Substance abuse program shuttered

State budget cuts have forced the Bill Willis agency to end its residential substance abuse program for men.

By TEDDYE SNELL

Mental health officials have warned for months about the pending impact of continued cuts to the state’s behavioral health care system.

Those warnings became a reality last week when the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services board approved trimming an additional $7.3 million from a steadily dwindling budget, bringing the total cut to $16 million, to date.

As a result, the residential substance abuse program for men offered by Bill Willis Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services is being shut down.

“Today was the last day we were allowed to take new admissions,” said Margaret Bradford, executive director at BWCMHSAS. “They will be able to complete their treatment, and we’ve been adamant about that. But beyond that, the program will no loner exist.”

Bradford said the cuts total $1.2 million locally. The program takes referrals from all over the state, including the court system, families, other care providers with no residential services, hospitals and others.

The 20-bed program runs at full capacity year-round, and in the four years Bradford’s been with the agency, it has maintained a waiting list of at least 40 patients.

“We’re trying to do this in a planful way for the least negative impact,” said Bradford. “Unfortunately, this will limit access to services for those who can’t afford or aren’t able to pay for other services.”

Tom Lewis, director of Project O-Si-Yo, a homeless shelter for men, was disappointed to learn the news.

“This was a blow to the Tahlequah community in terms of important interventions for those who need help in their fight for survival against chronic alcoholism and substance abuse,” said Lewis. “Tahlequah was fortunate to have their services and needs to address this and other important needs as our state’s revenues continue to decline.”

Bradford said the Cherokee Nation may be able to provide some relief to those who are members of federally recognized Indian tribes.

“Cherokee Nation Behavioral Health reminded us of its access to recovery grant,” said Bradford. “This will help provide services to some, but not all who seek it.”

One local lawmaker remains steadfast in his efforts to call the Oklahoma Legislature into emergency special session to safeguard crucial services.

“How much longer can we continue to downsize services to those most in need before we realize the severity and scope of these actions?” asked Rep. Mike Brown, D-Tahlequah.

Statewide, 50 substance abuse beds will be lost, contracts for public and private mental health and substance abuse providers will be reduced, and approximately 100 jobs will be lost.

“Gov. Henry has supported tapping the Rainy Day fund for crucial services, yet Republican leadership continues to stall these efforts and is standing idly by while Oklahomans suffer,” said Brown. “The impact of their inaction will be devastating to not only those who desperately need these services, but to those called to serve who are losing their jobs. Many are a few short years from retirement, many have families to support, loved ones who rely on them, and Republican leadership continues to turn their backs to the reality of this crisis.”

Brown believes that from the onset, the Legislature under Republican control has mirrored the Republican leadership at the national level.

“The nation suffered, and continues to suffer, under the policies enacted during their regime, and Oklahoma will fare no better under this mindset,” said Brown. “I implore all our legislators to do all you can to help your constituents back in your district, and the state as a whole. We cannot wait; this situation becomes more dire each day.”

Sen. Jim Wilson, D-Tahlequah, isn’t optimistic about resolving the issue quickly.

“The battle is not over, but we will probably lose it,” said Wilson. “The Department of Mental Health has to come before the appropriations subcommittee I’m on, and I will try to find the $1.2 million somewhere in their budget.”

Wilson believes there are other avenues of relief for this program and others.

“There seems to be a real need for the leadership and the government haters to show the world how tough they really are by cutting the senior nutrition meals, this program and others. If that’s what the folks in Oklahoma want, it will be democracy in action. But it doesn’t have to happen, and wouldn’t happen if the legislative leadership didn’t want it to happen,” Wilson said. “We have rainy day money as well as stimulus money. We could look at the increases in health care costs, which were promised would be reduced by passing a tort bill, which we did in May. We could also revisit the tax breaks for the top 8,000 returns, out of 1.5 million.”

Bradford said she’s unsure how the cut will affect staff locally, and added that every decision they make now is crucial to the budget.

“We have a hard freeze on every position, and will have to take things case by case,” she said. “In reality, this was a tremendous reduction in services for us. When you look at general revenue trimming, [the future] is just not very hopeful.”