OKLAHOMA CITY –
Many city leaders have used this as a roadmap toward implementing needed services for the community.
Tulsa-based organization Healthy Minds said areas of south and southwest Oklahoma City are the most vulnerable in a number of ways.
The issue of lack of mental health resources has been brewing for decades, said the president of Healthy Minds Policy Initiative Zach Stoycoff.
He added, “Our research showed us that in these areas of high vulnerability, we have not aligned services with the need. So many of the larger mental health providers do not exist in these communities in a physical location.”
Many in this community have circumstances making them more vulnerable to public health crises.
“What we see in these areas of the community is that we may have higher percentages of people who have lower cost, burdened by housing or spending 30 percent or more of their income on housing, being more food insecure in the city overall, or more likely to be living in poverty,” said Stoycoff.
He said unstable conditions like this lead to higher incidences of mental illness.
The leadership team for the organization, along with community, business, and government leaders are focusing on several areas which includes children, youth, and families.
The goal is to prevent people from mental health conditions that cause them to spiral into unemployment, homelessness, or other distress.
Stoycoff said Oklahoma is working to have community treatment teams.
“This is like a mobile hospital room. It is a multidisciplinary team of providers who can wrap around people and provide care from mental health services through to employment services,” added Stoycoff.