Methodist Family Health in Little Rock celebrating 125 years of growth and dedication to care for families

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.- In 1899, the foundation began for what is now known as the Methodist Family Health, but back then, it was only known as the Arkansas Methodist Orphanage of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

The orphanage’s mission is to provide short-term care for children and help find them homes.

“When we began, it was just taking care of children throughout the state who may or may not have a mom or dad or someone for them to go to,” Kelli Reep, director of communication at Methodist Family Health, said.

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The orphanage was located in downtown Little Rock on 16th and Elm Streets and by the mid-1920s, they found homes for 440 children.

Methodist Family Health survived the 1929 stock market crash, the Great Depression, and World War II, but in 1952, it became the Methodist Children’s Home.

Then in 1997, Methodist Family Health became accredited.

Methodist Family Health said their mission remains the same: “to give the best possible care to those who may need our help, including children.”

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“Now we are considered a complete continuum of care, and that’s everything from our most intensive residential program, which is at our acute hospital, Methodist Behavioral Hospital in Maumelle, to what is our least intensive, which is our school-based and outpatient counseling clinics,” Reep said.

Reep said that continuum of care helps 5,600 Arkansas children and their families every year.

“The idea is to make the family strong because if the family is strong, you can get through anything,” Reep said.

According to Reep, they help children who are abused, abandoned, neglected, and dealing with psychiatric, behavioral, emotional, or spiritual issues and their families.

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Methodist Behavioral Hospital was established in 2001 and celebrated its 20th anniversary last year. The idea began with the current CEO of Methodist Family Health.

“His idea was, let’s treat our own children instead of sending them to another hospital or another facility, let’s create our own,” Reep said.

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