OKLAHOMA CITY, May 20, 2025 — More alarm bells are ringing regarding the Department of Mental Health after a coalition of 12 Substance Use Disorder (SUD) treatment providers notified legislative leaders Monday they are collectively owed more than $8 million by ODMHSAS amid the agency’s chaotic budget crisis.
The dozen providers—which comprise more than 81% of all outpatient SUD-contracted services in the state of Oklahoma—are contracted by ODMHSAS to provide services to Oklahomans across the state. The providers were notified in March that the Department would be retroactively cutting payments to the providers, despite services already rendered to clients.
In subsequent legislative hearings, the Department promised providers and legislators that the funding would be restored and the contracts honored. But so far, the funding has not materialized.
Many of the providers are at a breaking point: as payments remain in limbo, with no clarity as to whether contractually-obligated funding will be paid, they face impossible decisions about payroll, staff, and for some, potentially closing their doors.
“Oklahomans turn to us when they need lifesaving care. For some, our services are the only lifeline available to them, and our communities cannot afford to lose access to these critical services,” said Janet Cizek, CEO of Community Treatment Integrations OK, Inc. “We find ourselves at a crossroads: continue providing care without guarantee of payments or reimbursement, or turn away patients who could die without our help.”
ODMHSAS has referred to SUD providers as the front door for assessing and providing addiction care and treatment to those in need, yet providers have received little to no reliable communication from ODMHSAS regarding funding needs or availability for the remainder of FY2025 or the beginning of FY2026. Missing funds include Value-Based Payments (VBP), a model that provides payments for providers who can show they have met positive patient outcomes through enhanced patient services and to close gaps in unreimbursed patient care.
Collectively, the 12 SUD providers are currently owed the following:
Outstanding value-based payments (VBP): $6,120,189 in VBP funds, which are essential to maintaining care for uninsured and underinsured patients.
Sole source contract payments: $399,451.81 outstanding sole source contracts for FY2025.
Pending service payments: $920,980.04 for services already rendered but not reimbursed.
Fee-for-service treatment contracts: $1,064,662.90 remaining.
Total outstanding owed to the SUD providers: $8,505,283.70 including pended services.
A reduction in resources within Oklahoma’s already-limited substance use disorder infrastructure would be devastating for citizens in need. The state is already limited on treatment availability, with treatment programs at capacity and dire workforce shortages. Outpatient SUD providers serve as the first—and, in some communities, only—line of defense in addressing substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health conditions.
Reduced access to these services could lead to severe consequences for communities at taxpayers’ expense, including increases in arrests and imprisonment, homelessness, family separation, hospital and emergency room visits, and law enforcement interaction and engagement.
Service providers impacted by the cuts include:
- Addiction & Behavioral Health Center, Inc. (Ada)
- Bridgeway, Inc. (Ponca City)
- Catalyst Behavioral Services (Enid, Lawton, Oklahoma City)
- Community Treatment Integrations OK, Inc. (Tulsa, Bartlesville)
- Gateway to Prevention & Recovery (Shawnee, Chandler, Seminole)
- Human Skills & Resources, Inc. (Tulsa, Sapulpa)
- Oklahoma Families First, Inc. (Norman, Tulsa, Ada, Ardmore, Holdenville, Muskogee)
- Palmer Addiction Recovery Services (Tulsa)
- Resonance Center for Women (Tulsa)
- Rogers County Drug Abuse Program (Claremore)
- Southwest Youth & Family Services, Inc. (Chickasha, Anadarko)
- The Virtue Center (Norman, Purcell)