White's leaving is a loss

Terri White has announced her departure as head of the state's mental health department, leaving to someone else the job of advocating for those battling mental illness and substance abuse. Her successor will be hard pressed to match White's passion and professionalism.

White worked to lift the shroud that surrounds mental illness and pushed for additional funding to help those afflicted. Oklahoma's rate of adults with serious mental illnesses is among the highest in the country. Meanwhile, the amount of state money spent on mental health ranked at the other end of the state-bystate list.

White often argued that if someone had a problem with their heart or lungs, no one would advise that person to wait until they had a heart attack or couldn't breathe before seeking help. But that is how Oklahoma has approached mental illness for years — not addressing it at the front end, but waiting instead until something terrible happens.

Make no mistake, White transformed mental health and substance abuse services in Oklahoma. She brought national prominence to the state as a leader in the field, and is known for her ability to deliver results. She is recognized by her peers, national behavioral health organizations, business leaders and educators.

In advocating for additional funding, particularly up front and especially for younger Oklahomans, White has noted that the DMHSAS serves roughly 190,000 people, but that somewhere between 700,000 and 950,000 Oklahomans need treatment.

What's the result? Among other things, a prison system where more than half the inmates have a history of mental illness or exhibit current symptoms, and a state whose suicide rate ranks among the 10 worst nationally.

White has bragged, and rightly so, about the successes of mental health courts and drug courts. Under White's guidance, the agency's Systems of Care program has been recognized as the best in the country — how often do we hear that about anything in Oklahoma? Systems of Care helps children ages 6 to 18 who have serious emotional and behavioral problems. It greatly reduces arrests and out-of-home placements for kids.

White more than doubled the number of Oklahomans being served and their outcomes. She found ways to get money for expansion of innovative services even during the toughest economic times. Relentless is a word often used to describe her. Relentless often translates to courage and passion. Her use of facts, always backed up by data, White will always be defined by action, not rhetoric.

She also never flinched when lawmakers have talked about performance-based budgeting, because she had reams of data and documents showing the return on investment from her agency's programs.

Gov. Kevin Stitt will name White's permanent replacement. Her persistence and outspokenness probably rankled some lawmakers and other officials at times, but Oklahomans with mental health and substance abuse issues have had no greater champion. Her departure is a loss for the agency.

So, if Oklahoma wants to be a top 10 state, why is White not still in office? Did the governor ask her to stay? Or, did he ask her to leave?