Oklahoma County works with state through reimagined mental health hospital plans

A reimagined future state mental health hospital is unlikely to impact Oklahoma County’s vision for the intersection of mental health and criminal justice, District 3 Commissioner Myles Davidson says. 

“It won't hurt us at all,” Davidson said about recent shakeups and setbacks at the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. “In fact, the facility that they just got money appropriated for is a facility that I had toured originally, thinking that would be a great facility for us to go in, and remodel for less dollars.” 

A new idea for the state 

State lawmakers reappropriated ARPA funds for the scaled-down project, now costing $66.5 million. The scrapped Donahue Behavioral Health Campus at OSU-OKC was projected to cost more than $150 million. 

Last month, Oklahoma County Commissioners requested the department return $1.5 million in funding it provided for the Donahue project. 

If the department wishes to request additional funding for the newly proposed renovation project, a new request would need to be submitted to the Board of Commissioners. 

"It takes two votes—two commissioners—to make that happen,” Davidson said. “And I don't know the wishes of the other commissioners. So, we'll just see what happens in the next couple of weeks.” 

In January, the county broke ground on its own 60-bed behavioral health facility that will be located next to its future jail. County officials are still working to bridge a gap, in the number of hundreds of millions of dollars and growing, to fully fund the jail. 

“I think we're going to be looking for, next year, to go out to the people and ask them to fund it in a way that fills that funding gap,” Davidson said. 

Davidson emphasized not only needing funds for construction, but also for operating the new jail. 

However, he credited the state for the location of its renovation project. 

“I think it's a great deal,” he said. “It's going to be closer to our jail, our future facility. So, the opportunity in being able to deliver to a state facility that's only a mile and a half — two miles down the road is great for the county.” 

Community groups no longer needed 

The Donahue project also received sizeable philanthropic funding, including from the Arnall Community Funds at the Oklahoma City Community Foundation. 

According to the foundation’s president and CEO, Trisha Finnegan, the department notified the foundation on May 12th its funding was no longer needed. 

“OCCF is proud to have been part of the large-scale mental health facilities slated to be housed on the OSU-OKC campus, known as The Donahue Behavioral Health Center. With longstanding, wide-spread and growing needs for support for mental health, this facility would have increased access, availability, and quality of services for many of our neighbors," Finnegan said in a statement. “While funds have not been returned, we remain hopeful as these dollars are critically needed to meet pressing community needs, which OCCF has been and remains committed to, including mental health.” 

Separately, the Arnall Family Foundation has been involved with mental health projects at the state and county level. 

“The Foundation has had a great working relationship with the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (ODMHSAS) including Commissioner Friesen, and her predecessor, Commissioner Slatton-Hodges,” a foundation spokesperson said. “They both recognized that the state needs resources, other than the jail, to treat individuals with mental health and substance abuse needs. From our perspective, with four mental health facilities set to commence operations in Oklahoma County within the next four years, it would be best if all four, including the Donahue or any substitute, had the interconnectedness that ODMHSAS could provide as the operator or co-operator. Our hope is that a new commissioner is appointed as soon as possible so that our citizens with mental health issues are not abandoned. We are there to assist whomever is placed in that position.” 

On June 3, Governor Stitt named retired Rear Admiral Gregory Slavonic as the department’s new interim commissioner. He previously served as director of Oklahoma’s Department of Veteran Affairs, and also served in roles in the Department of the Navy. 

“ODMHSAS is currently focused on a leadership transition following the appointment of an Interim Commissioner,” a ODMHSAS spokesperson said. “During this time, the Department remains committed to maintaining continuity of care, protecting core services, and ensuring ongoing progress on major initiatives. As this transition continues, we will share updates when appropriate and remain focused on advancing critical behavioral health priorities across the state.” 

The department did not provide details on the location of the site selected for renovation.