Tulsa chief resilience officer outlines new Department of Resilience and Equity, programs and partnerships

Deontre Hayes, Tulsa’s chief resilience officer, told the Human Rights Commission on Sept. (date not specified) that the city’s newly created Department of Resilience and Equity will focus on four pillars — creating an inclusive future, equipping Tulsans to overcome barriers, advancing economic opportunity and transforming city and regional systems — and six functional areas including mental health and well-being, immigrant and refugee inclusion, data and policy, financial empowerment, justice and human rights, and civic and community engagement.

Hayes said this is the department’s first year as a standalone entity and that the administrative change “signifies the importance of the work that we do with commissions such as yourself being integrated into the city functions.” She described the department’s approach to substance use as “substance use disorder” response rather than a generic…