Oklahoma's mental health crisis: What happens next?

OKLAHOMA CITY (KOKH) — Oklahoma has already begun feeling the effects of its unbalanced budget. People are learning they will be cut from some programs in less than a month. Zeroing in on mental health and substance abuse services, providers are challenging legislators to do something now.

Mental health providers say they have been in contact with their legislators regularly. They are looking for a straight answer, and say they are not getting it. The question remains, what comes next for Oklahoma mental health services?

Thunderbird Clubhouse in Norman, Oklahoma is where people are developing their community and learning to work. Many of the members are recovering from mental illness. Pia Hilderbrant is a member here, and learns about living a happy and productive life while also dealing with her diagnosed schizophrenia.

“I very thankful for it. I am very thankful for being able to be independentI get help through Thunderbird Clubhouse, PACT team, Norman Section 8 housing authority, and I have Medicare insurance, and if they were to cut back any of that, I wouldn't have a psychiatrist, a therapist, affordable medicine,” says Hilderbrant.

Executive Director Linn Blohm says she has seen the legislature slowly dismantle the state's ability to provide help. The threat of even more sweeping cuts to fill a 215-million-dollar budget hole is frustrating.

“Mental health traditionally has taken cuts in the last couple of years. We are not just asking for cuts to stop. We are asking for restorative funding so we can get back to a place where we are healthy again,” says Blohm.

How deep the cuts will be this time is still unclear. Pia's mother, Ruth Mojica, says any more cuts are a sign Oklahoma is not willing to care for its people.

“They couldn't be cut prior to the last cut, and now you are going to cut them some more, and what do you think is going to happen these people? Those costs are going to shift,” says Mojica.

Mental health professionals say less mental health services will mean more homelessness, more incarceration, and the possibility of more suicides. Blohm says these facts should be enough to stop the political game, but it hasn't been.

“Just fix it. We want to put aside the differences and just fix it,” says Blohm.

As it stands now, Oklahoma mental health and substance abuse services will be cut by 23-percent. That would mean ending all outpatient services by December 1st.