ODMHSAS cutting funding from several agencies across the state, including Family and Children Services in Tulsa

The Oklahoma Department of Mental Health is cutting funding to several agencies across the state, including some here in Green Country.

Family and Children Services in Tulsa is one of those losing funding, and the cuts will go into effect in a few weeks.

Family and Children Services says the most frustrating part of these cuts is the continued uncertainty, but the Department of Mental Health says it can't keep spending money it doesn't have.

What does this mean for FCS?

The president of Family and Children Services found out it was losing $1.5 million and said it couldn't have happened at a worse time.

"The first thing I thought was, why did this have to come after business hours? Because I'd like to make some phone calls, so now I can't," Adam Andreassen said. "My second thought was, we're going to figure this out."

President Andreassen says FCS is keeping its budget flat but doesn't plan to cut services to people who need them most.

"The biggest impact so far, when I say remain flat, is that there is a growing need and demand, and we are growing as fast as we can, but already we've had to slow some of our investments and growth, because we have to be cautious while we wait to see how this all shakes out," said Andreassen.

An unclear future

He's still worried about what could come next.

"I can't tell you that we feel like we even still know the full picture. The $1.4 to $4 million is our best estimate because of articles that have leaked out saying that there's more cuts coming, but we don't know exactly what those things are," said Andreassen.

FCS says, despite losing money, it plans to keep helping people for as long as it can.

"We also believe we have a clear path forward to not do layoffs, but that is not an endless bucket we can keep going back to sooner or later, if the state doesn't figure out some of these funding gaps, we're going to have some real problems," said Andreassen.

ODMHSAS Statement

Interim Commissioner, Greg Slavonic, sent this statement:

"ODMHSAS has been operating with more contracts than our budget can sustain. I was tasked, by our governor and the Oklahoma legislature, to guide this agency back to a balanced budget, while protecting essential services that directly support our mission to the people of Oklahoma. These were very difficult decisions, but we cannot spend more than we have.

I could not be prouder of this team for reviewing nearly 800 contracts line by line and making these tough decisions. We are committed to our state leaders, taxpayers, and most importantly the Oklahomans we serve, to provide quality care within our allocated budget."

The department says it plans to have more numbers to present a balanced budget on October 1st, the same day the contract cuts go into effect.