The Council's community planning services:
Community
planning/research
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Technical Assistance
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Community Mobilization
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Policy &
Resource Development I
Data
CSC study reports include:
-
Non-Parental Child Care in Tulsa County
-
Babyline Trend Report
-
Tulsa Gang Summit
Report
- Quality of life for the Tulsa area gay, lesbian,
bisexual and transgender (GLBT) population
- Hispanic Study
Community
Planning / Research
Throughout its history,
the Council has played the role of trusted neutral convener, bringing
organizations and individuals from all sectors of the community together to
identify and assess needs, then plan and act together to prevent problems
and address needs.
Planning meetings, research
through literature review, preparation of census information, data gathering and
analysis of secondary data, focus groups, and other activities are usually
guided through a formal study group established by the board or through one of
the Council’s ongoing coalitions or committees. These groups often are led by a
CSC Board member and are staffed by CSC professional planning staff. At times, a
study project may be supported by a team of CSC staff, contract staff, as well
as staff from other entities. Almost all CSC research staff members have at
least Masters degrees, and sometimes work with faculty members from area
universities with expertise on the area being studied.
Anticipating or forecasting
what trends and issues will most affect health and human services needs in the
Tulsa area is a longstanding Council strength. As a part of this work the
Council annually prepares a Community Profile Report that can be adapted to
different audiences. In 2006, the US Census Bureau designated the Council as a
Census Information Center for Eastern Oklahoma. With this designation, the
Council has prepared a series of indicator reports which are posted on the
website and mailed to interested groups. The Community Profile and Indicator
Reports include demographic and other data to help document and monitor
important trends and issues related to the human investment industry. These
reports and other trend information help engage the community as early as
possible in addressing changes and promoting early and most effective responses.
The Council’s periodic
studies on specific issues usually evolve out of an existing coalition or task
force that is seeking to better understand the impact of a specific issue or
trend on its ongoing work. Sometimes reports are prepared from data gathered as
a part of the group’s ongoing work to help stimulate a specific needed action by
policy makers, the media, funders, or some other entities.
The Council also pursues
studies based upon its own priorities and on requests of groups or individuals.
Historically the Chamber of Commerce, the Tulsa Area United Way, City Council,
civic groups, and groups of concerned service providers are the most common
sources of outside requests. The study process includes: establishing the
goals; identifying the information to
be gathered and the methods of collection;
analyzing the data and information collected; developing recommendations and
outcome measurements; preparation and approval of a final report; and
presentation to the CSC Board for approval. Frequently, presentations are made
to key partners in the study process prior to the CSC Board presentation. During
the development of recommendations, contacts are often made with those
anticipated to be involved with implementation, to increase the feasibility of
success for the needed action. Almost all long-term community mobilization
efforts by the Council emerge from this process. Over the last several years,
these have included the AIDS Coalition of Tulsa, the Family Health Coalition
Care (previously known as the Tulsa Area Coalition on Perinatal Care), the Tulsa
Area Alliance on Disabilities, the Youthful Drunk Driving Program, the Child
Care Resource Center, the DUI Court process, Tulsa County Partnership for Early
Childhood Success, and development of expanded health care services, especially
for women and infants through Community HealthNet. Studies usually are funded
through a variety of public, private, and philanthropic sources, including TAUW.
In 2007, CSC completed several major studies, including:
•
In conjunction with the local Fetal Infant
Mortality Review (FIMR) project at the City-County Health Department, the Family
Health Coalition helped complete the latest study on infant mortality in Tulsa
County. Results from the study review indicated a previously unanalyzed cause of
infant death: infections related to the health of the mother. This and related
findings are helping guide the Coalition’s future planning.
•
The Family Health Coalition conducted two studies
focusing on unintended pregnancies and a Fifteen Year Analysis of Babyline. The
unintended pregnancy study is being used to address engagement of fathers in
family planning. It has resulted in the Fatherhood Matters social marketing
campaign, and the Guy Kit. The Analysis of Babyline Data has resulted in three
community projects: the prematurity campaign with March of Dimes (local and
statewide), the social marketing campaign entitled “I Choose”, and the teen
pregnancy prevention efforts with the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy.
•
The Perfect Storm is a series of
monographs on global trends which will have an impact for Tulsa, Oklahoma, and
the United States. The monograph series includes discussions of changing
demographics, immigration, work force, labor force, aging, health, and food,
water and energy instabilities.
Usually large
numbers of volunteers concerned with the issue under study participate in the
research effort. Volunteers from the CSC Board, interested service providers,
and other stakeholders in the issue being studied, as well as members of the
community-at large, commonly participate in the study process. A CSC Board
member is often chair of the study committee. Volunteers also assist in
conducting surveys and focus groups, and helping with recording results. They
also are usually involved in helping disseminate study results and
recommendations to appropriate individuals and groups that are key to follow-up
action. All major study results are presented to the CSC Board for approval or
endorsement prior to official public release.
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Community Planning /
Technical Assistance
All constituents within the human services
field (i.e., service organizations, volunteers, civic groups, religious
organizations, foundations, corporations, government officials, neighborhood
groups, state agencies, etc.) need information on health and human services
needs, trends that affect those needs, and best practices for addressing
them effectively. This information helps guide and strengthen the roles of
each constituent to further Tulsa’s community-wide capacity to best reduce
and meet overall and specific needs.
Many service organizations need help with
examining the overall “big picture” and adjusting their organizational and
program planning accordingly. Those involved in funding decisions of all types
often request similar assistance. Guidance also is frequently requested on
zoning decisions related to special housing, child care, and other issues.
Increasingly too, more organizations are
interested in becoming involved in affecting public policy decisions, especially
at the state level. They often request assistance on creating an internal
process for this to happen as well as guidance on how to link with efforts
already underway.
Major
community-wide planning activities, such as the Goals for Tomorrow program, the
City of Tulsa’s Enterprise Zone planning process, and the Tulsa Youth Alliance,
as well as Step-Up Tulsa and Community HealthNet, always seek significant
commitment of time by Council staff and sometimes volunteers. Usually the
Council representatives are involved in leadership roles in such efforts.
The program is
provided by senior level staff members with advanced experience and degrees
related to program areas or organizations in which they are working. Staff
members have a high level of respect among those receiving assistance. The
program is usually provided in one-time settings; sometimes it continues for
several weeks or months.
Each year CSC
receives 75-100 local requests for one-time presentations, more involved
consultations that could require several hours of commitment, or ongoing
assistance. Sometimes the response just involves presentations from the annual
Community Profile Report or some customized presentation derived from the
report. A much longer period of time is required when working with major
community planning initiatives such as the Goals for Tomorrow process and the
TAUW’s Plan 2005 project. Priority is placed on working with those involved with
program development and funding decisions that address the focus areas in the
Council’s long-range plan, all of which focus on at-risk populations. The
Council also regularly receives inquiries and requests from national
foundations, as well as from national and local corporations, on needs and
activities in the Tulsa area.
Currently, Council staff has focused much of its
ongoing assistance work in the mental health area. At the request of two Tulsa
Area United Way member agencies, Family & Children’s Services and the Mental
Health Association in Tulsa, CSC has facilitated monthly meetings since 2005 of
the Behavioral Health System Improvement Process (BHSIP). This group is composed
of community mental health professionals, mental health consumers, hospital
professionals, consumer family members, law enforcement, and others concerned
about the treatment, service development, and funding of mental health care in
Tulsa. The BHSIP is the single largest forum for cross communication among
representatives of mental health programs and mental health advocates.
Typically, 30 people attend BHSIP meetings and identify ways to work effectively
to reduce suicide rates, improve the service delivery system, and advocate for
more funding. Information is shared about new programming, personnel changes,
training opportunities, service changes, and other topics to promote
understanding and stronger working relationships.
In 2006, CSC staff provided consultation on
planning and program development on over 140 occasions addressing issues
including homelessness, housing needs, the uninsured, health needs of minority
groups, mental health issues, child care and early childhood development needs,
and many more. Several organizations and groups, including the City Council,
Long Term Care Authority, Mental Health Association, Osteopathic Founders Board,
and many others received presentations on data and trends, as well as extended
assistance on specific issues. The demand for this service continues to increase
each year as CSC research and information gathering expands, and more
presentations are available on specific topics.
In 2007, CSC
continued its extensive technical assistance to the StepUp Tulsa Initiative
sponsored by the Tulsa Community Foundation and the Funders Roundtable. In 2005,
CSC provided leadership for structuring the process and for organizing the
“human development” portion of the data report used to orient over 150 community
“stakeholders” responsible for implementing the project. In 2006, CSC continued
its assistance to help complete the process and was instrumental in guiding the
recommendations in both the education and economic “trendbenders” groups. In
2007, CSC provided guidance to the project’s evaluation plan, including social
indicators to measure progress in education, early childhood, and health.
Frequently,
volunteer leaders of Council task forces or coalitions assist with the
presentations and consultations. CSC Board members also often participate in the
technical assistance work, especially if board members from other organizations
are involved.
The Council works closely with the Tulsa
City-County Health Department, the City of Tulsa Urban Development Department,
Indian Nations Council of Governments (INCOG), and state agencies to develop the
most current information on trends related to health and human service issues.
The Council is the primary source of consultation and information on trends and
best practices overall in Tulsa County.
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Community Planning /
Community Mobilization
Please see "Our Work" / individual
programs' web pages
for descriptions of current CSC community mobilization activities.
Action responding to critical community needs usually
requires leadership and involvement from several different sectors within the
community including health care, education, social service, business,
religious, the media, civic groups, government, and private philanthropy.
Participation also is required from many groups and individuals within each
sector. Successful outcomes usually require a multi-year commitment that
frequently results in turnover in the participants. It also requires a sincere
willingness to work together for common goals. Bringing all these different
sectors, groups, and individuals together and mobilizing effective action
demands special knowledge, experience, and skills. It also requires
understanding the importance of linking certain actions together at times to
assure the greatest possible success for all.
Program activities usually include the following:
- Participant recruitment
- Organization and support for meetings and special events
- Technical assistance for program, policy and system development
(researching information on “best practices”)
- Evaluation design and implementation
- Resource development (grant writing, legislative appropriations,
policy changes)
- Community awareness and relations
- Ongoing research and consultation for new directions and improved
outcomes
CSC senior level staff primarily provide the service, with
board members often involved in leading committees, task forces, etc. The
planning and mobilization process involves large numbers of professionals,
concerned individuals, service consumers, funders, policy makers, and other
constituents. Ongoing coalitions and task forces involved implementing annual
programs of work focused on specific issues, opportunities for change, and
desired outcomes.
Benefiting from community mobilization are primarily those directly affected by
the issues and needs being addressed by the organized initiative. For example,
pregnant teens from low-income households are one of the main recipients of the
work of the Family Health Coalition. Other recipients are those involved in
organizing and supporting the initiative including service providers,
volunteers, local and state government agencies, and those providing financial
and other support. The general public also is a recipient, as the issues
addressed usually relate to concerns of a “public health” dimension (i.e.,
HIV/AIDS, homelessness, prevention of child abuse, prevention of substance
abuse).
The Council provides unique leadership in mobilizing short- and long-term
responses to critical health and human service needs. Other initiatives
sometimes exist, but usually they have some connection to a related CSC effort
or emerged from a current or past mobilization initiative. The Council closely
coordinates all of its community initiatives with its lead partners.
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Community
Planning / Policy and Resource Development:
Tulsa Metropolitan Human Services Commission (MHSC)
In the early 1980’s, dramatic reductions were made in state and federal funding
for health and human services (i.e., elimination of revenue sharing, reductions
in funding for community mental health programs and public housing, and cutbacks
in temporary financial assistance). This created major gaps in the local
capacity to meet people’s needs. The problem was exacerbated by the fact that
there was no lead entity to examine the “big picture” of funding, policies,
regulations, and legislation, and develop recommendations to guide a community
response. In Tulsa, it was determined that a “public-private” partnership
involving key decision-makers was needed to monitor this “big picture” and
provide guidance to the community. In 1981, leaders in Tulsa joined together to
establish the Metropolitan Human Services Commission (MHSC) to provide direction
on roles and responsibilities of resource providers, coordination of decision
making, data analysis, survey of research concerning “best practices” and “what
works,” and determining priorities for use of community resources.
MHSC members include the City of Tulsa, Tulsa County, Tulsa Area United Way,
Oklahoma Department of Human Services, Tulsa Public Schools, Union Public
Schools, and Tulsa City-County Health Department, with representatives also from
the business and faith communities. In 2006, the Tulsa Community College became
a full member of the MHSC. This addition to the MHSC broadens the scope of the
Commission to include higher education. Community Service Council provides staff
support for the work of the MHSC.
The MHSC has provided leadership designed and implemented to organize new
structures and methods to address some of Tulsa’s most critical needs and
challenges, including: homelessness, services to persons living in public
housing, long term care for the elderly and disabled, community integration of
persons with disabilities, prevention of child abuse, improving family support
linked to neighborhood schools, welfare reform, major losses of federal and
state funding, and early childhood education and development.
In late 2005 and early 2006, reductions in federal funding for critical health,
human service, education, housing, employment, and other “human development”
related resources further reinforced the need for a strong, long-standing
public-private partnership such as MHSC. In December of 2006 the Federal Deficit
Reduction Act was passed with schedules for further reducing many federally
funded programs. In the coming years, the resources needed to address these
needs are increasingly going to come from state and local public sources and
philanthropic entities at all levels. Thus, MHSC’s growing role of linking local
decision making with state decisions is going to be more important than ever.
The Commission fulfills its mission through:
• Research and information gathering on major public policy issues
• Community education and information dissemination
• Promoting informed decisions about resources, policies, and laws affecting the
health and human services system
In 1993, the Commission decided to focus its attention on two goals: reduce
poverty among children and families, and prevent child abuse and neglect. This
decision was based on the recognition that success in addressing these two goals
would ultimately reduce the overall need for health and human services in the
long term, and so, require fewer resources from all the partners. It would also
dramatically improve the overall quality of life in the area. At its planning
retreat in 1997, the Commission reaffirmed its focus on these two goals and
committed to specific strategies helpful to their achievement: building an
effective early childhood development system, and increasing the local base of
supporting resources, both public and private. The other two goals are really
subsets of early childhood development; thus early childhood development was
made as an overarching area of focus in 2000, continued into 2008. MHSC focuses
on research, data gathering, and public policy advocacy that will increase
resources and improve policymaking addressing child abuse prevention, reduction
of child poverty, and enhancing school readiness. MHSC provided data and other
technical support in 2005 to the new Oklahoma Partnership for School Readiness,
and the new Tulsa County Partnership for Early Childhood Success. It continued
to advance its work on child abuse prevention in support of the Children First
and Healthy Families programs, and began implementation of a new initiative to
develop a community-wide community schools program based on the success of its
Tulsa Alliance for Families model started several years ago.
MHSC has worked with the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS) and
others since 2004 to relocate the Laura Dester Center (a children’s protective
shelter) from its current location at 6th and Quaker Avenue in Tulsa. The
hundreds of children served by the shelter each year are largely residents of
the Tulsa Public School District.
The 2004-05 MHSC assessment of OKDHS services and spending was updated in 2006
and again in 2007. These reports revealed a continuing (apparent)
disproportionate amount of resources going to Oklahoma County relative to Tulsa
County. This report was presented to state OKDHS officials, but no specific
actions have been taken to date. The report will be updated for 2008 and is
planned to be used in ongoing program planning and advocacy.
As a result of similar efforts by MHSC and the Tulsa Health Department, Rep. Ron
Peters (R-Tulsa) requested an interim legislative study on the amount and use of
appropriations provided to the Oklahoma State Department of Health for health
services and “health outcomes.“ The Tulsa and Oklahoma County Health Departments
contracted with the OU Health Sciences Center to assess why Oklahoma had a high
rating in “Public Health Expenditures,” but was rated very low on the health of
its citizens by the United Health Foundation. The study also assessed the share
of funding going to the two metropolitan areas. Generally, the finding did not
support the position that a disproportionate share of funds was going to either
county. The study found that the state is not spending its funding on the health
problems that are measured by the United Health Foundation. Ongoing work is
underway at the state level by MHSC and the Tulsa Health Department to improve
state health related appropriations.
Systems:
MHSC facilitates collaborative planning among the local resource providers and
policy makers affecting health, education, and human services. In recent years
MHSC has more closely linked its planning with that of appropriate state
agencies and the state legislature. At times, it also coordinates and affects
decisions at the federal level as they relate to MHSC priorities. Staff support
is provided by a full-time CSC master’s level planner and assisted by the CSC
Executive Director.
For the past eight years MHSC priorities have included:
• Improving and expanding early childhood development, care, and education
• Preventing child abuse
• Improving education outcomes through collaboration at the neighborhood level
between schools and community resources
• Enhancing local/state coordinated decision making
• Advocating for needed new state revenue
MHSC will begin its third year of its five year plan for implementing its
revised priorities. The priorities largely remained unchanged, but two new
issues were added: increasing adoptions of children who were abused or
neglected, and informing the public about the positive role of government.
Key Accomplishments
• Early Childhood Development
o MHSC’s advocacy leadership led to creation of the Governor’s Task Force on
Early Childhood Education in 2000, and MHSC staff provided technical assistance
to the Task Force, chaired by Tulsa civic leader, Pete Churchwell.
o The Task Force report eventually led to passage of HB 1094 which created the
Oklahoma Partnership for School Readiness, a public/private group charged with
establishing and supporting a network of local partnerships throughout the
state. There are currently sixteen members of this network, including the Tulsa
County Partnership for Early Childhood Success. The legislature has approved $2M
annually to support the work of the state and local partnerships, and a state
level foundation is raising philanthropic dollars. Statewide priorities include
early literacy skills, early parenting education, and accessing preventive
health care.
o Tulsa County receives about $160,000 for its Partnership from the state
funding. Additional private contributions also have been received to help match
the state funding.
o Some of these funds are used in conjunction with the Children First nurse home
visitation program to purchase educational materials on critical aspects of
infant care for over 900 high risk expectant mothers. The materials are
available in English and Spanish. Other funds are used to support the national
model Raise A Reader program that improves early literacy skills through
increased parental reading to their young children. Over 300 children under 5
are participating in this program in Tulsa County through selected early
learning settings. Most recently, some of the funds are being used to support
the LINK Project, a multi-disciplinary team working in child care settings to
screen for developmental delays.
• Child Abuse Prevention
Children First
o MHSC has provided leadership for significant state investment in
research-based action to prevent child abuse. This effort led to creation of the
Children First nurse home visitation statewide program in 1996. The voluntary
program focuses on serving high risk first-time pregnant women. In 2006 the
state allocated over $10.5M annually to the Children First program and the
legislature approved an increase of $650,000 for FY 2006, with an additional
$500,000 -$600,000 provided through Medicaid reimbursements. The program total
is now over $11,570,000. An additional $99,000 was allocated to Tulsa County for
a total of $1.8M to assist over 900 high risk first time mothers each year.
o Research studies of the Oklahoma program show reduction of 32% in “very
preterm” deliveries, 15% reduction in “very low birth-weight” deliveries
(estimated savings of over $1,000,000 per year), and 72% reduction in high risk
infant mortality.
o The program also has made a big impact on reducing smoking among pregnant
women.
o The program’s positive results clearly have an impact on school readiness,
especially related to prevention of disabilities (e.g., fetal alcohol syndrome)
leading to special education needs.
Child Abuse Prevention Fund
o MHSC advocacy has been key to increasing the state child abuse prevention fund
by $650,000 to over $3.3M in fiscal year 2007. Parent Child Center received an
increase of over $62,000 for a total contract of $490,000 to support its “Great
Beginnings” program assisting over 137 low to moderate income families and their
young children with in-home service and 28 families with center-based services.
Laura Dester Children’s Shelter
o MHSC advocacy focused in 2005-2006 on assisting with creating a new Tulsa
emergency shelter for children, and an improved program. The legislature
appropriated $907,000 per year to pay for a “bond” over the next fifteen years
for the purchase of land and construction of the shelter. The first location, at
East Pine and North Peoria Avenue, was rejected by a local elected official.
o The new site selection was completed in the fall of 2007. The OKDHS Commission
approved the request to let the Bond in October of 2007, and the State of
Oklahoma approved the actual offering of the Bond in December of 2007. Site
plans have been completed. Ground breaking should occur before the summer of
2008 with completion of the new shelter due within 12 months. MHSC will continue
to monitor implementation.
• Improving Educational Outcomes Through Collaboration at the Neighborhood Level
Between Schools and Community Resources
Tulsa Alliance for Families (TAF)
o MHSC developed the Tulsa Alliance for Families (TAF) pilot program at Mark
Twain and Eugene Field Elementary Schools in 1998. This effort brought together
a large number of social service, health, law enforcement, child care, youth
development, and other groups to organize a comprehensive family support and
engagement program in partnership with the two schools. Significant success
occurred in improving attendance, parent participation in school activities,
health conditions, and selected areas of education performance.
o One area of focus, health care and promotion, led to the creation of the first
in-school Bedlam Clinic at Mark Twain at the end of 2004. The quick success of
the site’s clinic was due largely to the already integrated TAF approach that
links school performance as the focused outcome of all support efforts at the
school, including health. Clinic staff adopted that approach and there was a
quick and smooth integration of the clinic into the overall TAF program. Since
that initial start, Bedlam clinics are now operating with a similar philosophy
in several additional TPS and Union sites, impacting thousands of students and
their family members. Results indicate significant improvements in student
attendance, family participation in school activities, reduced use of nearby
emergency rooms, and positive changes in large numbers of individual students’
health conditions. The Bedlam clinics now are partnering with Tulsa Health
Department to better address health promotion needs in the schools, especially
related to obesity and nutrition. This relationship has been fostered by MHSC.
Community Schools Initiative
o Building on lessons learned from the TAF program, MHSC launched a new
initiative in 2005 to build on TAF by organizing a process to create several
“community school” programs, on a voluntary basis, at interested elementary
schools in the Tulsa and Union school districts. MHSC staff and members are
providing leadership for guiding planning within each district, and assisting
with the initial planning and implementation at individual schools.
o In addition to assisting the individual schools, MHSC has worked on creating
an infrastructure of support for the initiative at the community level. In June,
2006, thirty representatives of different sectors in Tulsa attended the National
Coalition of Community Schools Conference in Baltimore. The group returned and
worked the next 18 months to create the formal infrastructure for implementing
the community schools initiative in Tulsa. A mission statement, goals,
objectives, marketing strategies, and an organizational structure, including a
community steering committee, have been developed. Work groups to guide
implementation of each community school component (early childhood,
out-of-school and enrichment, health and health promotion, neighborhood
development, and family support) are being established. An inventory of needs,
resources, and opportunities of the 18 participating elementary schools in the
initiative has been completed.
o During the last six months of 2007 much progress was made on the
infrastructure for supporting the community schools effort, now known as TACSI,
Tulsa Area Community Schools Initiative. A community steering committee to work
with MHSC to guide implementation has been established. Management teams for the
initiative have been created with both school districts (Tulsa and Union) to
guide implementation. National level training has been provided to each school
team, and professional leaders from Tulsa were invited in September to
participate in high level training at the Community Aid Society Community
Schools Institute in New York. In addition funding has been obtained from
several local foundations to support the TACSI Resource Center staffed by the
Community Service Council, and to hire four community school site coordinators.
Four more coordinators will be hired prior to the end of the current school
year. OU-Tulsa researchers also have come forth to work on developing an
evaluation plan for TACSI.
o Program development and expansion also continues at individual schools. Bank
of America has provided over $100,000 to implement Mayor Taylor’s “Mentoring to
the Max” program at all 18 sites, and the Bedlam Clinics have expanded,
including through use of a mobile clinic at two sites, to assure access to early
care and treatment among students, their families, and school staff.
• Research and Data Base Development
o MHSC has created a comprehensive data base on Tulsa and Union elementary
schools that includes census and other demographic data, as well as individual
school performance. The data base will be updated every 2-3 years and is used in
the planning for the community schools initiative as well as for program
planning, grant application, and other purposes.
Each of the MHSC partners respectively represents a part of the education,
health, and human services system, and each plays a part in implementing the
plans of the Commission, as appropriate. Each entity is a voluntary member and
contributes an equal share of the MHSC program. Two members, Robert J. LaFortune
(United Way’s representative) and Bill Doenges, are community volunteers, as is
Nancy Keithline who represents the City-County Health Department. The elected
TPS school board chair also regularly participates. MHSC members set the agenda
for the MHSC activities during the year and participate in carrying out the
objectives by working together to influence public policy through analyzing
issues, researching programs, and presenting findings to local, state, and
federal policy makers to achieve their goals.
The recipients of service include the partners–City of Tulsa, Tulsa County,
Tulsa Area United Way, Tulsa Public Schools, and the Oklahoma Department of
Human Services–and the MHSC’s newest funding partners, Tulsa Health Department,
Union Public Schools, and Tulsa Community College, as well as non-funding
partners, the Tulsa Metro Chamber, and Tulsa Metropolitan Ministry. Each of
these entities has benefited in many ways over the years, but especially from
more efficient use of resources and successful joint efforts to address
community concerns.
The entire citizenry, including taxpayers and contributors to the United Way,
are recipients as the Commission works to make best use of both public and
private investments in addressing health and human service needs. This greater
effectiveness also benefits those who are in need of help from service
organizations. In recent years, this especially includes young children under 5
targeted by MHSC’s work on early childhood development and child abuse
prevention. And finally, the state legislature, the Oklahoma Commission on
Children & Youth, and the Oklahoma State Departments of Education, Human
Services, Health, and Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, are recipients
as they use the Commission as a forum to explore strategies for successful
action related to their interests. Most importantly, the recipients are the tens
of thousands of young children and families, and the elderly and persons with
disabilities, benefiting from the millions of dollars of critical new funding
support to research based initiatives (i.e., Children First, development
disabilities, Long Term Care, etc.) over the past 25 years.
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For more information:
Phil Dessauer, Jr., 918-585-5551
