Bartlesville Radio: The area’s best source for news, weather and sports!

The Washington County Sheriff's Office donated three bicycles to the Grand Lake Mental Health Center's Individualized and Placement Supports program on Tuesday afternoon.

Sheriff Scott Owen said the bikes were donated anonymously to the WCSO over the weekend and they decided to give them to IPS. He said we have a community that supports the community, and donors that believe in the common good for everyone; they know the needs of society right now.

Our local communities are going to need more donations to help us get through the environment of need that has been created by the coronavirus pandemic. Sheriff Owen said we are not through the woes of the pandemic yet, but he believes the community will come through to support one another during these trying times. He said social isolation during the pandemic can manifest, but the donation of bicycles will provide an avenue for a few individuals locally to get to a new normal and an improved quality of life.

Sheriff Owen said Grand Lake Mental Health helps reduce the involvement of law enforcement in mental health cases. He said they help individuals live happy, independent life styles without the need for legal or lawful intervention.

This frees up law enforcement to respond to other calls. That being said, Sheriff Owen said they are always going to respond to mental health calls when the need arises because they have been doing that for years. Sheriff Owen said they will always support the opportunity to allow individuals to live their lives independently and happily though.

The donation of the bicycles to Grand Lake Mental Health was the first of its kind. Sheriff Owen said the bikes will help three individuals in the community get closer to achieving independent living through the IPS program that was established by GLMH in 2018.

Alicia Beard, the Special Programs Coordinator for Grand Lake Mental Health, said the IPS program is an employment program. She said there are five specialists in all 12 counties that GLMH serves in northeast Oklahoma. They work directly with people, performing rapid employment searches with them.

Beard said the specialists meet with individuals to discuss career goals. She said they then work with them to come up with a career plan. If someone wants a career in a specific field but they do not meet the educational qualifications or experience, GLMH helps point them in the right direction. Specialists also meet with employers to understand how the application process works and to understand what a business expects to see from a potential candidate that is applying for a job with them.

Half the battle for the individuals from rural communities that Grand Lake Mental Health works with is transportation. Beard said the donation of the bikes from the Washington County Sheriff's Office will give three individuals autonomy and confidence when it comes to arriving at a job interview or going to work. She said they are grateful for the WCSO's donation and she encouraged anyone who may have a functional bike to donate to Grand Lake Mental Health, which is a non-profit organization.