JAY, Okla. — Grand Mental Health opened their newly finished, Urgent Recovery Clinic and Structured Mental Health Crisis Center, in Jay, Okla.
Jay’s Mayor Becki Farley said, “We have a gap in our care for mental health folks, and so having something here in our community where we can take care of them is very needed.”
Farley said many in her small community struggle with poverty and mental health issues.
“People are losing their jobs, people don’t have enough to eat,” she said. ”What they are making isn’t being spread far enough, you know, those cause health issues, mental health issues.”
Before the crisis center, Farley said the only option was calling 911 or going to an emergency room almost one hour away.
Chief Clinical Officer Nick Allgood said he sees the same problem all across Delaware County.
Allgood said, “About 86 percent of the those who need mental health services are not getting those services.”
The new 4500 square foot facility provides medication management, nurse services, on-site therapists, as well as recovery support.
“We can essentially provide the community, a place people know they can go to get help, and a place that links people with the services they need long term,” Allgood continued.
He added it’s thanks to a partnership between the Department Of Mental Health And Substance Abuse Services, The Cherokee Nation and The Substance Abuse And Mental Health Services Administration.
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