WRAPPED UP JUST MOMENTS AGO, RIGHT? YEAH. JUST IN. THE GOAL IS TO LEAVE THE MENTAL HEALTH SYSTEM STRONGER THAN IT HAS BEEN. STATE LEADERS SAY THAT CAN’T HAPPEN WITHOUT THESE CONVERSATIONS. THIS CONFERENCE HAS BEEN PUT ON FOR SEVERAL YEARS, AND IT’S ABOUT A YEAR LONG PROCESS. THE DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE SERVICES IS ON DAY ONE OF ITS ANNUAL CONFERENCE, BRINGING TOGETHER HUNDREDS OF PROVIDERS, PARTNERS AND NONPROFITS ACROSS THE STATE. REALLY JUST BRINGING AWARENESS. IT’S REALLY NICE TO BE HERE WITH OTHER AGENCIES THAT WE COLLABORATE WITH. BEING ABLE TO TALK TO OTHER VENDORS THAT THAT WE WORK WITH ON A REFERRAL BASIS. THE THREE DAY EVENT, MOMENTUM FOCUSES ON PREVENTION, TREATMENT AND RECOVERY. THE OVERALL GOAL TO STRENGTHEN OUR MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT SYSTEMS AND ADDRESS ONGOING CHALLENGES IN MENTAL HEALTH. I THINK THERE’S A STIGMA THAT WE ALL NEED TO BREAK. EVERYONE DESERVES SOMEONE TO SPEAK TO, AND I THINK THAT SOMETIMES THAT’S HARD. IT’S HARD TO BREAK DOWN THAT BARRIER. AND SO WE JUST HOPE THAT WHEN PEOPLE ARE READY TO TAKE THAT NEXT STEP, THAT WE’RE THERE TO PROVIDE ANY KIND OF THERAPEUTIC OPTIONS THAT THEY MAY NEED. AND COMING UP TONIGHT AT SIX, WE ACTUALLY SPOKE TO THE INTERIM DIRECTOR OF THE DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH, SUBSTANCE ABUSE SERVICES, ABOUT HIS GOAL FOR THE FUTURE O
Oklahoma mental health leaders come together to address challenges in state
A major mental health conference brought state leaders together Tuesday to tackle some of Oklahoma’s largest behavioral health challenges.
Updated: 4:22 PM CST Dec 9, 2025
A major mental health conference brought state leaders together Tuesday to tackle some of Oklahoma’s largest behavioral health challenges. The goal is to leave the mental health system stronger than it has been, and state leaders said that isn’t possible without conversations like these. “This conference has been put on for several years, and it’s about a year-long process,” Grag Slavonic, interim director of the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. >> Video Below: Oklahoma mental health service contracts cut amid budget shortfallTuesday was day one of the annual conference, bringing together hundreds of providers, partners and nonprofits across the state. “Really, just bringing awareness. It’s really nice to be here with other agencies that we collaborate with. Being able to talk to other vendors that that we work with on a referral basis,” said Lee Johnson, community engagement coordinator at Grand Mental Health. The three-day even called “Momentum” focuses on prevention, treatment and recovery. The overall goal is to strengthen the mental health support systems and address ongoing challenges in mental health. >> Video Below: Oklahoma’s mental health agency head ousted in dramatic late-night move”I think there’s a stigma that we all need to break. Everyone deserves someone to speak to. I think that sometimes it’s hard. It’s hard to break down that barrier, and so we just hope that when people are ready to take that next step that we’re there to provide any kind of therapeutic options that they may need,” Johnson said. Top HeadlinesUnseen photos of Rosa Parks return to Montgomery, Alabama, seven decades laterMan serving life sentence for killing UCO student in 2020 DUI crash dies in prisonHinton Public Schools mourns coach killed in weekend crashMan arrested after allegedly setting southwest OKC apartment on fire during domestic disputeThese home gifts are backed by Good Housekeeping’s rigorous product testing
OKLAHOMA CITY —
A major mental health conference brought state leaders together Tuesday to tackle some of Oklahoma’s largest behavioral health challenges.
The goal is to leave the mental health system stronger than it has been, and state leaders said that isn’t possible without conversations like these.
“This conference has been put on for several years, and it’s about a year-long process,” Grag Slavonic, interim director of the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.
>> Video Below: Oklahoma mental health service contracts cut amid budget shortfall
Tuesday was day one of the annual conference, bringing together hundreds of providers, partners and nonprofits across the state.
“Really, just bringing awareness. It’s really nice to be here with other agencies that we collaborate with. Being able to talk to other vendors that that we work with on a referral basis,” said Lee Johnson, community engagement coordinator at Grand Mental Health.
The three-day even called “Momentum” focuses on prevention, treatment and recovery. The overall goal is to strengthen the mental health support systems and address ongoing challenges in mental health.
>> Video Below: Oklahoma’s mental health agency head ousted in dramatic late-night move
“I think there’s a stigma that we all need to break. Everyone deserves someone to speak to. I think that sometimes it’s hard. It’s hard to break down that barrier, and so we just hope that when people are ready to take that next step that we’re there to provide any kind of therapeutic options that they may need,” Johnson said.
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