Ensuring mental illness and substance use disorders are
treated like any other health condition.
Mental and physical wellbeing are equally essential dimensions of health, and health care policy must fully address both.
Healthy Minds is Oklahoma’s leading voice for aligning issues related to mental illness and substance use with health care, and for deploying public health solutions to overcome Oklahoma’s pervasive mental health challenges.
Oklahomans must go out-of-network 55% more often for behavioral health office visits, compared to similar physical health visits.
Source: RTI International report, 2024
of people who died by suicide had contact with a primary care provider in the last month of their lives.
Source: Ahmedani et. al.
Oklahoma behavioral health providers are reimbursed 22% less for office visits than for similar physical health visits.
Source: RTI International report, 2024
Essential research
Next steps for CCBHCs in Oklahoma: How the state can ensure high-quality, cost-effective services
In response to state lawmakers and agency leaders seeking clarity on Oklahoma’s CCBHC system, Healthy Minds Policy Initiative hosted a problem-solving process during the summer of 2025 involving local and national experts, representatives from the Oklahoma Health Care Authority and its contracted managed care entities, CCBHC leaders, and community stakeholders to develop a proposed roadmap for CCBHC sustainability, costs, and outcomes.
How 'generally accepted standards of care' create fairer systems for accessing behavioral health treatment
Allied mental health professionals are an essential part of Oklahoma’s behavioral health workforce. But low wages and restrictive certification requirements can make it difficult for communities to recruit and retain these workers, and drifting responsibilities often do not reflect their training and expertise.
Read MoreUnderstanding integrated behavioral health care and the Collaborative Care Model
Integrating behavioral health services into primary care settings not only expands treatment capacity in the mental health workforce but also provides an entry point for people who might otherwise struggle to access care.
