Fort Smith, Arkansas now has a treatment center built specifically for teenagers. The Yarbrough Center for Teens, operated by Day One Hope Center, provides specialized teen addiction treatment for ages 13 to 17.
Center leaders say it is the only teen-focused rehabilitation center of its kind in Arkansas.
What Fort Smith Residents Need to Know
The center is named for Travis Yarbrough, who began using methamphetamine with his father at age 13 and was federally indicted for drug trafficking and money laundering by 19.
Yarbrough has put more than $750,000 of his own money into launching the center, which is currently operating at a loss of roughly $70,000 a month with no outside funding.
He says his goal in opening the center is to reach teens before their struggles follow them into adulthood, and he hopes his own financial commitment will encourage others in the community to support the effort.
Day One Hope Center Executive Director Adrienne Henry, a former Crisis Intervention Unit and SWAT officer with the Fort Smith Police Department, says the program fills a gap she saw firsthand in law enforcement: teenagers cycling through crisis without access to treatment designed around adolescent needs.
How the Program Works
The Yarbrough Center for Teens runs a Partial Hospitalization Program, or PHP, consisting of more than 20 hours of treatment and therapeutic services each week.
That structure lets teens continue living at home and staying connected to family and community while receiving intensive outpatient care, rather than requiring a residential stay away from their support system. Meals are included as part of the program.
Understanding Teen Substance Use
Adolescent substance use often looks different from adult addiction. Teens may be introduced to methamphetamine, opioids, or other drugs through a parent or older family member, as was the case for the center’s namesake, or through peer pressure and experimentation that escalates faster than parents expect.
Warning signs of teen substance use can include sudden changes in friend groups, declining grades, secretive behavior, missing money or valuables, and physical signs like changes in sleep or appetite.
Because adolescent brains are still developing, early intervention matters more for teens than it does for adults who may have used substances for years before seeking help.
Finding Addiction Treatment in Arkansas
Arkansas has historically had limited treatment options built specifically for adolescents, which is part of what makes the Yarbrough Center for Teens notable.
Families in Fort Smith and the surrounding River Valley region looking for treatment options now have a program designed around teens rather than adapted from adult-oriented care.
For families elsewhere in the state, the same questions apply regardless of location. Does a program specialize in adolescents rather than treating teens as smaller adults?
Does it involve family members in treatment rather than isolating the teen, and does it offer a level of care that fits the severity of the situation without requiring an unnecessary residential stay.
A program that keeps a teen connected to school, family, and community while still providing serious clinical hours, as the Yarbrough Center aims to do, is often easier for families to sustain than a distant residential placement.
Addictions.com lists addiction treatment centers across Arkansas, including programs for teens and adults. Call
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