About Healthy Minds
Accelerating Oklahoma's mental health transformation
An estimated 768,000 Oklahoma adults — one in four —experience mental illness, and 584,000 have a substance use disorder. Too many of these Oklahomans go without treatment, and the consequences are felt in our families, businesses, schools, and the criminal justice system.
Healthy Minds Policy Initiative was founded in 2019 by The Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation to create a culture of problem-solving on mental health issues. We provide data, consultation, and education on best practices to Oklahoma leaders committed to improving the mental health of all Oklahomans.
A catalyst for change
In its first five years, Healthy Minds has published over 60 pieces of research and analysis and initiated more than a dozen community-based partnerships statewide.
To date, this work has directly, positively impacted over 862,000 Oklahomans and secured $77.5 million in new resources for our state’s mental health system. Over the next five years, Healthy Minds’ impact is projected to generate an additional $209 million in funding and savings for Oklahoma.
Our Core Values
Healthier, thriving communities
We are optimistic about the future of Oklahoma and believe bold change is possible.
We focus on the big picture to make systemic change.
We develop tailored solutions for specific communities.
Empowering others to succeed
We earn trust by being reliable, honest, and humble.
We build capacity in others by integrating partners into our work.
We celebrate the accomplishments of, and are accountable to, our partners, peers, and colleagues.
Solutions that work
We translate ideas into action through a rigorous review of the evidence.
We maintain subject-matter competence through proactive learning.
We engage with the people most impacted by our work.
Our values
Healthier, thriving communities
We are optimistic about the future of Oklahoma and believe bold change is possible.
We focus on the big picture to make systemic change.
We develop tailored solutions for specific communities.
Empowering others to succeed
We earn trust by being reliable, honest, and humble.
We build capacity in others by integrating partners into our work.
We celebrate the accomplishments of, and are accountable to, our partners, peers, and colleagues.
Solutions that work
We translate ideas into action through a rigorous review of the evidence.
We maintain subject-matter competence through proactive learning.
We engage with the people most impacted by our work.
We embed our values in our internal culture and integrate them into our efforts to increase access to behavioral health care in communities across Oklahoma.
We foster an inclusive work environment that promotes fairness and belonging for all employees. Members of our staff enrich the organization not only through their expertise and subject-matter proficiency, but also from the diversity of thought, backgrounds, and experiences each person adds to our team. By leveraging diversity as a strength, we better reflect the communities we serve and the partners with whom we collaborate.
In our work, we recognize that disparities and inequities exist in policy, health outcomes, and access to care, and that these are often experienced most acutely by our state’s most vulnerable, marginalized, and historically underserved residents. We envision — and work toward — a future in which these disparities are addressed and overcome to ensure the well-being of all Oklahomans.
