After 49 years of serving the region, the Southwest Arkansas Development Council closed their doors and ended all services to area residents on Friday, July 21 at 10:00 a.m. leaving employees scrambling and area residents and patients without services.
Employees and patients had no warning that the closure was imminent and did not find out until 10:00 a.m. Friday, July 21. The reason for the closing is claimed as a lack of funding. This closing will affect residents that utilized the many services that SWADC provided.
Jim McPhaul, Executive Director for SWADC, told us,
We are continuing with some limited services thru July 31. We have informed all of our Home Health clients and referred them to different Home Health Agencies in the area and we will continue to care for our dialysis patients, chemotherapy treatments, and children’s counseling through the end of the month. The Central Arkansas Development Council (CADC) will be taking over our LIHEAP program and taking care of transportation for area residents on August 1.
Mr. McPhaul will remain throughout the closing process.
Southwest Arkansas Development Council, Inc., (SWADC), is a private non-profit Community Action Agency founded as a direct result of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty and the Economic Opportunity Act. Since 1969, SWADC has worked to alleviate poverty and create empowerment opportunities that improve the lives and living conditions of low-income individuals and their families, thereby strengthening communities using their services, programs, and partnerships.
Headquarters were located in Texarkana, Arkansas, Southwest Arkansas Development Council served the residents of Calhoun, Columbia, Dallas, Hempstead, Howard, Lafayette, Little River, Miller, Nevada, Ouachita, Sevier and Union counties.
Programs impacted by the closing:
Case Management
Home Health Personal Care Services
Transportation for Non-Emergency Medicaid Patients
LIHEAP – (Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program)
A notice was posted on the door of the office located at 3902 Sanderson Lane…
Efforts are being made to take care of all of those people impacted by the closing. CADC will take over the low-income home energy assistance program (LIHEAP) and the Transportation duties on August 1, and alternative resources are being sought to take care of other clients impacted by the loss of services.
Approximately 160 employees that have been affected are currently seeking other employment.
The website is still up at http://swadc.org.
