Oklahoma Public Employees Association seeks court action against privatizing Griffin Memorial Hospital

JULIE BISBEE, Capitol Bureau | Modified: August 12, 2009 at 6:44 pm | Published: August 12, 2009 Comment on this article

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Letters between officials with the Department of Mental Health and OPEA show that the department attempted to discuss the issue with OPEA several times before the request for injunctive relief was filed, according to correspondence obtained by The Oklahoman.

Zearley said its unclear how many state workers are affected by the restructuring. He said the group has asked for a cost analysis on why it might be cheaper to go with a private mental health group and have not received any information.

OPEA has also requested a copy of the contract the Department of Mental Health's board approved in July and has not received it.

If the privatization effort goes through it could also impact the Tulsa Center for Behavioral Health, Zearley said.

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