Oklahoma County breaks ground on new Behavioral Care Facility

Officials broke ground on Oklahoma County’s new Behavioral Care Center on Friday morning. 

Conversations started in 2007 about the 56,000 sq. ft facility, which will be built at Southeast 15th and Grand. 

“For a long time now, the OKC region has been seen as a North Star in terms of the criminal justice ecosystem; how communities can work together to really solve problems,” explained Christy Gillenwater, President and CEO of the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber. 

Retired Oklahoma County Sheriff John Whetsel said the Oklahoma County Jail has faced one problem for several years. 

Addressing Mental Health in the Justice System

“We always found about 20-25% of the inmates required mental health care,” Whetsel detailed.

The Behavioral Care Center is "a great first step to decriminalize mental illness,” insisted Xavier Neira, who is on the Oversight Committee for the new jail. 

Cathy Costello said she supports the project. 

"My son was in the county jail multiple times -- always due to a mental health crisis. I think if we'd have this facility available nine years ago, perhaps we could've gotten Christian the help that he needed," she said.

A Vision for the Future

The Behavioral Care Center, which will house 60 beds, will be built in the same complex as the new Oklahoma County Jail. 

“We have a lot of clients that have unmet behavioral health needs coming in and out of the jail. Our goal is to reduce the touch points with the jail, and so a facility such as the behavioral health center being able to better support this population is a huge win for our entire community,” said Meagan Taylor, Executive Director of Diversion Hub. 

Officials said they expect construction to be complete by Dec. 2026.