On my first day of college a professor stated, “Always remember that all institutions are at least twenty five years behind the times at all times”. As a naïve freshman I didn’t realize how profound this statement was. Having now been in a mental health profession for more years than I want to admit, I have to agree that this has often characterized the mental health field. Behavioral health, as compared to many other fields, is still relatively young. Because of this, it continually needs to go through periods of change. As often happens, this is opposed by those who find change stressful. The end result is that change does come about, but often more slowly than ideally is needed to keep up with the demands of the outside world. Still one can quickly see the changes that have occurred in our area during the past few years. Whereas we once spoke of chronic mental illness, we now talk about recovery. Whereas we once focused on long term hospitalization, we now concentrate on independent living and community services. Whereas community mental health centers were once characterized as charities, they now are expected to adhere to the same business principles that are followed by for profit organizations to insure the best use of their funding.

Red Rock’s history is different than that of most community mental health centers. We came out of a model in which we had far less security, but far more flexibility than the traditional mental health facility. Rather than being started by a state allocation, we were developed by an independent group of local citizens. Although Red Rock received no state funding for its first five years of operation, in 1974 it obtained a federal grant to open the first federally certified mental health facility in Oklahoma City. A second federal grant in 1979 allowed the agency to dramatically increase its services to all ages and ranges of severity within the field of mental health and substance abuse. After the Federal Comprehensive Mental Health Act under which Red Rock was certified and funded came to end in the mid-1980’s, the agency shifted to state contracts, other federal grants and joint ventures with other hospitals and organizations to fund it services.

Because its board has always consisted of several business oriented members, Red Rock has enjoyed a flexibility which is uncharacteristic of many not-for-profit agencies. Red Rock quickly learned that good business practices can reduce costs and the savings can then be allocated into additional community services. This is crucial in Oklahoma since past and current state funding for behavioral and physical health services is well below that needed to adequately serve the population’s needs.

Red Rock is in its 37th year of operation and still begins each year with the question, “Where do we go from here?” The best word to characterize us is “change”. As a result Red Rock has not only kept up with current mental health trends but has continually been a leader in developing new models. Beginning with three offices and a three county service area, we now have 13 offices, 6 residential facilities, 3 crisis centers, and directly serve 14 counties as well as having some programs that serve the entire state. Although our achievements are too numerous to list totally here, they include the development of a fifteen bed crisis facility for youth, opening a 56 bed adult crisis facility to divert seriously mentally ill from jails and long term hospitalizations, beginning one of the first two Programs for Assertive Community Treatment in the state which provides intensive treatment for the top ten percent of the most seriously mentally ill, joint programs with several hospitals to provide managed care services to the indigent seriously mentally ill and mergers with two other mental health centers which spread overhead costs and freed up additional monies for service to the new counties added to Red Rock’s service area.

Oklahoma has the problem of being 49th in the country in per capita funding for mental health services while ranking number one in the country in the per capita number of mentally ill needing services. In addition funding was not only cut this year but Oklahoma faces possible new cuts in the next fiscal year. As usual we can expect more changes in the near future. Whether good or bad, all change creates anxiety. In poorly funded systems this often creates an environment oriented toward survival rather than creativity. Our orientation has always been different. The end result has often been expansion rather than reduction of services and staff, as well as allowing for professional growth. Many individuals who first join Red Rock at lower level positions move up as we reorganize and add new programs and offices.

For this year we are again looking at new directions. Red Rock would like to focus on developing more joint programs with other agencies. As a part of this, we are looking at ways to better meet the physical as well as the behavioral needs of our consumers.

Each year I look at the current unmet needs of our clients and our progress toward better meeting them. At first I am disheartened, and then I recall how things were in when we began in 1974. Only then can I balance how far we still have to go with how far we have come.

Allyn S. Friedman
Chief Executive Officer