MENDED #2 | Legislative Primer
Oklahoma is top 5 in the nation for a high prevalence of mental illness and low access to care. We're here to see that things get mended.
🧠 Healthy Minds Policy Initiative Legislative Primer is Awesome.
Healthy Minds Policy Initiative’s 2021 Legislative Primer outlines mental health opportunities for the 58th Legislature. This is a must-read from some of Oklahoma’s best and brightest. Check it out. You can also click here to see a beautifully-designed snapshot of the issues.
👩🏾🔬 👨🏼🔬 COVID’s Mental-Health Toll: How Scientists Are Tracking A Surge in Depression
“The devastation of the pandemic — millions of deaths, economic strife and unprecedented curbs on social interaction — has already had a marked effect on people’s mental health…” Continue Reading
🖋️ We Wrote A Letter to Oklahoma Legislators. You Should Read It.
“We keep fishing for solutions from the same pond hoping for a different catch. It is not going to work. The only bounty it is going to yield is a $2 billion bounty for out-of-state insurance companies.
🏥 Confrontations Between Governor, Legislature, may Continue Over Managed Care Proposal
The fight against corporate middlemen and managed care is underway. Read an opinion editorial from the Oklahoma Policy Institute.
We’ve created a repository of all news stories and blog posts about managed care in Oklahoma, 2020-21. Check it out.
👌🏿 #AreYouOK
The Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Use Services announced via Twitter a new campaign to “get ahead of the tragedy of suicide.” In the following tweet published on January 25, the Department announced that Oklahoma’s first workplace education for suicide prevention would kick off on Friday, January 29. The hashtag for the campaign is #AreYouOK.
Click here for more campaign information and resources including a link to sign up for training. Click here to read KFOR’s news coverage of the new program.
🏥 Snapshot: Oklahoma’s Behavioral Health Workforce
In January 2021, Healthy Minds Policy Initiative released the second in a multi-part policy research series exploring the state of Oklahoma’s behavioral health workforce, its greatest needs, and areas of action and consideration recommended. Check out the snapshot. Among other statistics, it reveals that communities need 30.3 psychiatric prescribers per 100,000 residents. Oklahoma has 10.3 psychiatrists per 100,000 residents statewide.
📺 KFOR Covers New Mental Health Caucus
👀 It’s Not Just You: Constantly Being Online Impacts Everyone’s Mental Health
Read the news story about the study.
🏫 Oklahoma Representative Boatman Bills Promote Mental Health Resources for Students, Educators
House Bill 1568 would add mental health instruction to health education curriculum while House Bill 1886 would require mental health training for educators. Click here to read the full news release.
📜 How To Track Bills in Oklahoma
Did you know you can fairly easily track legislation in Oklahoma? Click here to sign up for an account.
😓 Virtual Summit Will Address Trauma in School
Read the article in the Tahlequah Daily Press. Learn more about the event on the Oklahoma State Department of Education’s website.
🐕🦺 Therapy Dogs Help Students With Grief
Therapy dogs were made available to Moore High School students on February 3, the one-year anniversary of the deadly crash that claimed the lives of three cross-country students. Read the story on Tulsa’s News6 website.
🕯️ There is tremendous violence and heartbreak in our world.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the city of Muskogee, Oklahoma, as they grieve the loss of six people after a shooting rampage. Five of the six were young children ages 1, 3, 5, 6 and 9. Read the article in USA Today.
💣 7 Ways To Face The Horrors Of The World With Hope and Realism
“…Terrorism and shootings are now commonplace in our world. And the more I hear and read in the news, the stronger my desire to escape from it all…” Continue reading on Your Tango.
💗 How to Persuade Your Loved One to Seek Professional Help
“The good news is that treatments for mental illness are highly effective. The bad news is that only one out of three people might actually seek help. And some researche suggests that the people who need help the most are typically the least likely to get it.” Continue reading on Psych Central.
☀️ We hope you have a beautiful week.
Let us know if we can help you with anything. Contact us.