Sanders pledges $30M for mental health and substance abuse

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and the Arkansas Department of Human Services plan to invest $30 million into mental health and substance abuse services.

• The money will come from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

State of play: In 2021, 637 people in Arkansas died of drug overdoses, according to the CDC. Still, the state's rate of 22.3 deaths per 100,000 people was 11th-lowest in the country.

• Meanwhile, Arkansans reported having more poor mental health days, averaging 5.5 in a 30-day period compared to 4.4 nationally, according to the 2023 report from County Health Rankings & Roadmaps.    More