Commissioners approve up to $4 million in ARPA funds for behavioral health center near county jail

Oklahoma County commissioners on Tuesday approved Resolution 2025-0071, authorizing a transfer of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds not to exceed $4,000,000 for construction of a behavioral health center intended to serve residents of the Oklahoma County Detention Center.

County staff and commissioners clarified the facility’s purpose during the meeting. Jessica, a county staff member, said the county’s ARPA eligibility summary lists the project as “medical behavioral health services and facilities serving residents of the new Oklahoma County Detention Center.”

The clarification came after questions from commissioners who had heard the project described elsewhere as a diversion hub. A county official involved in the project said the plan is to attach the behavioral health center close to the detention center — “75 feet exactly off of that facility” — to preserve Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement eligibility and to allow restoration-of-competency services for people booked into the jail. The official said the triage program will screen people who arrive by deputies or officers and route them to appropriate care if they meet the program’s criteria.

Sheriff (unnamed) explained current practice: when there is probable cause for arrest, deputies take a person to the jail; when a person is experiencing a mental-health episode and no crime has been committed, deputies can take them to treatment facilities. The sheriff said that under current rules individuals booked into jail are treated as part of the incarceration facility and reimbursement rules limit payment for services provided inside a jail; the county is pursuing a federal waiver that could change reimbursement options but said that process is uncertain and may be lengthy.

Officials said discussions about who will operate and staff the facility are underway. The county noted it is in active conversations with a state partner and with representatives including Ali Friesen; commissioners also said they are exploring options for a third-party provider to run clinical services. The county further said it expects sufficient ARPA funds to cover construction without asking voters or returning to the state budget board for additional construction dollars.

The commission moved and passed the resolution without recorded opposition. No vote names were recorded in the meeting transcript.