{"id":5093,"date":"2025-04-17T09:50:42","date_gmt":"2025-04-17T09:50:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enidpost.com\/?p=5093"},"modified":"2025-04-17T07:27:30","modified_gmt":"2025-04-17T07:27:30","slug":"oklahoma-house-launches-fourth-investigation-into-department-of-mental-health-and-substance-abuse-services-finances","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/enidpost.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/17\/oklahoma-house-launches-fourth-investigation-into-department-of-mental-health-and-substance-abuse-services-finances\/","title":{"rendered":"Oklahoma House Launches Fourth Investigation Into Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Finances"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"text-token-text-primary w-full\" dir=\"auto\" data-testid=\"conversation-turn-4\" data-scroll-anchor=\"true\">\n<div class=\"text-base my-auto mx-auto py-5 [--thread-content-margin:--spacing(4)] @[37rem]:[--thread-content-margin:--spacing(6)] @[70rem]:[--thread-content-margin:--spacing(12)] px-(--thread-content-margin)\">\n<div class=\"[--thread-content-max-width:32rem] @[34rem]:[--thread-content-max-width:40rem] @[64rem]:[--thread-content-max-width:48rem] mx-auto flex max-w-(--thread-content-max-width) flex-1 text-base gap-4 md:gap-5 lg:gap-6 group\/turn-messages focus-visible:outline-hidden\">\n<div class=\"group\/conversation-turn relative flex w-full min-w-0 flex-col agent-turn\">\n<div class=\"relative flex-col gap-1 md:gap-3\">\n<div class=\"flex max-w-full flex-col grow\">\n<div class=\"min-h-8 text-message relative flex w-full flex-col items-end gap-2 text-start break-words whitespace-normal [.text-message+&amp;]:mt-5\" dir=\"auto\" data-message-author-role=\"assistant\" data-message-id=\"51e64ff1-b272-4ed3-ae88-1984ca42785b\" data-message-model-slug=\"gpt-4o-mini\">\n<div class=\"flex w-full flex-col gap-1 empty:hidden first:pt-[3px]\">\n<div class=\"markdown prose dark:prose-invert w-full break-words light\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"121\" data-end=\"519\">OKLAHOMA CITY, OK \u2014 The Oklahoma House of Representatives has announced yet another investigation into the finances of the state\u2019s Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (ODMHSAS), following ongoing concerns about missing funds. The new investigation, set to take place Thursday at 1:30 p.m., marks the fourth probe into the department\u2019s financial practices in as many months.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"521\" data-end=\"831\">The investigation comes after House Speaker Kyle Hilbert voiced alarm over millions of dollars that appear to be unaccounted for at ODMHSAS. During a press conference earlier this month, Hilbert referenced a $5 million discrepancy, though he noted that the total missing funds could be as high as $100 million.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"833\" data-end=\"1025\">\u201cOne glaring example, I know on a $5 million may not seem like a lot of money in light of the 90 or $100 million that the Department of Mental Health is also missing,\u201d Hilbert said on April 3.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1027\" data-end=\"1397\">The announcement of the new investigation coincides with an earlier statement from Governor Kevin Stitt, who called for an independent third-party investigation into the department\u2019s financial management. When questioned about the need for another inquiry, Stitt expressed uncertainty, but emphasized that he had been aware of issues within the department for some time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1399\" data-end=\"1686\">\u201cI\u2019ve known about problems within the department for quite some time,\u201d Stitt said. \u201cWhen I first got here in 2019, I wanted a fresh set of eyes on everything. I called for an investigation and deep audits&#8230; and really wanted to bring in a fresh set of eyes all across state government.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1688\" data-end=\"2017\">Despite Stitt\u2019s apparent awareness of the department&#8217;s financial troubles, this marks the fourth investigation since the beginning of the year. Lawmakers have expressed frustration that issues with the department have persisted despite previous probes, leading to questions about the department\u2019s transparency and accountability.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"2019\" data-end=\"2205\">In response to the mounting scrutiny, ODMHSAS Commissioner Allie Friesen declined to confirm whether she would attend Thursday&#8217;s legislative meeting but issued a statement to the press.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"2207\" data-end=\"2568\">\u201cWe welcome the opportunity to answer any questions and are committed to full transparency throughout this process,\u201d Friesen said. \u201cODMHSAS looks forward to working collaboratively with the Legislature to provide the information needed. Our focus remains on serving Oklahomans and ensuring continued access to critical mental health and substance use services.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"2570\" data-end=\"2954\">The investigations have drawn attention to how state agencies handle taxpayer funds, particularly within departments responsible for vulnerable populations. As the state looks to address the financial concerns at ODMHSAS, it remains to be seen what the outcomes of these multiple probes will reveal and what measures will be taken to restore confidence in the department&#8217;s operations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"2956\" data-end=\"3116\">As the Thursday meeting approaches, both state lawmakers and residents are awaiting answers on how the department will address these ongoing financial concerns.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"flex justify-start\">\n<div class=\"touch:-me-2 touch:-ms-3.5 -ms-2.5 -me-1 flex items-center p-1 select-none -mt-1 duration-[1.5s] focus-within:transition-none hover:transition-none pointer-events-none [mask-image:linear-gradient(to_right,black_33%,transparent_66%)] [mask-position:100%_0%] [mask-size:300%_100%] motion-safe:transition-[mask-position] group-hover\/turn-messages:pointer-events-auto group-hover\/turn-messages:[mask-position:0_0] group-focus-within\/turn-messages:pointer-events-auto group-focus-within\/turn-messages:[mask-position:0_0] has-data-[state=open]:pointer-events-auto has-data-[state=open]:[mask-position:0_0]\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"absolute\">\n<div class=\"flex items-center justify-center\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"pointer-events-none h-px w-px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-edge=\"true\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>OKLAHOMA CITY, OK \u2014 The Oklahoma House of Representatives has announced yet another investigation into the finances of the state\u2019s Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (ODMHSAS), following ongoing concerns about missing funds. The new investigation, set to take place Thursday at 1:30 p.m., marks the fourth probe into the department\u2019s financial practices [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":5097,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[137],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-5093","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-oklahoma"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Oklahoma House Launches Fourth Investigation Into Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Finances - Enid Post<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/enidpost.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/17\/oklahoma-house-launches-fourth-investigation-into-department-of-mental-health-and-substance-abuse-services-finances\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Oklahoma House Launches Fourth Investigation Into Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Finances - Enid Post\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"OKLAHOMA CITY, OK \u2014 The Oklahoma House of Representatives has announced yet another investigation into the finances of the state\u2019s Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (ODMHSAS), following ongoing concerns about missing funds. 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