Planned mental health facilities can bolster community

Originally published in The Journal Record: Melissa Walton is the executive director of the Oklahoma County Criminal Justice Advisory Council.

Several new mental healthcare facilities are coming to Oklahoma County over the next few years, each meant to serve a unique purpose. Access to mental health care leads to better outcomes in nearly every aspect, from building safer communities and holding our economy steady, to uplifting residents and their families. Serving neighbors in need of mental health treatment can send positive ripple effects throughout the entire community.

Unfortunately, the Oklahoma County Detention Center has come to be known colloquially as our state’s largest mental health care facility. It is an unfair burden on the jail, a highly inefficient use of our justice system and obvious disservice to those in need. The good news is that help is on the way. Multiple new treatment centers, soon-to-come, will serve the many nuanced mental health needs of our community.

The Behavioral Care Center will provide diversion and stabilization services linked to the county jail. The center will be specifically for those who have been arrested but would be better served with treatment, as a final point of intervention before those with mental health or addiction struggles enter the justice system.  An agreement to complete the program comes with an exchange for the dismissal of charges and expungement of arrest. These outcomes not only reduce unnecessary incarceration but remove future barriers for individuals and their families as they integrate back into their lives.

Read the full opinion editorial here.