DOUBLED: COPES adds more than 50% more staff offering expanded services

In February, COPES with Family and Children's Services got approval to expand its operations, nearly doubling its workforce.

That's the Community Outreach Psychiatric Emergency Services. It offers a variety of services for Tulsa and surrounding areas, focusing on mental health and suicide intervention and prevention.

In the last six months, it's doubled its workforce, adding more agency boots on the ground in Green Country.

2 News first heard about the expansion in early August after reaching out for another story .

That's when 2 News shared the expanded hours exclusively for the COPES clinician's house in 911 dispatch. Less than a week later they shared the organization's rapid growth in the past six months.

"We know crisis doesn't happen Monday through Friday, 9 to 5," said COPES Vice President Amanda Bradley.

"It typically happens when individuals are alone or after hours so us being able to have the resources and availability to respond in the moment when an individual needs us it's extremely important," she said.

She tells me the team assisted in 14,661 calls in 2024 so far. Since starting the expansion, it's seen a 51% increase in mobile responses, which is when teams go into the community firsthand.

That, partnered with the Community Response Programs that partner copes clinicians with police and fire on calls.

• Previous story>>> Tulsa Fire Department launches Alternative Response Team to combat unmet mental health needs

"We get calls from police officers, schools. Just about anybody you can think of that would be a part of their support system. That's usually how our calls begin," said COPES Clinical Supervisor John Mulligan.
He showed 2 News how the calls worked, simulating a typical call.

With the larger staff, they've also doubled their mobile response units. Those include school crisis response teams.

Those teams are dispatched to schools in an emergency to provide counseling services to students and staff after a crisis.

They also provide education to try and prevent a mental health crisis.

"We are a mobile response team for 988 in Tulsa County and surrounding areas," said Mulligan.

If you or someone you know may be experiencing a mental health crisis, you can call 988 or reach copes at (918) 744-4800.

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