Tulsa World: Mental health board OKs cuts in service

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Mental health board OKs cuts in service
Contracts, treatment beds and 100 jobs are part of the plan.

By BARBARA HOBEROCK World Capitol Bureau
Published: 11/14/2009 2:25 AM
Last Modified: 11/14/2009 4:46 AM

OKLAHOMA CITY — The state Board of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services approved a plan Friday to cut nearly $7.3 million in spending by closing treatment beds, eliminating about 100 jobs and reducing contracts.

Trish Frazier, Oklahoma Public Employees Association policy and research director, said the action was "hidden" in the agency's financial report and not clearly identified on the agenda as required by law. If the board violated the Oklahoma Open Meetings Act, its actions are void.

Dewayne Moore, the agency's general counsel, said he didn't believe the board violated the Open Meetings Act because it voted on accepting a financial report. Board approval was not required to make the cuts, he said.

But the board also voted separately on the reduction plan, which was not on the agenda.

Terri White, commissioner of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, called the cuts "devastating" and said they would result in increased costs to the state for incarceration, foster care, emergency room visits and public safety.

State agencies have been told to cut budgets by 5 percent through the end of the fiscal year, which is June 30, in the wake of declining state revenues. Deeper cuts are possible.

The agency's reduction plan calls for merging the Children's Recovery Center, based in Norman, and the Norman Alcohol Drug Treatment Center. The Children's Recovery Center has 55 beds of which 15 are used for substance abuse treatment and 40 are used for mental health treatment. They generally serve children ages 5 to 17. The beds will be converted to focus only on substance abuse and eliminate any public beds for children with mental health problems, White said.

"About 90 percent of kids with substance abuse issues don't get treatment," she said.

About 60 beds at the Norman Alcohol Drug Treatment Center will close, she said.

The move is expected to save about $3.8 million.

The plan also calls for closing the Bill Willis Dependency Unit in Tahlequah, which has about 20 beds serving men who are chemically dependent, White said.

But additional beds will open at the Rose Rock Recovery Center in Vinita, which has a capacity of 52 beds serving women, but not all beds are being used. Additional beds will also open at Lighthouse in Woodward, which has 26 beds serving men and women. The beds are for residential substance abuse treatment.

The plan calls for reducing staff at Griffin Memorial Hospital in Norman and closing buildings to save $1 million.

It also calls for reducing mental health services provider contracts by $500,000. The agency spends about $50 million a year on the contracts.

White said it costs about $2,000 a year to serve a patient needing residential substance abuse services or mental health treatment.

Substance abuse service provider contracts are to be reduced by $185,000. The agency spends about $25 million a year on substance abuse provider contracts, White said.

The agency also will cut $450,000 for advocacy contracts that cover services such as outreach and education. The agency spends about $2 million a year on advocacy contracts, White said.

Finally, the five members of the agency's leadership team, including White, will take six furlough days to save about $16,283, White said.

The agency employs about 2,200 people and has a budget of $300 million, including about $200 million in state funding.

About 100 employees will be subject to layoffs, White said. Those employees have yet to be identified, she said.

Barbara Hoberock (405) 528-2465
barbara.hoberock@tulsaworld.com By BARBARA HOBEROCK World Capitol Bureau

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Some reader comments for this story were copied from "Cuts approved for Oklahoma Board of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services ," which was published on 11/13/2009.

	Report Comment booboo-boohoo, (11/13/2009 2:09:50 PM) ....."action was hidden in the agency's financial report"......??????? hum.....imagine that.....HIDDEN in a report..... sounds like a few other 'hidden' issues I know of!
	Report Comment 007, London (11/13/2009 2:56:33 PM) yep the republicans are in full control at the state house.
	Report Comment parksport, (11/13/2009 4:37:15 PM) "State agencies have been told to cut budgets by 5 percent through the end of the fiscal year, which is June 30, in the wake of declining state revenues." It doesn't matter what party is in full control of the state house right now, agencies can't spend money they don't have. It isn't like they are the federal government.
	Report Comment Whocanutrust?, (11/13/2009 6:57:26 PM) Make more room Department of Corrections! The saga continues with the most vunerable affected.
	Report Comment Elusive, the burbs (11/14/2009 3:30:57 AM) Everything being cut to the bone to save money.
	Report Comment Hobbs, Loveland, Co (11/14/2009 8:39:47 AM) Starting with Governor??? Keating closing all the mental health facilities, the republicans keep marching on to continue to put more homeless people on the street.
	Report Comment justiceawaits, Claremore (11/14/2009 8:41:16 AM) Big mistake. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. We need to treat the mentally ill and druggies BEFORE they become criminals. Sober them up and put them into some sort of job training program to help get them back on their feet. Warehousing the down and out in prison is both stupid and expensive.
	Report Comment JDH, Tulsa (11/14/2009 11:17:50 AM) Justice, apparently you haven't made the acquaintance of a serious drug or alcohol abuser. Sobering them up and putting them in a job training program doesn't happen with a snap of the finger. They enter rehab multiple times, almost always falling back into their old ways when they leave. Maybe shutting down beds so they don't have a place to go when they are dragging the bottom is a way to make them come to their senses earlier.
	Report Comment st470, (11/14/2009 11:24:47 AM) I pray the OHP doesn't beat up anyone today.
	Report Comment d van, Tulsa (11/14/2009 8:16:58 PM) The state hospitals were closed years ago because courts ordered ordered them closed. Keating didn't arbitrarily close them. A few Trial lawyers are as guilty as anyone for Vinita State Mental Hospital closing. The current cuts are not republican initiatives, they're being done by Gov. Henry's administrators. The Oklahoma constitution requires a balanced budget. The Republican-led legistlature has been adjourned since May. But even their budgets were all signed by Brad Henry.
	Report Comment FUTURE WORLD, Tulsa (11/14/2009 11:19:42 PM) There is going to be a lot more pain before things start to get better. Unfortunately, those on the bottom rung in society and those with the most need are the ones who will suffer the most.
	Report Comment my view, Sand Springs (11/15/2009 1:13:30 AM) The quickest way to turn this around is for oil to go up $90./100. a barrel. Well head taxs creates alot of money for the state.

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