OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – Psychological well being is high of thoughts for Oklahoma leaders as September 1st is the primary day of Nationwide Suicide Prevention Consciousness Month. Proper on the heels of the state launching its 988 psychological disaster hotline, a legislative watchdog is recommending unification throughout the state’s psychological well being service companies.
The Legislative Workplace of Fiscal Transparency says the state’s 17 psychological well being companies have to kind a activity drive as a result of too many vital alternatives to assist individuals are getting missed.
“Proper now, we don’t have sufficient knowledge to even determine the gaps,” mentioned LOFT Govt Director Mike Jackson.
The group’s newly launched report on supply of psychological well being companies exposes areas of concern.
“A few of these issues are lack of complete or high quality knowledge for the evaluation of outcomes and lack of unified imaginative and prescient and statewide technique,” Jackson mentioned.
LOFT’s aim was to determine sorts of psychological well being and substance abuse companies offered by state companies, decide if any duplication of companies exists and look at alternatives to raised align experience with supply of companies, determine challenges going through psychological well being and substance abuse suppliers in delivering companies, and consider finest practices amongst states for the supply of psychological well being and substance abuse companies and alternatives for improved outcomes.
They’re recommending the Oklahoma legislature kind a statewide council of its psychological well being companies to seize essential info.
“It’s extraordinarily necessary,” Jackson continued. “That’s the rationale why considered one of our suggestions was to arrange this this entity that will carry these 17 recognized companies that do present companies in Oklahoma and produce them to the desk in order that we will begin to seize that info.”
Together with establishing a statewide coordinating council for the supply of behavioral well being companies, they want the Oklahoma Division of Psychological Well being and Substance Abuse to offer with its annual price range request a complete “State of Psychological Well being” annual report reflecting service metrics, together with quantity and demographics of these served, sort of companies rendered, and figuring out gaps in service throughout all state entities offering psychological well being and substance abuse companies.
LOFT suggests requiring companies to offer knowledge to ODMHSAS for the aim of manufacturing the “State of Psychological Well being” annual report and requiring all state companies concerned within the supply of psychological well being applications and companies to develop and submit a coordinated funding plan to the Legislature yearly earlier than October 1st of every fiscal yr.
The report additionally recommends requiring ODMHSAS to develop, or contract with a analysis establishment to determine systemic workforce challenges for behavioral well being suppliers and supply an inventory of suggestions for find out how to recruit, retain and enhance wages for behavioral well being suppliers. A complete report ought to be introduced to the Legislature following the conclusion of this research.
Moreover, they need to see ODMHSAS and Oklahoma State Division of Schooling required to finish a baseline stock of all behavioral well being companies supplied at school districts – whether or not straight offered by colleges, non-public suppliers, or ODMHSAS.
Jackson mentioned informed KFOR a few of the gaps in service that LOFT discovered, and so they discovered them in coordination and knowledge sharing between state companies, transportation and entry to companies, workforce shortages, rural entry to behavioral well being remedy, psychological well being remedy inside county jails, direct and focused companies for navy service members and veterans, behavioral well being applications inside public colleges, and continuum of care.
ODMHSAS despatched KFOR a press release on the report Thursday, with spokesman Jeff Dismukes saying, “The report affirms the legislature’s curiosity in behavioral well being and help for our efforts to advance companies all through Oklahoma. Behavioral well being wants, left unaddressed, have far-reaching adverse penalties for our state and communities. We’re excited a couple of dedication to collaboration among the many many various state companies that play a job in supply of companies. Working collectively, we are going to additional strengthen outcomes and create an enduring profit to the state.”
Jackson is optimistic the state legislature will kind the duty drive through the upcoming legislative session, with implementation from the duty drive rolling out doubtlessly in three or 4 years.
