In the meantime, some new options have become available for youth to get help on an outpatient basis and to access peer support.
Six Bridges
The Six Bridges Clinic at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), which opened in March 2024, offers treatment for young people ages 12 to 21 struggling with substance use disorders, including dependencies on opioids, alcohol, and marijuana. The program is housed within the UAMS Psychiatric Research Institute and was developed in partnership with Arkansas Children’s Hospital.
Substance use rates among young Arkansans exceed the national average, at 12% for alcohol and 14% for marijuana, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
“We are currently in a serious public health crisis. In Arkansas, there are only a handful of providers that treat substance use disorders in adolescents,” said Dr. Srinivasa Gokarakonda, director of the Six Bridges Clinic.
The clinic aims to offer comprehensive assessment and treatment for adolescents and young adults with substance use disorders, while also engaging in community outreach to raise awareness, enhance prevention efforts, and improve screening and referral to treatment.
Youth Empowerment Project
In July 2024, the state's first community-based youth recovery program opened its doors. The Wolfe Street Foundation in Little Rock held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new Youth Empowerment Project (YEP) center. YEP will provide peer support for students in grades 7-12, focusing on youth recovery and addressing substance use disorder.
Justin Buck, the executive director of the Wolfe Street Foundation, explains that Six Bridges can offer young people clinical services while YEP can offer them a curriculum, an advisor, and important connections to community services.
“Seeing this system of care start to take shape is incredibly exciting,” says Buck. “Just a year or two ago, there were no specific services for young people dealing with substance use. Now, we’re building a network of support that can truly make a difference.”
Buck emphasizes the importance of collaboration within the community, particularly with school-based mental health professionals, guidance counselors, and other disciplinary staff. These professionals play a key role in identifying students who might benefit from the program and guiding them toward it.
The teens will receive the support they need in a structured, yet flexible environment. Teens are paired with peer mentors or support groups composed of individuals who have successfully navigated their own struggles with addiction. These mentors serve as relatable role models, demonstrating that recovery is possible and providing a sense of hope and encouragement.
“Peer recovery support services are not new, but they’re relatively new to Arkansas,” Buck explains. “It’s a powerful model that empowers people with lived experience by providing training and certification, allowing them to assist others in healthcare settings, justice-involved environments, or community-based programs.”
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The program serves as a hub in a “hub and spoke model,” connecting young people in need of help to necessary resources, whether it’s mental health support, substance use prevention, or treatment referrals.
For Buck, the fight against substance abuse is deeply personal. “My family has seen both sides of addiction’s impact,” Buck shared. “We lost my oldest sister to a drug-related death about five years ago, but we got my brother back from methamphetamine addiction around the same time. The power of recovery is incredibly important to me, and understanding the pain of loss and the resilience of recovery has driven my commitment to this work.”
The growing prevalence of fentanyl has made drug use even more hazardous. "The most dangerous substances are often disguised as something else—like Percocet or other pills—but they’re likely to be laced with fentanyl," Buck cautioned. "It's essential that we educate young people and their parents about these risks and how to prevent substance abuse."
“We’re moving beyond the old ‘Just Say No’ campaigns and really addressing what’s happening in our communities,” Buck adds. “Drugs are so dangerous and deadly today that we’ve got to empower young people to make good decisions for themselves."
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