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Tulsa’s first 24/7 urgent recovery center for children and youth experiencing a mental health crisis is one step closer to completion after receiving a $1 million pledge from the City of Tulsa.
During his State of the City address on Nov. 15, 2022, Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum said he would work with the City Council to identify a funding source from the city budget or from the city’s share of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding.
The center, YES (Youth Evaluation Services) Tulsa, will be operated by Counseling and Recovery Services of Oklahoma. YES Tulsa will provide immediate crisis response, assessment, stabilization, and coordination of referrals for families and youth ages 6-17 years old. Services are available to all families regardless of the ability to pay.
The need for YES Tulsa was identified by Healthy Minds’ research into gaps in the continuum of behavioral health care for children and youth. An estimated 4,000 Tulsa County children attempt suicide annually. Without a facility like YES Tulsa, the de facto provider of behavioral health crisis care has become area emergency rooms, which are ill-equipped to meet the needs of families in crisis. YES Tulsa’s programming was designed and developed with the input of multiple partners, including the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (ODMHSAS), area hospitals, behavioral health care providers, the Tulsa Police Department, and Healthy Minds.
YES Tulsa currently operates in a temporary facility near 71st and Yale while funding for a permanent, 14,000-square-foot facility near 31st and Sheridan is secured. The total project cost is estimated to be $4.65 million, and ODMHSAS will fund its ongoing operation. Additional support for YES Tulsa has been committed by Tulsa County through its share of ARPA funding and a federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration grant.
To learn more, visit crsok.org/yestulsa.