Effort to Improve Mental Health Care in Rural Areas Passes House
OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Jim Grego, R-Wilburton, on Wednesday passed a bill in the Oklahoma House of Representatives that is hoped to recruit more mental health professionals to serve rural residents. House Bill 2947 would credential behavioral health clinical interns to provide services that are eligible for Medicaid reimbursement under the state's Medicaid plan, provided they operate within their clinical scope of practice under the supervision of a licensed behavioral health provider. The bill also would create a small income stream for clinics to be able to attract interns through financial incentives such as mileage reimbursement, small stipends or hourly wages. "Our rural areas are struggling for licensed mental health care providers," Grego said. "This legislation would provide some relief for clinics trying to attract graduate students and new professionals. With so many of our behavioral health workforce retiring, this kind of measure is essential to strengthen our capacity to serve Oklahomans who live in our rural areas." Grego reported that 37% of Oklahoma's population lives in rural areas, and almost 90% of the state's landmass is considered rural. "Recruiting behavioral health professionals to these areas is a high priority for our state," he said. Research shows the return on the state's small investment should be strong, Grego said. The hope is that between 30% and 60% of graduate students serving in rural areas will stay to begin their first post-graduate jobs within 100 miles of those locations. He said he examined new data showing that at least four Oklahoma counties currently have no licensed providers, and 10 counties have five or less. Grego said providing services as a clinical intern is a common part of their graduate level training. To ensure the highest level of oversight, these interns would only serve in clinical sites that are also national accredited or certified through the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health. Under the bill, behavioral health clinical intern providers must only provide services that are billable through accredited clinical sites in good standing. On-site supervisors may only supervise up to six behavioral health clinical interns at any time. The bill passed the House on a vote of 81-8. It now moves to the Senate where it is authored by Sen. Tom Woods, R-Westville.