Oklahoma is doing a poor job on mental health
A just-released report by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has some shocking information about the poor job Oklahoma is doing when it comes to mental health. Only the state of West Virginia is ranked lower than our state in this report.
The study, which didn’t even include those younger than 18, said that more than 630,000 Oklahomans suffer from some type of mental illness, and more than 70 percent of those Oklahomans receive no treatment because they do not have access to the help they need. The tragedy is that many of these illnesses could be treated.
National, the report said that 18.2 percent of the population suffers from mental illness, compared to 22 percent in our state. Oklahoma spends about $53 per capita on mental health treatment; the national average is $120. Without a doubt, there is a direct correlation between the dollars invested in mental health, and the numbers of individual who receive or fail to receive help.
But then again, we know that’s the case about a variety of pressing issues in our state. Whether you are looking at heart and cancer rates, diabetes, or issues related to education, including per pupil funding levels and our support of higher education and Careertechs, what we invest matters. When we underinvest, the proof is in the pudding. We wind up in the headlines in yet another negative report. But this isn’t a matter of bad PR—the problem is these low rankings in a variety of areas mean that our citizens are not able to live the healthy, successful lives they could if they lived in another state, OR if our state invested more in the programs that make such a significant difference in quality of life.
Despite all of this, the Senate voted last week to once again lower Oklahoma’s income tax. Supporters said they wanted to make sure Oklahomans keep more of their hard-earned money and said on the average people would keep about $85 more a year. Well, that’s if you average it all out. About 30 percent won’t see any benefit, while most others will only see pennies a day at best. You have to be bringing home a huge, six-figure paycheck to really see any true benefit.
But as soon as the cut kicks in, I can tell you all Oklahomans will see one huge difference—there will be even less money for our already underfunded schools, public health and mental health services, public safety, and infrastructure, like roads and bridges.
As always, I welcome your comments on state government. Please feel free to contact me by writing to Senator Charles Wyrick at the State Capitol, Room 535-A, Oklahoma City, OK, 73105; call me at (405) 521-5561.
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