Oklahoma Mental Health Director To Expand Number of Beds in Tulsa To Avoid Service Shortages

To avoid overcrowding in Oklahoma's mental health system, Terry Cline, director of the Oklahoma Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Department, said he plans to restructure the state's $7 million contract with Grand Lake Mental Health Center in Tulsa to add 10 beds for the severely mentally ill at the Tulsa Center for Behavioral Health, the Daily Oklahoman reports. For the last several weeks, the Tulsa center has been relocating patients to Griffin Memorial Hospital in Norman, producing an "overload" of patients there. The hospital's capacity is 162 patients but its daily census has reached as many as 180 patients. Cline said that five beds could be added to the Tulsa Center by Sept. 13 and another five by early next month to bring the total number of beds to 55. Under the contract restructure, the state will assume responsibility for inpatient mental health services, and Grand Lake will continue to provide outpatient care under a separate contract with the state. Charles Danley, Grand Lake executive director, said he "welcomes the contract restructuring in light of state revenue shortfalls" (Hinton, Daily Oklahoman, 9/12).