Edmond Life and Leisure - January 16, 2025

Getting help to those with mental illness

Police & private groups tackling issue

By Rose Drebes

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 23.1% of adults in the United States live with a mental illness. To address that, the Edmond community is partnering with stakeholders to reduce the stigma around the topic of mental health and to expand the resources for those living with a mental illness, thus improving the quality of life for every resident, Police Chief J.D. Younger said.

In 2021, the City of Edmond engaged Healthy Minds Policy Initiative (Healthy Minds) to conduct a mental health system assessment of the community.

“The Edmond Community Behavioral Health Assessment and implementation has been one of the most impactful community initiatives I’ve had the pleasure of being involved with,” the chief said. In 2019, Edmond Police Officers provided in-custody transports for 679 people experiencing a mental health crisis, Younger said. In 2023, Edmond Police Officers provided in-custody transports for 277 people experiencing a mental health crisis.

“The Edmond Community Behavioral Health Assessment and implementation has been one of the most impactful community initiatives I’ve had the pleasure of being involved with,” the chief said. In 2019, Edmond Police Officers provided in-custody transports for 679 people experiencing a mental health crisis, Younger said. In 2023, Edmond Police Officers provided in-custody transports for 277 people experiencing a mental health crisis.

“Through a combination of legislative improvements, increased community resources, and intentionality, 60% fewer people had to experience police involvement in their mental health crisis,” he said. “In Edmond, our community promotes prevention, early detection and treatment for all aspects of health including mental health.

”NorthCare is one of the city’s community partners, hoping to improve the mental health of residents of Edmond and surrounding areas. Director of Crisis Services Bryan Hiel said the organization helps what tends to be a forgotten, if not a purposely ignored service and population.

“We do not tend to feel comfortable around those that are different than us and the qualifier for what we do is being different (abnormal) from everyone else,” he said. Hiel said individuals with mental health issues die on an average of 23 years earlier than the general population. In any given year, one out of every five people are diagnosed with depression and prescribed an anti-depressant.

“That is just depression, 20% of the US population,” Hiel said. “Those numbers do not include substance abuse, cognitive disorders, other mood disorders or trauma. In 2022, 49,449 people died by suicide in the United States.

”The NorthCare site at 820 W. 15 St., Edmond, provides outpatient assessment, crisis intervention, therapy, psychiatric services, peer services, case management and support/advocacy services for ages six through adulthood. There is also an outpatient (and crisis site) in Guthrie that serves Logan County.

“Due to cultural stigma for those needing the services we provide, we do not tend to get the opportunity to provide services until it is an acute or crisis situation,” Hiel said. “Usually at that time other local/state/federal services are involved -law enforcement, DHS, EMS, etc. In many cases these acute/crisis situations can be lethal or incredibly costly -- financially, mentally, emotionally -- to the public as a whole. Think about the costs of the days off sick, the cost of emergency services, the effects on the families/friends/coworkers/customers.

”Because he works in the crisis services side of NorthCare, Hiel said he tends to see people on at least one of the worst days of their life.

“Having the opportunity to provide an individual on their worst day with words of respect, a glimmer of hope, a listening ear, a helpful smile, the safety to get their feet back under them and the heart to point the toe of the first step in their journey to recovery -- that is why I work in this field,” Hiel said. “It is their journey, I get the gift of shining a flashlight on their path, holding the other end of the log as clear their path or just walking alongside them through the dark parts. What more could you ask?”

He said NorthCare could not do a lot of what it does without its partners: the City of Edmond, the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Association Administration (Federal) and a whole host of others, including law enforcement (Edmond Police Department, Logan County Sheriff’s Department, OKC Police Department, Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Department), Variety Care, Edmond Public Schools and a host of others.

“What we do is truly a community effort,” Hiel said.Chief Younger agreed.

“I am excited to see Edmond’s continued progress on this important topic,” he said.Services at NorthCare’s facilities can be initiated through calling the office at (405) 858-2700. Staff will provide instructions to the closest NorthCare service.

The NorthCare site at 820 W. 15 St., Edmond, provides outpatient assessment, crisis intervention, therapy, psychiatric services, peer services, case management and support/advocacy services for ages six through adulthood