Kingfisher, Blaine and Logan counties are among 34 in the state that will no longer have Department of Human Services offices, under a new plan announced by OKDHS.

The plan will allow the state agency to absorb a 4% ($28 million) reduction in funding caused by the COVID-19 crisis and resulting economic downturn without furloughing employees or reducing services, OKDHS Director Justin Brown said.

“Our agency has learned so much in light of COVID. We know that we can continue to serve our customers in a meaningful way while teleworking. Many of our staff are already working from the field,” he said.

“By prioritizing our services and customers over physical structures as we absorb budget cuts, and by strengthening community partnerships to serve in new ways, we are creating stability for our agency and those we serve well into the future.

“Our priority as an agency is always to serve Oklahomans, especially those who need us most.”

A recent agency survey determined that “87% of OKDHS employees are as productive or more so in the telework environment,” according to a statement emailed to the Times & Free Press by OKDHS Communications Administrator Casey White.

An exact date for the closures hasn’t been determined. Buildings also will be closed in larger counties where multiple locations will be consolidated into one or two structures, White said.

OKDHS staff is working to develop community partnerships to provide space so that face-to-face interactions still can be conducted as necessary.

The Times & Free Press will continue to follow this story as it develops, including looking at the potential impact on local child welfare response, investigation and family support services, which already faced challenges due to courthouse closures and justice system backlogs.