Regier to Appear before Legislative Panel on Eastern State

Health and Human Services Secretary Jerry Regier will appear before a special legislative committee on Monday to discuss ongoing efforts to close Eastern State Hospital in Vinita.

Regier is scheduled to testify at a meeting of the Legislative Oversight Committee on the Eastern State Hospital Transition on Monday, October 2nd, at 1:00 p.m. The committee will also hear from a citizens' advisory panel that has raised concerns about the Eastern State shutdown.

The state is currently in the process of closing the mental hospital and transferring its patients to community treatment programs in Tulsa and other cities in northeastern Oklahoma. In recent weeks, however, published reports have identified problems with the Eastern State transition process, namely the lack of available community services for the mentally ill.

Committee members are expected to question Regier about the status of the transition process and related issues. As the Governor's Secretary of Health and Human Services, Regier oversees the State Department of Mental Health - the agency in charge of implementing the Eastern State shutdown.

What: Regier testimony before Legislative Oversight Committee
When: 1:00 p.m., Monday, October 2
Where: State Capitol, Room 419-C