A tough economy could force one of the state's drug and alcohol treatment centers to close.  The Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse has had to cut $16 million from its budget since July.  KSBI Thunder TV's Kealey McIntire tells us what that could mean for two metro centers.

One look at the dozens of books on substance abuse in Pat Nichols' office tells you that he's passionate about the issue.  So it's not surprising to learn that he was concerned when he heard the Children's Recovery Center and the Norman Alcohol and Drug Treatment Center may combine.

"There are so many non-violent people that could be helped if we focused our resources on treatment as opposed to incarceration," says Nichols, Founder of Parents Helping Parents, a support system for parents affected by the substance abuse of their children.

The new focus of the combined centers would be primarily on children's substance abuse.

"We're definitely a value-driven organization here," says Todd Crawford, Executive Director of the Children's Recovery Center.  "We'll demonstrate that integrity and we're excited about the opportunity to continue to serve kids with those types of issues."

Crawford says 80 percent of kids with substance abuse issues aren't getting served.  Nichols is concerned about the two centers merging, but he's glad that kids will still be the focus.

"If they're supported by the state and community at large we can revert back to utopia in our state," says Nichols.

The agency proposes a number of other cost-saving measures, including possible furlough days.  Officials will make a final decision in the next few weeks.