Leaders in the field of mental health services assert that Oklahomans and Tulsans have seen substantial improvements in access to and utilization of mental health services in recent years, despite ongoing criticisms.
Carrie Slatton-Hodges, Commissioner of the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, emphasized that several key initiatives are positively impacting the state’s mental health landscape. One significant achievement is the forthcoming Tulsa Behavioral Health Center, a larger facility that has been in planning for several years, thanks to a group convened by the Zarrow Foundation.
Oklahoma is currently making substantial investments in behavioral health with funding from private, state, local, and federal sources. Key developments include:
Fifteen certified community behavioral health clinics offering mental health services to Medicaid patients across the state.
The establishment of 20 urgent recovery and crisis centers, with a goal to have at least one in every county with a population of 20,000 or more by next year.
Implementation of the 988 mental health line, which is staffed within the state.
Transportation and telehealth initiatives designed to enhance access to services.
In Tulsa, Parkside Psychiatric Hospital has expanded its services, especially for children, with the construction of a new 114,500-square-foot facility. Additionally, three urgent and crisis care centers have been opened in the area. Over the past three years, there has been a 43% increase in the number of adults receiving mental health services and a 37% increase in those seeking treatment for substance use disorders.
A recently announced grant will provide $9 million to support mental health services within Tulsa Public Schools.
Despite these positive developments, challenges and areas of disagreement persist in the mental health service system. For instance, Tulsa is one of the few cities of its size without acute mental health care beds in its general hospitals. Moreover, the David L. Moss Criminal Justice Center is the only county jail in the state not participating in the Department of Mental Health’s competency restoration program for prisoners found mentally unfit to stand trial.
This situation is partly due to differing views on how to address the backlog of prisoners in Tulsa and other counties who have been judged mentally incompetent. The Oklahoma Forensic Center in Vinita used to be the sole provider of such treatment, leading to a significant waiting list, which has been reduced to 230 from around 300. The Department of Mental Health has begun arranging services in county jails over the past six months.
However, some in Tulsa County argue that the current approach is insufficient and advocate for more in-patient capacity. Slatton-Hodges expects the system to be within about 100 beds of what is needed once expansion projects, including the Oklahoma Forensic Center and Tulsa Behavioral Health Center, are completed in the coming years.
Slatton-Hodges attributes the complex situation to several factors, including the state’s elimination of public facilities for long-term care of mentally ill individuals without adequate alternatives. There’s also a growing desire in urban areas to address the issue of mentally ill individuals on the streets, but finding a comprehensive solution has proven challenging.
Despite the hurdles, Slatton-Hodges stressed the need for private hospitals in Tulsa to step up and be part of the solution, recognizing that the state cannot fulfill every role in the mental health service system.
