Representatives from the company, Inhouse Web Services, said it would cost about $19,850 to design, create and launch the app. The commissioners approved this estimate.
"I think it's a great idea that you have a collection point for all of our resources — a one-stop shop, if you will," said District 2 Commissioner Steve Hendrix.
District 1 Commissioner Dan DeLozier announced in September the county will use part of a $289,000 mental health grant to develop an app people can use to quickly access local mental health resources.
The idea is inspired by Erie Path, a resource app created in 2023 by the government of Erie County, New York.
Libby First, marketing strategist for Inhouse, said Erie Path was the first app of its kind, and Rogers County's potential app would be the first in Oklahoma.
First said Oklahoma residents badly need a mental health app; according to the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Oklahoma has the fifth-highest rate of mental illness in the United States.
"Mental health apps have the potential to bridge those gaps," First said. "Especially in remote areas or [among] people who are reluctant to seek that in-person treatment, it could be a critical tool breaking down that stigma associated with seeking help for mental health issues, allowing people to access the resources discreetly in the comfort of their own homes."
The mental health department estimates 13,662 Rogers County residents are in need of mental health treatment, but just 13.5% of those needing treatment are actually receiving it.
First said Inhouse would design the app initially to cater only to Rogers County residents. DeLozier said he hopes the county could eventually open it to residents of neighboring counties.
"We're also going to be building it with the idea in mind to invite other counties in the state to be able to add to this app for their resources," First said. "So this has a lot of growth opportunity as time goes on, and it can be added to. We're already thinking on that big picture of what that structure would look like."
Brent Buchert, the company's chief operating officer, said Inhouse would design the app to be simple. He said he intends users to land on a page with three buttons that read "Mental Health Resources," "Disaster Resources" and "I Need Help Now."
He said people should be able to find what they need on the app in just three clicks.
"Rogers County is full of so many wonderful resources, but half the problems that have come up in conversation are just nobody knows what to access, where to access, how to take advantage of it," First said. "This provides one place you can get all that information."
First said in addition to coding the app's basic structure, Inhouse would also come up with branding.
She proposed calling the app "Better Together" — a nod to Better Together in Rogers County, a group that maintains a guidebook of local resources and has held several resource fairs in Claremore.
Inhouse staff would also design a logo and create a color palette that would be "most palatable" to those seeking mental health help, First said.
"It's really important to have that style guide from the beginning, especially if it's something that you're going to be inviting other counties across the state to participate in, so that everyone is of like mind and things look cohesive and consistent," First said.
Buchert said the county would assume full ownership of the app and its branding once Inhouse completes it.
First and Buchert said Inhouse would also handle testing the app, adding it to app stores and performing routine maintenance after it's published.
Buchert said Inhouse would develop the app in two phases that would collectively take about eight weeks.
Inhouse Web Services is a subsidiary of Inhouse Advertising, also based in Tulsa. Hendrix said the app would only benefit people if they know about it and asked whether Inhouse's services include promotion.
First said Inhouse can advertise on the county's behalf, but the cost isn't included in the $19,850 estimate.
District 3 Commissioner Ron Burrows said the commissioners find it important to get the word out about the app.
"Great idea," Burrows said. "But if it's not marketed really heavily throughout the county, nobody's going to know about it. We're talking a variety of marketing techniques and making sure that it's in the hands of people that need it."
County spokesperson Diana Dickinson said though the commissioners approved the estimate, they haven't officially thrown in their lot with Inhouse because they haven't signed a contract.
© 2024 the Claremore Daily Progress (Claremore, Okla.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
