$5M grant to boost youth mental health services
Funds to go to outreach, care for ages 16-25
Oklahoma has received a $5 million, multi-year grant for mental health and substance abuse treatment access and support services for youths and young adults.
The grant, awarded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, will provide $1 million per year for each of the next five years. It will be used to improve outreach, access to screening and treatment and coordination of care for youth ages 16-25 years old, according to the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.
“Not all young people have strong family support, or the same opportunities that many of us take for granted,” said Carrie Slatton-Hodges, commissioner of the department.
Youths with serious emotional disturbance or serious mental illness can also include those with intellectual developmental disabilities, according to a release from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Their lives also may have been impacted by homelessness or involvement with the child welfare and criminal justice systems.
The award will benefit the Oklahoma Healthy Transitions Initiative, which works to improve emotional and behavioral health and help young people transition into adulthood.
“By helping these individuals as they enter adulthood, ensuring that they are engaged with appropriate treatment services and provided transitional support
that otherwise might not be there, we can prevent negative consequences later and help them to lead healthy and productive lives,” Slatton-Hodges said.
Young adults reported the highest prevalence of COVID-19 related anxiety, depression and serious suicidal thoughts, along with the highest rates of initial or increased substance use to cope with COVID-19, according to an August 2020 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But people in this age group are also less likely to ask for help based on available data, according to Jeff Dismukes, director of communications for the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.
“The most important thing is that people ask, however that might be,” he said. “You know, it’s talking to a family physician, talking to friends, talking to clergy, talking to really whoever and just asking for how to find assistance.”
The grant comes as State Rep. Cyndi Munson released an unrelated statement Monday morning, reminding Oklahomans to take care of their mental health.
“Our mental health is just as important as our physical health, and we should take care of both, especially during challenging times whether we are directly harmed or not,” she said.
The United States falls behind several other high-income countries in a number of categories relating to mental health and substance use, according to data from The Commonwealth Fund, a nonprofit focused on independent research on health care issues and improving health care practice and policy. The nation experiences higher prevalence of emotional distress and death rates due to substance use and suicide.
Oklahoma ranked No. 45 with respect to prevalence of mental illness and access to care in an overall ranking of the states for 2020 by Mental Health America, a nonprofit that works to promote mental health and prevent mental illness. However, Munson says it is important to find and take advantage of the resources that do exist.
“As we continue to navigate the Coronavirus pandemic and watch what is happening across our country and abroad, all of it can become overwhelming and affect our daily lives,” Munson said. “It is important to remember there are resources available in our time of need or when we are helping a loved one experiencing a difficult time.”