Latest news with #OklahomaDepartmentofMentalHealthandSubstanceAbuseServices
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3 days ago
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Lawmakers fire Oklahoma mental health commissioner against governor's wishes
Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Commissioner Allie Friesen speaks with a member of House staff before a committee meeting April 17, 2025, at the state Capitol in Oklahoma City. (Photo by Emma Murphy/Oklahoma Voice) OKLAHOMA CITY – Lawmakers overnight Thursday voted to fire the state's embattled mental health commissioner. Saying that they had 'lost confidence' in Allie Friesen's ability to lead the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, legislators voted overwhelmingly to remove her effective immediately. It marked the first time in recent history that lawmakers had taken such a step. The move follows a series of legislative hearings probing financial disarray at the agency, which is responsible for a budget of more than $700 million. Lawmakers had to make a multi-million dollar emergency appropriation to cover payroll and ensure contracts were fulfilled, while the state auditor recently released a critical audit. The legislative maneuver drew the ire of Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt who has continued to defend Friesen. He called it a 'politically motivated witch hunt.' Stitt said he tasked Friesen to bring accountability and transparency to the agency and suggested the mismanagement went back a decade or more. 'She disturbed the status quo and questioned long held practices at the agency,' Stitt said. 'An agency rife with sweetheart deals and criminal elements was disrupted, and now elected officials are quickly working to set the apple cart right for those who seek to get rich off of Oklahoma taxpayers.' Senate Concurrent Resolution 12, authored by Sen. Paul Rosino, R-Oklahoma City, and Rep. Josh West, R-Grove, said state law allows the Legislature to remove the Friesen with a two-thirds vote in both chambers. The measure passed the Senate by a vote of 43-1. The House passed it by a vote of 81-5. 'Our job is to come up here and make tough decisions,' West said. Rosino said the vote was needed to protect people that needed mental health services. He said the resolution didn't mean Friesen was dishonest or bad, adding that she was kind and nice. But she was not competent to run the large agency, he said. 'We do not have a choice,' Rosino said. He said that he didn't want the agency's issues to fester in the interim. Sen. Shane Jett, R-Shawnee, cast the lone Senate vote against the bill, saying Friesen was trying to fix the agency, which opened up a 'hornet's nest.' 'This is not the way to handle business,' he said. The measure does not require the signature of Stitt, who appointed Friesen to the post in January 2024. Friesen has blamed the financial situation on prior administrations, but Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond called for her termination. 'While I cannot begin to understand why Gov. Stitt has chosen to protect Allie Friesen instead of our tax dollars, I applaud the legislative resolution to remove this failed bureaucrat from office,' Drummond said Thursday. Stitt will now have to appoint a new person to run the mental health agency. Senate confirmation is required. Emma Murphy contributed to this report. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
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You can't say we're not a Top 10 state in wacky government performances
When the Oklahoma Legislature wrapped up its session last year, it was with a note of optimism about the future. A big chunk of the grocery tax had been repealed, our struggling public schools had been given more money with a raise for teachers, and the traditionally secretive process of approving the state's budget had been made a bit more transparent. This year? If there are words to describe what went on in the final weeks of this year's session, they would have to include ― Astonishing. Incredible. Unsettling. What else could you call it when the head of a major state agency, the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, goes before a legislative committee to ask for an emergency $20 million to meet its payroll and then has no explanation for how this crisis suddenly materialized? Asked what was going on and whether the department might need even more money to meet its obligations, Mental Health Commissioner Allie Friesen said, "The fact of the matter is, I don't think we have a confident understanding of that yet." More: Grading Oklahoma Mental Health And then we had the spectacle of Ryan Walters, the elected state schools superintendent, calling an "emergency" news conference to deliver a rambling and at times almost incomprehensible litany of complaints about the Legislature, critics of President Donald Trump, lobbyists, opponents of putting Bibles in every state classroom, teachers' unions, his own treatment in the media, and most of all, high taxes. "What has this got to do with education?" a reporter asked at one point when he took a breath. "Education is the No. 1 thing we fund in this state," Walters replied, going on to say that taxes could be lowered because schools really didn't need more money. "It's not a revenue problem, it's a spending probem," he said. "Let's eliminate administrator positions. Let's eliminate bureaucratic positions. You eliminate all these things, folks, the money's there." Walters went on to say that the tiny nibble in the state income tax that the Legislature seems ready to approve is hardly enough. "When are we actually going to see real tax reform?" Walters asked, "Why are we not moving forward with eliminating property taxes? We shouldn't have a property tax. Why do we continue to tax someone's property, often after they have paid for it, year after year after year?" According to the Oklahoma Policy Institute, property tax collections in Oklahoma totaled $3.7 billion in 2021 and are the single largest source of local government revenue (excluding intergovernmental collections). Currently in Oklahoma, property taxes are essential for (among other things) the operation of public schools, county services including the court system, and city services like police and fire departments, parks and recreation and bond payments. No other state in the nation has eliminated its property tax, and doing so in Oklahoma, to say the least, would be a major undertaking with undeterminable consequences. "I expect a lot of repercussions for speaking this directly and fighting for taxpayers today," Walters said, but "somebody" has to do it. "Somebody" will need to figure out how to fund state government if "nobody" is paying taxes. More: My biggest problems as a high school teacher ― none were the school's fault | Opinion Friesen, according to her LinkedIn profile, was the director of a behavioral health clinical program at Integris Health before she was appointed by Gov. Kevin Stitt to her current position in 2024. She has a bachelor's degree in psychology from Texas Christian University. Asked by a legislator if she had budget experience, Friesen seemed irritated, saying, "Yes, sir, I did. It was not my primary function, and with all due respect, I am here to answer questions related to this current financial crisis, because every moment we're sitting in here answering questions, we are delaying solutions for you all." Stitt, who picked Friesen to lead the department in January 2024, announced on May 20 that an outside accountant he picked to look into the department's finances found the shortage to be closer to $30 million than the $20 million Friesen had estimated. That was the eighth different estimate of how much the department is in the red. Stitt has been supportive of Friesen and has suggested that the problems couldn't be his fault because they have existed for "decades." Attorney General Gentner Drummond, now a candidate for governor, has called on Stitt to fire Friesen, saying she's unqualified for the job. Friesen has responded that she's the one trying to root out long-existing problems in the agency, which has been the governor's responsibility since he took office in 2017. When the rhetoric shifts to blame people who are "brave enough to confront years of likely fraudulent and grossly unethical behavior, it causes internal chaos," Friesen said. Yes, Oklahoma, we may have terrible prisons, low-performing schools and a mental health agency that seems in total disarray, but we have the best soap opera performances in the nation. Wertz is deputy opinion editor of The Oklahoman. If you have a comment on what he's written or a suggestion for a future topic or someone he should talk to, his address is wwertz@ This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: At least government performances have been lively this year | Opinion
Yahoo
20-05-2025
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Mental health department has ‘glaring' issues, Oklahoma state auditor reports
State Auditor and Inspector Cindy Byrd released the preliminary findings of an audit of Oklahoma's mental health department Tuesday. (Photo by Nuria Martinez-Keel/Oklahoma Voice) OKLAHOMA CITY — A growing number of high-dollar executive hires and 'questionable spending' on a Super Bowl commercial and Narcan machines have contributed to the financial disarray at the state's mental health department, the state auditor reported Tuesday. The audit of the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services also reported that leadership at the agency is unable to understand and explain some complex issues within the agency and that employees were forced to sign nondisclosure agreements and discouraged from cooperating with investigations. State Auditor and Inspector Cindy Byrd said the report's preliminary findings, released Tuesday, revealed 'some glaring financial and systemic issues' at a 'massive state agency' that has a budget of over $750 million. 'It needs a director with executive managerial experience and a mastery of basic budgetary and compliance skills,' she said in a statement. The audit comes amid reports of financial shortfalls, canceled or cut contracts and other disarray at the department. The Oklahoma State Auditor and Inspector's Office expects to release a more detailed audit at a later date. Although Gov. Kevin Stitt requested the audit in March, on Tuesday his spokesperson said the report didn't fulfill his request, is 'politically charged' and wastes taxpayer dollars because it duplicates work already completed. The audit found that since January 2024, when Stitt named Allie Friesen commissioner, her agency has hired 38 people at a salary exceeding $100,000 and awarded 376 employees pay raises greater than 10%. Only 17 of new hires were medical while the rest were executive hires. The agency's payroll was over $150 million in budget year 2024, according to the audit. The audit urged the agency to reexamine its recent executive hires and review terminations to ensure they weren't retaliatory. The state's transition to a Medicaid managed care health care insurance system has created issues paying providers which also impacted the agency's budget. The agency also hasn't communicated effectively that there have been changes in the federal government's Medicaid reimbursement rates since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, the audit found. The transition to managed care 'caused a lag in both billing and payments after implementation,' the audit found, creating issues with properly paying claims. Payments have been made to the wrong parties and sent to wrong locations. The payment issues affect the department's cash flow, the report found. The mental health department's existing budget request, made by Friesen to lawmakers at the beginning of the year, was impacted by the governor's request for executive branch agencies to submit flat budget requests and 'difficulty explaining complex and misunderstood needs related to topics like Medicaid growth and pended payments, which resulted in a lack of urgency around these issues,' according to the audit. The mental health department also began the current budget year with a deficit as $9.4 million from its current budget was used to pay last year's debts, according to the audit. But the audit also flagged 'questionable' spending and said there's increasing pressure on employees from agency leadership with required nondisclosure agreements. The pressure on employees also included 'employing armed guards, locking down the administrative floor, and even threatening employees in meetings,' according to the report. One lawmaker on the select committee previously asked agency leadership about a report that someone had threatened to go 'full cop mode' on staff that hadn't signed an NDA, but leadership said they were not aware of this instance. While testifying to a select committee of state lawmakers, Friesen admitted that some employees were asked to sign NDAs, but that it was an optional practice. But the report from the state auditor's office revealed agency staff told investigators they were 'required' to sign the NDAs. Staff also reported to investigators issues with leadership not attending meetings, signing documents, having to learn about 'internal events' through the media, and frequently changing the supervisor structure so they don't know who to report to. Friesen did not directly comment on the findings, but agency spokesperson Maria Chaverri said the department is reviewing the state auditor's report. 'We've created a large table of external diverse experts to help us bring light and end years of corruption,' she said in a statement. '… We look forward to the additional contributions from third party investigators and financial auditors in the coming months.' Friesen's agency has come under fire and is the subject of a handful of probes. A certified public accountant appointed by Stitt most recently reported a nearly $30 million shortfall for the current budget year, and lawmakers are currently working to finalize the agency's budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Byrd said the state agency needs $28.7 million in emergency funding to make it through the current budget year. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Some providers have reported a lack of reimbursements for services provided to indigent populations, and Byrd's report found over $87.6 million of those. These payments are historically reimbursed with funds still available at the end of the budget year, but not at 100%. Stitt has continued to express his support for Friesen and previously said she is 'shining a light' on bureaucracy and agency mismanagement. The commissioner has previously blamed her predecessors for many of the issues at the state agency. 'This is disappointing,' he said in a statement Tuesday. 'On behalf of the Oklahoma taxpayers, I asked for a financial audit of the financial management of the last five years, not an exploration into whether or not Cindy Byrd approves of the culture of the department. This reeks of politics. Oklahomans deserve an audit done in good faith and a report that gives them the answers they deserve.' Byrd said the urgency of Stitt's audit request forced her office to put other investigations on the 'backburner,' including one of the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority, but plans to resume them immediately. In addition to the report from the state auditor, reports from the Legislative Office of Fiscal Oversight, a select investigative committee of lawmakers and David Greenwell, an accountant appointed by Stitt, have publicly shared their own findings. None of their numbers for the agency's deficit have been the same. Robert Campbell, a special investigator appointed by Stitt, has not yet released a report. He was appointed May 8.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
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State Auditor releases initial report on Department of Mental Health
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — State Auditor and Inspector Cindy Byrd has released the first part of an audit report analyzing the short-term needs of the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. The report released on Tuesday afternoon comes as a result of heightened scrutiny over ODMHSAS' nearly $30 million budget shortfall and recent payroll issues. 'This report is a financial analysis to estimate the short-term needs of ODMHSAS. It is not the final investigative audit report,' said Byrd. 'However, even this abbreviated version reveals some glaring financial and systemic issues. ODMHSAS is a massive agency with an annual budget of more than $750 million. It needs a director with executive managerial experience and a mastery of basic budgetary and compliance skills.' Report: Oklahoma mental health agency facing nearly $30 million budget hole The report also says that SAI investigators were told some employees 'were required tosign nondisclosure agreements and discouraged from cooperating with the investigation.' Questionable past spending was also highlighted in the report, citing the Narcan vending machines and ad campaign, 988 help line regional Super Bowl ad, and paused Donahue Behavioral Health campus construction as examples. Byrd's preliminary recommendations include hiring a qualified CFO with state government financial experience as soon as possible, evaluating the qualifications of recent executive hires, and scrutinizing recent and ongoing terminations to ensure they aren't retaliatory. The full initial report can be read here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
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Governor Stitt calls for support of initial ODMHSAS audit
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – On Tuesday, Oklahoma Governor Stitt's office released the findings of an initial financial examination report for the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (ODMHSAS), identifying millions needed for supplemental funding in FY2025. According to Stitt's office, the report provided an overview of the financial operations of ODMHSAS, outlining 52 targeted recommendations to strengthen internal control, financial accountability, and service delivery regarding the mental health system. 'This report is the signal for a new beginning for the department,' said Governor Stitt. 'I'm grateful to David Greenwell for his quick work and to Commissioner Friesen and her team for their cooperation.' Oklahoma bill raising age of consent to 18 heads to governor's desk, some lawmakers split over exceptions The report prepared by CPA David Greenwell is making recommendations to keep the ODMHSAS afloat. 'No one signs up for a job like this thinking they'll have to take on decades of financial mismanagement. Commissioner Friesen has navigated this challenge admirably and has kept me and my team informed every step of the way,' continued Gov. Stitt. 'Oklahomans will be better off now that we have a handle on this department.' The report's recommendations include: Hiring a Chief Financial Officer and internal auditor with deep public sector experience Adopting OMES-approved accounting systems for better interoperability Using advanced analytics to prevent fraud and improve decision-making Expanding training to promote a culture of ethical conduct and accountability Enhancing transparency through real-time dashboards and public reporting 'I've worked with many entities facing similar challenges,' said David Greenwell.'Nothing about this department is permanently broken. With intentional adjustments to procedures, ODMHSAS will be able to get back to the business of caring for the most vulnerable Oklahomans.' Governor Stitt noted he is confident in ODMHSAS's direction and pledged his support in securing the supplemental funding needed currently and for long-term operations. 'Since joining ODMHSAS, I've been clear that I want to ensure this department is in the best position possible to care for those who need our services most,' said Commissioner Allie Friesen.'I'm grateful to Governor Stitt, David Greenwell, and the team at OMES for their assistance in this matter. We are going to come out stronger on the other side.' Click here to read the full report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
