Hundreds protest Dept. of Mental Health child counseling cuts

Hundreds of people packed into a conference room at the Oklahoma Health Care Authority. A committee met there on Thursday to learn about proposed budget cuts.

The Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services has to cut $9.8 million because of the state budget crisis.

The proposal before the committee was taking private provider counselors off the SoonerCare program. The cut is supposed to save about $1.2 million. The other cost-saving will come from administrative cuts, leaders said.

Many opponents of the plan spoke at the meeting.

"We all understand the fiscal challenges the state is facing but what about the mental health crisis that's facing us right now?" one speaker said.

The department said it was faced with a lot of terrible choices and had to pick the option that was the least terrible.

"It's heartbreaking to know that any family is going to lose services. What we have to do is rely on the data and the facts that show that the children most in need are going to be preserved for their services," ODMHSAS Commissioner Terri White said.

SoonerCare patients will only be able to get counselling from providers at state agencies, if the proposal passes. Those who are currently going to private practices could change to state agencies, but the ODMHSAS said that likely won't happen. Leaders acknowledged many patients will just lose care. But that has to happen for this to actually save money.

Thursday, the committee was split on the move, voting 10 to 10 to recommend it to the board.

The board meets on February 11th to decide whether to adopt these cuts. The plan would then move forward to the governor. It will be adopted once Governor Mary Fallin signs off.