Drummond calls on Gov. Stitt to terminate state Mental Health commissioner

OKLAHOMA CITY (May 2, 2025) – Attorney General Gentner Drummond made the following remarks today following revelations that the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services will be unable to meet payroll obligations. The agency already has been embroiled in scandal over what appears to be a financial freefall.

“The financial meltdown at the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services is nothing short of government malpractice. The agency serves many of our most vulnerable citizens who are wholly reliant on these services, and these Oklahomans deserve agency leadership capable of meeting their needs. 

“Gov. Stitt should have fired his failed agency head months ago when we first learned of her incompetent leadership. I am calling on Gov. Stitt to immediately terminate Commissioner Allie Friesen and seek guidance from industry experts so he can appoint a new leader who is up to the job.”