Residential treatment facility helping youth overcome substance use challenges

The negative impact of the pandemic on the mental health of Mat-Su residents remains significant. The youth population, especially, has seen an increase in demand for behavioral health services. At the same time, the ability to meet that increased demand has presented challenges.

The Adolescent Residential Center for Help (ARCH) in Eagle River is the only facility of its kind in the state. It is a treatment program for youth, 12 to 19, who are diagnosed with a substance-use disorder and co-occuring mental health disorders.

The center, which drew 21 percent of its youth clients last year from the Mat-Su, is run by the nonprofit organization Volunteers of America Alaska. As a national organization, VOA has been around since 1896. Today it serves 47 states and more than 2 million people annually.

Recognizing the surging demand for youth behavioral health services, VOA has expanded its community-based services by 300 percent since 2021. Each state affiliate serves its communities in the way that is most needed.

In Alaska, that focus has been serving and meeting the behavioral health and well-being needs of youth, young adults, and families since 1981, when ARCH was launched, said Julia Luey, president and CEO of VOA Alaska.

“Due to a rapid decline of adolescent-specific services, ARCH is the only adolescent substance-use treatment facility in the state,” she said. “The program empowers young Alaskans to address their substance use and improve their mental health in a structured, therapeutic environment.”

That mission got a boost in May, when the Mat-Su Health Foundation awarded a $200,000 grant to VOA Alaska support the operations of the ARCH residential treatment program.

“Alaska’s youth behavioral health system faces persistent challenges, including the scarcity of residential facilities,” Luey said. “With matching funding from other community partners, the $200,000 grant from the Mat-Su Health Foundation helped ensure we could continue serving Alaska’s most vulnerable youth while planning for the integration of a higher level of care to support withdrawal management needs of youth.”

The health foundation has been at the forefront of investing in community health and well-being since 2008. As part owner of the Mat-Su Regional Medical Center, the foundation has channeled more than $130 million of its profits back into the community while continuing to ensure that the hospital meets the needs of a growing population.

“Simply put, the financial support from the Mat-Su Health Foundation allows us to continue providing life-saving care to Alaska’s youth,” Luey said. “As a nonprofit, VOA Alaska provides its full continuum of care at low or no cost. We believe financial challenges should not hinder a youth or family from receiving the care they need.”

Luey said VOA has begun to explore, build, and expand partnerships with providers in the Valley, with the hope of establishing an outpatient clinic in the Mat-Su within three years.

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https://voaak.org/