The Tulsa Regional Mental Health Report is no surprise. The surprise is the lack of public outcry for change.
After 10 years of state funding cuts, there is no surprise why mental health and substance abuse services can’t meet the needs of 1 in 7 Tulsans who has a mental illness.
The surprise was the lack of outrage when the report revealed people with mental illness and substance abuse issues die 27 years earlier than other Oklahomans.
Where was the outcry over Oklahoma spending $23,000 annually to incarcerate someone with mental health issues when outpatient care in the community costs $2,000 per year?
One in three children has two or more adverse childhood experiences, like abuse, neglect and household dysfunction, before age 17 — the highest in the nation. These experiences seriously affect their emotional and behavioral health. This contributes to one in 12 children having a serious emotional disturbance.
These facts represent loved ones for many of us. Many families are caring for the 85 percent of people with mental illness who are not working. This puts a tremendous strain of worry and debt on families.
Please take time to read the report (follow this link) and the proposed 10-year plan to address these issues.
Will you join the staff and clients of Counseling & Recovery Services and get involved by contacting your state legislators and urging them to fully fund mental health and substance abuse services.
We also need community support to care for our clients because 60 percent have little or no income, no insurance, and are unable to pay for their services and medication. State funding does not cover all their care. We welcome your inquiries on how to help by calling Lindsay DeWeese at 918.392.5809.
Thank you for caring, speaking out, and getting involved.