PRESS RELEASE: Community invited to May 21 town hall on OKC’s mental health crisis response hosted by Ward 6 Councilwoman JoBeth Hamon


The City of Oklahoma City sends this information as posted below:


Everyone is invited to join Ward 6 Councilwoman JoBeth Hamon for a town hall titled “Rethinking 911: First Response + System of Care” from 6 – 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 21, on the fourth floor of the Downtown Library, 300 Park Ave.

During the meeting, participants will learn about Oklahoma City’s mental health crisis response through the efforts of the City’s Crisis Intervention Advisory Group (CIAG), Oklahoma City Fire Department’s Opioid Response Team, Oklahoma City Public School’s Embrace OKC program and Oklahoma’s Mental Health Lifeline 988.

“I consistently hear from community members how difficult it can be to navigate a behavioral health crisis for themselves, someone they know, and especially for those they encounter who are experiencing severe symptoms in public,” Councilwoman JoBeth Hamon said. “Over the past few years, City staff have been working to build a better toolbox for responding to these crises in our community and are implementing an array of new options. We know there is more work to do to collaborate better with various community initiatives and strengthen and expand these health-focused responses to mental health needs.”

A question-and-answer session will follow the presentation. Organizations that provide mental health services will be available to visit with participants after the town hall.

“I hope this will be an opportunity for the community to learn more about these new programs and better understand what they should expect if they call 911 or 988 for a behavioral health crisis,” Hamon added. “Additionally, I’m grateful to the community partners that will join us at the event to share about community-based resources to provide services to people before or after they experience a behavioral health crisis.”

Ward 6 includes the central portion of Oklahoma City from NW 23 Street to SW 59 Street and Portland Avenue to east to I-235.

Councilwoman Hamon was elected to City Council in 2019 and re-elected in 2023.


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