Mended #19 (Reboot)
Welcome to the reboot of Mended, the Substack featuring mental health and substance abuse news of interest to Oklahoma providers, policymakers, patients, mental health professionals, advocates, etc.
💔 Brother arrested in death of Oklahoma blues icon Selby Minner
A change.org petition is circulating to “end mental health abandonment in Oklahoma.” Organizers are calling for the passage of the The Selby Minner Act – Mental Health Crisis Intervention Reform following her brutal murder.
📅 Oklahoma misses key deadlines in court-ordered mental health reform, report finds
Oklahoma has missed several deadlines on a plan to improve wait times to treat people with severe mental illness charged with crimes, consultants said in a new report.
🚐 Oklahoma Caring Foundation mobile mental health van to serve rural Tulsa-area communities
The Oklahoma Caring Foundation, in collaboration with GRAND Mental Health, is launching a new mobile mental health van aimed at providing essential mental health services to rural communities around Tulsa.
🏥 Oklahoma County works with state through reimagined mental health hospital plans
Despite scrapping original plans for a state-of-the-art behavioral health campus, Oklahoma County commissioner Myles Davidson believes the county will benefit from a reimagined, renovated facility taking its place.
🏛️ ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ would put intense pressure on Oklahoma Medicaid program
An examination of House Resolution 1 and its potential impact on SoonerCare and other state programs that receive Medicaid.
💉 Recovery Center Opens in Duncan, Oklahoma
The goal is to help people living in Stephens County who are struggling with addiction.
🛡️ Naloxone Vending Machines Return
The Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services will redistribute 20 vending machines that dispense the overdose-reversing medication and fentanyl test strips.
🏀 Micheal Ray Richardson, formerly troubled NBA star, counting his blessings in Oklahoma
Micheal Ray Richardson (Lawton, OK) was a 4-time NBA All-Star and 2-time All-NBA first-team selection who led the league in steals three times and assists...Learn his cautionary tale about how drug use cost him his place in the NBA.
🌱 2000+ Illegal Marijuana Plants Confiscated in Kingfisher, Oklahoma
Hui Tang, 51, Kingfisher, Oklahoma, faces felony charges in the wake of a May 29 raid by the Attorney General Office’s Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF) on a suspected illegal marijuana grow operation. Tang is charged with aggravated manufacturing of a controlled dangerous substance (marijuana), trafficking of controlled dangerous substance, and unlawful proceeds derived from illegal drug activity.
🎉 Adria Berry named President of Cannibis Regulators Association
Adria Berry, executive director of the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA), who has been named president of the Cannabis Regulators Association (CANNRA) Executive Board for the 2025-2026 term.
🧬 Attorney General files suit to protect Oklahomans’ genetic information
“Oklahomans trusted 23andMe with their most personal information, and now the company wants to sell that data to the highest bidder without even asking permission," said Drummond. "This isn't just another business asset that can be auctioned off. This is deeply personal genetic information that could affect not just customers, but their children and grandchildren for generations to come. We're taking legal action to ensure that Oklahomans maintain control over their own genetic data.”
🚧 Mental Health Barriers Men Face
June is Men’s Mental Health Month, and Alex Clark with Sunbeam Family Services stopped by News 9 to discuss some of the barriers men may face when seeking mental health services.
💰 Saks Fifth Avenue Foundation Grants
The deadline is July 1, 2025.
🛣️ Some States Change Course on Mental Health Policies
Cities and states that once championed progressive approaches to mental health and drug use are continuing their yearslong course reversal, and are increasingly open to involuntary commitment.
🌎 WHO blueprint for mental health policy and law reform
The urgent need for policy and law reform in mental health
☕ ICYMI: “I met my younger self for a coffee' poem becomes cathartic trend for TikTok users”
This was a very popular trend earlier this year. Click here to read the poem that started the it.