Caring Van expands mental health access in rural Oklahoma

Rural and underserved communities in Oklahoma will soon have better access to mental health care, thanks to a new partnership between GRAND Mental Health, the Oklahoma Caring Foundation, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma.

The Caring Van is the latest effort to bring critical mental health services directly to Oklahomans who face barriers like distance, transportation, and limited resources.

Longstanding Support for Physical Health

The Oklahoma Caring Foundation has a long history of offering free health care access through its fleet of mobile units. For years, the Caring Vans have provided immunizations, dental care, and general health screenings to underserved areas across the state.

Amy Pulliam, manager of the Oklahoma Caring Foundation, says adding mental health services is a response to growing community demand.

“What we’ve seen over the years is that individuals want to take care of themselves, but oftentimes they don’t have access,” Pulliam said. “We are constantly asked, ‘What other services can you bring out to our communities? I do want to take care of myself. I just don’t have access to those services.’”

It will be another resource that many Oklahomans will soon be able to take advantage of.

"This is going to allow us to provide another resource for those individuals and counties that oftentimes would go without that service," Pulliam said.

Mental Health on the Move

The new van, donated in-kind by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma, is a co-branded vehicle that will be staffed by GRAND and maintained by the foundation.

Josh Cantwell, CEO of GRAND Mental Health, says the van addresses one of the biggest barriers to care: simply getting there.

“It may be that they just don’t have transportation. It may be that they don’t have money for gas,” Cantwell said. “It may be that they can’t take off of work for a whole day to drive an hour away to access that care. So regardless of the type of access issues that we’re dealing with, this Caring Van is going to bring services to people where and when they need it.”

Logistics and Launch Timeline

The Oklahoma Caring Foundation will manage the van’s maintenance and scheduling to ensure it can reach communities on a consistent basis.

Officials say the new van is expected to begin service soon, and a schedule will be put out to let Oklahomans know when the van will be in their area.

"The schedule will be presented in advance, and it will probably morph as time goes on, depending on the highest areas of utilization, and I anticipate that this could be the first of a few vans covering that area, providing these mental health services when and where people need them," Cantwell said.