From NewsOK:

The Oklahoma Public Employees Association is asking a judge to decide if efforts to privatize operations at the Griffin Memorial Hospital in Norman fall within the state law.

The employees association said this afternoon during a news conference that the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services failed to follow state law when it entered into a contract with Red Rock to manage and operate a unit of the hospital.

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From The Daily Oklahoman:

Calls to HeartLine’s suicide prevention hot line are up significantly this year, and many callers report financial woes and economic uncertainty.

The number of calls to (800) 273-TALK increased 27 percent for the first half of 2009, from 1,899 calls to 2,413, said Tom Taylor, development and outreach director for HeartLine. The economic downturn is a factor, but more calls is not necessarily bad news.

“It’s actually a good thing that more people are reaching out,” he said.

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