By David Palmer

Last year fewer than six percent of persons with substance abuse disorders in Arkansas were able to access the treatment and recovery support services they needed.

There’s a good chance this will soon begin to change thanks to a $13.1 million federal “Access to Recovery (ATR)” grant, announced last month by David Laffoon, director of the Arkansas Division of Behavioral Health Services (DBHS).

The grant application, facilitated by Cindy Crone at the University of Arkansas for Medical Science (UAMS) was approved by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) earlier this year and after months of preparations will go into effect January 30.

By David Palmer

I’ve known Bobby Ward for most of his 20 years of sobriety and have been entertained and enlightened at recovery meetings over the years by his story, which he delivers with self-deprecating humor illuminated by a megawatt smile.

So it was with great anticipation that I drove over to the UAMS Psychiatric Hospital in early October to pay him a visit. Bobby is a clinical director for substance abuse treatment and directs the chemical dependence outpatient programs for both marijuana and opiate prescription drug addictions.

Bobby, now happily married with three kids brings to his position plenty of “street cred” and savvy from working at two treatment centers before joining UAMS. It is an interesting background compared to that of the hospital’s largely academic staff whose members are working on a variety of groundbreaking research projects and studies.

Bobby is not an academic type, but he has all the qualifying credentials he needs hanging on the walls of his sunny office. Still, much of his education in the treatment of addictions comes from the streets.