Oklahoma To Cut State-Funded Outpatient Behavioral Health Programs

The Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (ODHMSAS) is preparing to cut back its outpatient behavioral health programs due to a state budget shortfall. In August 2017, the agency was faced with cutting its spending by $75 million due to a lost funding source; the cut represents about 23% of its budget. On October 18, 2017, ODMHSAS told legislators that unless they provided additional funding, ODMHSAS would eliminate all state-funded outpatient services statewide for indigent and behavioral health Medicaid eligible individuals. On November 2, the legislature passed an emergency bill to borrow $23.3 million from . . .