On this edition of StudioTulsa, guest host Dr. John Schumann speaks with The Oklahoman's medical and health reporter, Jaclyn Cosgrove, a recipient of the Rosalynn Carter Fellowship in Mental Health Journalism. Her project for the fellowship is focused on low-income, uninsured Oklahomans who are diagnosed with mental illness and substance use disorders.
Cosgrove has written a number of feature articles on the deficiencies of Oklahoma's mental health system, in which demand vastly exceeds the supply of beds and professionals, under the series title, "Epidemic Ignored." She discusses the history of mental health treatment in our state, and why the number of state prison inmates with mental illness continues to increase.