Oklahoma Ride Care started with a clear mission: “to transform Oklahoma’s medical transportation system towards a person-centered approach and to remove the stigma of mental health and addiction disorders.” Today, the “the first of its kind in the nation” program delivers on a “modern vision of compassionate crisis transportation … services for individuals experiencing a psychiatric emergency.” As the program’s website details:
“For years, law enforcement vehicles and handcuffs were used to transport individuals to treatment even when they had committed no crime. This created a stigma around mental health and addiction disorders, often causing trauma and discouragement for those in need of care. [But] OK RIDE CARE [provides an] alternative transportation service that is safe, secure, and focused on the individual’s care during the transportation experience. Our vehicles are unmarked, and drivers are specially trained to give care to those experiencing crisis.”
Bonnie Campo, a Senior Director with the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services told KFOR, Oklahoma City’s local NBC Affiliate, that “in just over a year ride care has transported more than 14,000 Oklahomans experiencing psychiatric crisis … They logged more than 1.5 million miles. This surely helps law enforcement.”