But that doesn’t mean those who oversee the program are giving up.
Special District Judge Dennis Sprouse, who inaugurated Drug Court in the county, said, “I’ve got a commitment to this community to help these people change their lives. I feel we can bridge this gap but just for so long.”
Drug Court provides both court-ordered supervision and treatment for substance abuse and addictive disorders. Clients are chosen on their own commitment to change. If they fail they are out of the program and usually on their way to jail.
Drug Court isn’t the only county service facing drastic budget cuts. Destry Dobbs of People Inc., based in Sallisaw, said that program for the developmentally disabled and others is also facing large cuts in funding. Dobbs said the cuts may be from 7.5 percent to 14.5 percent. He said that much of a cut to the program’s $12.5 million budget means services will most likely be cut to clients. He said the program’s money from the state has already been cut by 3.25 percent.
“We have a number of state-funded programs,” Dobbs said, “but most of our revenue goes out as payroll every month.”
Dobbs said People Inc. employs 372 in programs in Sequoyah, Cherokee, Muskogee and Adair Counties and in a few other counties. People Inc. provides services to the developmentally disabled and others. It includes outpatient services, counseling, substance abuse counseling and other programs. Dobbs said some services have already been cut back and more may have to be cut back.
“The main thing is we’ve had to trim some services back already,” Dobbs said. “I’m worried this next round of cuts will cut services even more. There is a huge need in the county.”
The Services
Dobbs said People Inc. has well over 1,000 clients in all the counties served.
People Inc. and Eagle Ridge in Sallisaw, which provides treatment for the Drug Court program, both contract with the state to provide services. Both are described as non-profit. Their contracts usually run from July 1 to June 30, in conjunction with the state’s fiscal year.
Eagle Ridge, which provides treatment for substance abuse and addictive behavior, is the other half of the Drug Court program. But unlike People Inc., which is funded by several state and federal sources, Eagle Ridge has fewer funding options and has already suffered from two funding cuts, which almost led to the program shutting its doors in Sallisaw last week.
Darren Stites, director of the local program, said the counseling service has already had cuts amounting to $65,000, and last week the program took another $80,000 hit. He and the program’s counselors are still checking to make sure the cuts are correct. If they are, the lack of funds will leave the program with no money al all until the beginning of the next fiscal year on July 1.
Eagle Ridge has 15 employees in Sequoyah, Wagoner and Cherokee Counties, and treats the 60 or so in the Sequoyah County Drug Court program, Stites said. Stites and Judge Sprouse said the Drug Court program has the best success rate of all such treatment programs, with less recidivism than others.
The counselors at Eagle Ridge say they love their jobs and would continue to provide counseling without pay, if it were possible.
“The people in this field are in it for love, not the money,” one counselor said.
A Future without Funds
“No more cuts,” Stites said he would like to see in the future. “I’m really big on mental health. More cuts will put us out of business.”
Stites said, “We need to make people aware of what is going to happen.”
Terri White, the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse commissioner, told Oklahoma lawmakers last month, “…thousands of Oklahomans already have been cut off from services after the agency was forced to slash more than $20 million from this year’s budget. Another 10 percent cut beginning in July could result in an additional 8,000 people left without services, more children being placed in foster care, up to 15,000 immediate family members being directly impacted because loved ones are denied services, heavier burdens on law enforcement and massive cost-shifting to the Department of Corrections as more people with untreated mental or addictive disorders enter the criminal justice system.”
Even with just a 10 percent cut to the department’s budget, White said more than 2,600 Oklahomans would face incarceration, which would add $50 million annually to the Oklahoma Department of Corrections’ costs.
Cuts have already reduced by 20 beds the capacity at a residential substance abuse facility in Tahlequah, which also treats clients from Sequoyah County.
“The total direct cost to Oklahoma taxpayers when these services are cut will be far greater than the costs of providing access to treatment,” White told the lawmakers.
For People Inc.’s clients the proposed cuts will also result in the loss of federal dollars, Dobbs pointed out. He said if there are no state funds to match, the federal government will also cut funding.
James Nicholson, the Oklahoma Developmental Disabilities Services Division director, said the division could lose up to $24 million, but when combined with the loss of federal matching funds, the total loss would be $72 million.
“The impact of a reduction of this magnitude will result in most of our service programs being unsustainable,” Nicholoson wrote in a letter to service providers.
Although People Inc. has a variety of funding sources, Dobbs said the programs still face cuts.
He said, “We may look into a residential program for those (developmentally disabled) who have no place to go.”
Both state and local programs personnel said the cuts could lead to clients being left out on the street.
Stites is hoping to save the Eagle Ridge treatment program. He and his counselors are searching any means of continued funding, and as state lawmakers continue to wrangle with the budget crunch, those who get the funding are unsure what is in their future.
Stites said, “We can’t even plan because we don’t know what’s going to happen. We’re all on pins and needles because no one knows what’s going to happen.
“But we know where they (clients) are going to be…in the pen. All these cuts are going to put these people in the legal system.”
Judge Sprouse hopes Drug Court will survive because of its success. He explained that Drug Court clients must find a job and pay for the program themselves. Because of that self-sustaining requirement, the Sequoyah County Drug Court program, cut from 69 to 49 slots, still has 60 enrolled. Those seeking to overcome addiction are keeping the program going themselves.
Sprouse said, “This is a successful alternative (to other programs). I think it is one of the best programs.
“This area has a severe drug problem” Sprouse said. “Drug Court must have two components — supervision and treatment. We have to make them (clients) accountable for their sobriety and give them the tools they need to survive. It won’t work otherwise.
“I would like to think we’ll have more funding in the future. If they see the need here, maybe we will.”
