Oklahoma’s mental health system is fractured and underfunded. The system is “suffocating,” according to a new in-depth NewsOK report.Oklahoma has never made a sustained, significant investment in its mental health system. To quote the NewsOK story, “The majority of low-income, uninsured Oklahomans with mental illnesses and substance abuse disorders who need help do not get it.”
Eight decades ago a report by the National Mental Hospital Survey Committee said Oklahoma would save money if it invested in its mental health system. 80 years later, there hasn’t been much improvement.
Oklahoma has a projected shortfall of nearly a billion dollars. Yet the state continues to slash taxes. One way the state could save money is to invest in mental health. It costs a little over $2,000 to provide mental health services. But taking care of an inmate with mental illness costs taxpayers ten times as much.