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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Cleveland County Wellness Committee Regular Meeting - July 31, 2026

Board of County Commissioners & Boards — Friday, July 31, 2026

BodyCleveland County, Oklahoma

SessionBoard of County Commissioners & Boards

DateFriday, July 31, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 30:40

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0:00

Oh boy.

0:01

You don't have a cat in there, do you?

0:05

Oh, somebody does.

0:11

You don't have a cat in the physical.

0:14

Okay.

0:23

Yeah, it's covered.

0:25

Yeah.

0:25

Okay.

0:43

All right.

0:44

Let's call this committee to work.

0:47

And July 31st.

0:52

Cleveland, absent, Lane.

0:54

Here.

0:55

Wellard here.

0:58

Williams, absent.

1:00

Maldon.

1:02

Hangers.

1:03

Here.

1:05

Hamilton.

1:06

Absent.

1:08

Rains.

1:10

Absent.

1:12

Richards.

1:13

Here.

1:14

We have Clarm.

1:15

Okay.

1:16

No, this is going to be the most popular posted on July 28th, 2026.

1:38

Okay.

1:38

All maybe I say I'm items of public call up, but business.

1:52

Number two to receive presentation from Virtue Center in reference to the substance abuse program to increase health benefits to cleaning county calls.

2:09

Good morning.

2:09

Good morning.

2:10

Good morning.

2:11

I am Teresa Clauto with the Virtue Center.

2:13

I'm the executive director, and just want to thank you for the opportunity this morning.

2:18

Good morning.

2:20

Um we've been in the community since 1972 and work closely with actually with the county in uh funding prevention programs in Norman Public Schools and most recently with the um treatment court funding.

2:36

And we have found when we help people find recovery, they're able to not only um be the best person that they can be as a human being, but as a parent and as an employee as well, and we see lots of lives uh changed in that way.

2:57

And so we've been working with Dr.

2:59

Brian Yeyman, he's also on our board, and he has seen a recovery and action um through his work with uh other doctors, and we'd like to make a presentation about what we might be able to do for the county employees and invest in their health.

3:19

So I'm gonna turn over to Dr.

3:21

Yemen and Brian Yeyman, I'm a family physician.

3:25

I've been in Norman for 20 years, 15 at the hospital, had my own recovery, and uh, and I'll touch on that within the presentation, but I'm currently a director for the um Oklahoma Health Provider Program to help other physicians, veterinarians, and dentists in sobriety recovery and back to work.

3:46

And I'm on the board now at the Virtue Center, and it you know has occurred to me many times that the accountability type programs to help those in recovery from alcohol or substance abuse can help keep them employed, accountable and uh present at work, right?

4:07

Uh so we can go to the next slide.

4:14

Well, and also by the way, in the past, I did the county health clinic, and uh until I have my own burnout, and so I've worked with the county before and very well aware of the county's investment in your workforce.

4:32

Um what you guys are doing for Balmus, your gym, the clinic, and trying to retain employees and keep them working at the top of their game, both in terms of their health, but also mental health and substance abuse and addiction.

4:47

It's it's a real issue for all of us.

4:50

Um more than most of us realize, right?

4:56

Um so the pattern is already present within the workforce.

5:03

We already have uh challenges in terms of no show for work, right?

5:09

Calling in sick, um sick days, you know, pile up, uh, multiple health visits, right?

5:16

The additional cost to the county in terms of all of the additional services you wind up putting around someone to support them before their problem or addiction or alcoholism becomes obvious is quite significant, right?

5:35

And many of the county employees have been present for many years, right?

5:40

And that's one of the big things for the county is okay.

5:44

Our workforce stays for 10, 20, 25 years, and we want to take care of them.

5:50

Uh next slide.

5:55

So Cleveland County as a whole, and that's one of the thought processes of this potential program for recovery works with the virtue center, and you know, I've I'm trying to help the virtue center stand up this type of a program.

6:10

Substance abuse, roughly 8%, 20% uh mental health, um which heavily overlaps, of course, with substance and alcohol abuse.

6:22

Uh our 34,000 population is effectively 9,000 members of the community that are affected by these disorders.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Mental Health Awareness█████████████████████████████████████████████75%

Technology and Innovation██████10%

Procedural████7%

Economic Development███5%

Budget Equity Analysis██3%

Summary of Proceedings

Cleveland County Wellness Committee Regular Meeting - July 31, 2026

The Cleveland County Wellness Committee convened on July 31, 2026, at 9:00 AM in Norman, Oklahoma, under Chair Rod Cleveland. The meeting focused on a proposed substance abuse accountability program for county employees, updates on wellness initiatives, the county gym facility, and employee health clinic matters. No formal votes or actions were taken on agenda items.

Consent Calendar

The committee did not discuss or act on the approval of the minutes from the April 24, 2026 regular meeting, which was listed on the agenda.

Public Comments & Testimony

No public comments were made during the meeting.

Discussion Items

Presentation by the Virtue Center (Substance Abuse Program): Teresa Clauto, Executive Director of the Virtue Center, and Dr. Brian Yeyman, a family physician and board member, presented a proposed accountability program ("Recovery Works") for county employees. Dr. Yeyman, who is seven years sober, described the program's features: virtual check-ins via an app (Recovery Trek), random drug testing, weekly private virtual meetings, and an accountability sponsor. The program aims to preserve employee anonymity, reduce relapse rates (claiming 80% completion without relapse for structured programs, versus 80% relapse within three months for standard treatment), and save the county an estimated $125,000 annually per employee retained. The cost would be approximately $300 per month per participant ($7,000 for a two-year program). The committee asked questions about cost, testing methods, and the app's readiness. Dr. Yeyman noted the program would be voluntary and can be facilitated through HR. He requested the committee consider approving a pilot partnership.
Wellness Initiative Update: The committee discussed the status of the wellness initiative app. It was reported that the app was submitted for Apple review on July 28, 2026, and was expected to be approved by August 1, 2026. Due to time constraints, the initiative would shift from a 90-day to a 60-day program. Participants who complete the program would receive a $250 incentive. The app will be available for both Apple and Android devices.
Report on County Wellness Gym Facility: Member Lisa Painter reported that two treadmills are currently non-functional and awaiting repair. There is preliminary discussion about replacing one or two treadmills with stepper machines. Additionally, boxes stored in the gym are being moved onto pallets to increase usable space, which is expected to lead to a significant increase in gym usage.
Employee Health Clinic Update: The committee received an update on the massage therapist services. The Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) approved a contract amendment increasing the massage price by $10 total—$5 paid by the county and $5 by the employee. The increase has not yet been implemented; current scheduled appointments will retain the old price. The chair noted that the committee had not yet received information about whether the county would pay for the massage therapist's services for committee members.

Key Outcomes

No motions were made or votes taken on any agenda item. The committee received presentations and updates but did not take formal action. The proposed pilot with the Virtue Center remains pending for future consideration. The wellness app launch is expected by early August 2026. The gym facility and health clinic updates were noted for informational purposes.

Meeting Transcript

Oh boy. You don't have a cat in there, do you? Oh, somebody does. You don't have a cat in the physical. Okay. Yeah, it's covered. Yeah. Okay. All right. Let's call this committee to work. And July 31st. Cleveland, absent, Lane. Here. Wellard here. Williams, absent. Maldon. Hangers. Here. Hamilton. Absent. Rains. Absent. Richards. Here. We have Clarm. Okay. No, this is going to be the most popular posted on July 28th, 2026. Okay. All maybe I say I'm items of public call up, but business. Number two to receive presentation from Virtue Center in reference to the substance abuse program to increase health benefits to cleaning county calls. Good morning. Good morning. Good morning. I am Teresa Clauto with the Virtue Center. I'm the executive director, and just want to thank you for the opportunity this morning. Good morning. Um we've been in the community since 1972 and work closely with actually with the county in uh funding prevention programs in Norman Public Schools and most recently with the um treatment court funding. And we have found when we help people find recovery, they're able to not only um be the best person that they can be as a human being, but as a parent and as an employee as well, and we see lots of lives uh changed in that way. And so we've been working with Dr. Brian Yeyman, he's also on our board, and he has seen a recovery and action um through his work with uh other doctors, and we'd like to make a presentation about what we might be able to do for the county employees and invest in their health. So I'm gonna turn over to Dr. Yemen and Brian Yeyman, I'm a family physician. I've been in Norman for 20 years, 15 at the hospital, had my own recovery, and uh, and I'll touch on that within the presentation, but I'm currently a director for the um Oklahoma Health Provider Program to help other physicians, veterinarians, and dentists in sobriety recovery and back to work. And I'm on the board now at the Virtue Center, and it you know has occurred to me many times that the accountability type programs to help those in recovery from alcohol or substance abuse can help keep them employed, accountable and uh present at work, right? Uh so we can go to the next slide. Well, and also by the way, in the past, I did the county health clinic, and uh until I have my own burnout, and so I've worked with the county before and very well aware of the county's investment in your workforce. Um what you guys are doing for Balmus, your gym, the clinic, and trying to retain employees and keep them working at the top of their game, both in terms of their health, but also mental health and substance abuse and addiction. It's it's a real issue for all of us. Um more than most of us realize, right? Um so the pattern is already present within the workforce.

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