Oklahoma lawmaker: upcoming session should prioritize mental health diversion
At an Oklahoma City event hosted by the Healthy Minds Policy Initiative, state Rep. Mark Lawson, R-Sapulpa, who chairs a special legislative committee on mental health funding, said Oklahoma needs policies that divert people seeking mental and behavioral healthcare away from emergency rooms and jails. Lawson said jails have become de facto mental health clinics staffed by non-clinicians, and noted the state remains under a consent decree requiring the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services to reduce wait times for competency restoration services for jailed people with severe mental illness. He said lawmakers face unknowns heading into the upcoming session, including a new Mental Health Department leader to be appointed by Gov.-elect Mike Mazzei in January and possible shifting congressional priorities after the midterms. Healthy Minds Policy Initiative CEO Zack Stoycoff cited about 45,000 mental health-related ER visits in Oklahoma in 2025 costing roughly $266 million, with suicide-related visits making up about a quarter of that cost.