Grand Mental Health working to fill critical need in North Tulsa

Latia Parker was interviewed by KJRH during the symposium "Ripping the Band-Aid: A Frank Talk on Mental Health in the Black Community."

During the event, Ms. Parker addressed the pressing mental health inequities and challenges facing the North Tulsa community, shedding light on the barriers to mental health care and the unique struggles experienced by individuals in this area. Her remarks emphasized the importance of accessible mental health resources and the need for continued advocacy to address these systemic issues.

TULSA, Okla. — The north Tulsa community joined Grand Mental Health in a discussion about the lack of mental health access.

Strategic partnership liaison Kevin Matthews said this happens disproportionately in more diverse communities.

“People are told in the Black community, what happens in this house stays in this house,” Matthews said.

Community members agreed there is still a stigma towards reaching out for help when it comes to mental health issues, which can lead to a vicious cycle.

Matthews also said due to a lack of programs providing residents with help, a lot of mental health problems are never addressed. "There's trauma and abuse that happens that goes untreated, un-talked about, and that causes generational trauma."

Matthews said not going in for treatment can lead to things like substance abuse.

"While we have mental health and substance abuse treatment facilities available in north Tulsa, 60% of the people that need it still don't have it."

CEO and Founder of Betty Jackson Counseling Services, Latia Parker, said there are a lot of contributing factors to mental health.

“Resources are needed in the north Tulsa community because I feel like a lot of time, we’re just left out of the loop,” said Parker.

She said mental health can affect many things, "being able to address those emotions and move forward, it would help with our decision-making."

Mental health is also important for physical health, which is also something north Tulsa can work on improving, she said.

"Our mental health is not being addressed, the needs for food, just anything like that is not available in the north Tulsa area," Parker said.

She said if these needs are addressed, community members can have an overall better quality of life.

Grand Mental Health is stablishing a mental health facility in north Tulsa in the upcoming months to try and combat the lack of access to resources.