Public Health

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Justin Humphrey, R-Lane, will hold an interim study this week on the response to COVID. "The study will demonstrate people unnecessarily died due to protocols established by government," Humphrey said. "It is important to take actions and pass legislation that will prevent the government from mishandling another pandemic." Time: 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Date: Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024 Place: Oklahoma State Capitol, Room 4S5, 2300 N Lincoln Blvd., Oklahoma City Presenters include: Dr. David Martin who will give a history of COVID starting with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS CoV-1) and federal mandates; Dr. Pierre Kory who will discuss medical treatments and hospital protocols, including denials of treatment and rejected drugs; Dr. Mary Bowden, who will discuss gene vaccines, the push of the "safe and effective" narrative, adverse effects and censorship of doctors, including threats to licensing; Kevin McKernan, chief scientific officer and founder of Medicinal Genomics, who will present his proof of contamination and adulteration of COVID mRNA Vaccines; Dr. Janci Lindsay, who will discuss gene therapies and vaccines, potential adverse effects, reported failures of safety and regulatory agencies and accusations of collusion; Attorney Warner Mendenhall, who will discuss financial, medial and pharmacy incentives, the forced use of specific protocols, and insurance company reimbursements for only specific medicines; and Attorney Rachel Rodriguez, who will explain requested legislation. 

Rep. Daniel Pae, R-Lawton, and Rep. Arturo Alonso-Sandoval, D-Oklahoma City, hosted an interim study on healthcare challenges facing rural Oklahomans before the House Public Health Committee on Thursday, Oct. 10.  "A strong healthcare system is the backbone of a healthy economy, but when we fail to invest in rural healthcare, we fail our fellow Oklahomans," Pae said. "Without providing the right resources today, rural hospitals will continue to close their doors. These difficulties won't just go away if we ignore the problem or resolve themselves unless we take targeted investment and action."  "This interim study shed light on our current healthcare challenges and the immediate steps we can take to make a significant difference next session," Alonso-Sandoval said. "As a representative of an urban district, I've seen how parts of our cities face healthcare access issues similar to our rural communities. It's clear that addressing the lack of healthcare resources is crucial for all Oklahomans, no matter where they live. This study emphasized the importance in providing comprehensive solutions that ensure quality healthcare is accessible to every Oklahoman." According to the Oklahoma Hospital Association (OHA), in 2023, Oklahoma's healthcare spending per capita was $9,444, whereas the U.S. healthcare spending per capita was $10,191.  When speaking on operational challenges hospitals face, Rich Rasmussen, president and CEO of OHA, said total expenses were $2 billion higher in 2023 than pre-pandemic. He attributed this increase to rising labor costs, including contract labor expenses, as well as growing prices of utilities, drugs and supplies.  "The majority of hospitals dipped into their reserves to be able to cover operating costs," Rasmussen said.  Sean McAvoy, executive director of Primary Care Services for Comanche County Hospital Authority, said there are several reasons why providers may choose not to go to rural areas.  McAvoy said many rural areas lack facilities that meet healthcare standards, requiring new construction of healthcare facilities, as well as having a smaller workforce to recruit from, leading many healthcare providers to recruit new hires, which can be costly. Additionally, McAvoy said, rural areas with fewer employees mean fewer people with employer-sponsored healthcare, which typically pays better rates to healthcare providers.  McAvoy said transportation presents a challenge in rural areas, especially for older adults, but telemedicine is an increasingly valuable tool to address certain healthcare concerns. He also pointed to mobile clinics as a good option to expand care in rural areas quickly, although he said they typically have high operational costs.  Melissa Alvillar, the chief nursing officer at Comanche County Memorial Hospital, said Oklahoma is ranked 49th nationally in healthcare outcomes.  "Hospitals such as ours are willing to grow and willing to add beds to facilitate the care that the rural environment needs, but we need the financial help to support that," Alvillar said. She said healthcare providers need support from lawmakers to deliver the care Oklahomans deserve.  "We have the ability to be higher in healthcare than 49th," Alvillar said.  She told attendees it's hard to get people to join or stay in the healthcare workforce given the increase in physical assaults and threats against healthcare providers and, as a result, the cost of staff pay and benefits to retain employees is "through the roof," further stressing hospitals' and clinics' budgets.  Dr. Mark Woodring, vice chair of the Board of Rural Health Association of Oklahoma, highlighted the recent groundbreaking of a new rural hospital in Tillman County. Since the 2016 closure of Memorial Hospital and Physician Group in Frederick, residents have driven between 30 minutes to an hour to receive hospital-level care. The new hospital is funded in part by the Legislature's appropriation of federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.  According to the most recent data, Woodring said, "Most of Oklahoma is a health professional shortage area." One suggestion he offered to improve rural health outcomes was creating a healthcare rural opportunity zone pilot program or offering state income tax exemptions or credits to providers who relocate.  "It's creating maybe an additional incentive not to go into a specialty that's going to pay them more," Woodring said. "They know that certainly primary care, while competitive is not paying as much as a maybe a cardiologist or an orthopedic surgeon."

The House Public Health Committee heard from advocates for harm reduction supporting an extension of a law passed in 2021 to legalize needle exchange programs in an interim study Thursday. Rep. Daniel Pae, R-Lawton, coauthored Senate Bill 511 in 2021, which authorized programs that register with the Oklahoma State Department of Health to distribute and collect hypodermic needles, cleaning and test kits, and opioid antagonists if no state dollars are used. However, the law passed with a five-year sunset, meaning it will sunset in 2026. Pae said he requested an interim study on the effects of SB511 to learn about the ongoing efforts to invest in harm reduction and currently available data on the programs in time to take action before the bill expires. "I believe harm reduction programs not only save lives, but ultimately save the state money," Pae said. "Since Senate Bill 511 is set to sunset in a few years, I wanted to start the conversation now about the outcome of these programs and how we can best support our community partners fighting the good fight across the state." Brittany Hayes, policy director at Healthy Minds Initiative, said harm reduction aims to minimize the negative outcomes associated with substance use, such as the spread of diseases. While harm reduction programs promote safer use, Hayes said the most important part of harm reduction is meeting people where they are. "If a person comes to you, that's a first step," Hayes said. "You need to meet them where they are. Not everybody is ready to step into a treatment facility day one. Not everybody is ready to step into a treatment facility year three." Hayes shared data on Oklahoma's syringe service programs (SSPs), which was self-reported by four harm reduction organizations from 2022 to 2024. Over those two years, the organizations distributed 25,125 naloxone kits, which included two doses each, and self-reported 1,212 overdose reversals from naloxone they distributed. The organizations also referred 1,528 clients for services, such as substance use education or testing for HIV and STIs. One of those clients was Tamra Graham, who told the committee about her personal experience with harm reduction services. She was prescribed opioids after surgery, which ultimately led into a decade-long struggle with addiction. "I’m a wife, I'm a mother, but most importantly, I'm alive," said Graham, who has been clean for a year and a half. Graham said while ready access to clean needles reduced her risk of diseases, they also kept her connected with community resources available to help when she was ready to quit her addiction. "Having access to clean syringes did not enable my drug use but helped put my mind at ease knowing I would be safe from most diseases common in IV substance use, such as hepatitis C or HIV," Graham said. "When seeking services from Shred the Stigma, I was never pressured to practice abstinence, which made me feel more in control of my substance use, but I knew when I was ready to start my recovery journey, that they would be there to provide support and resources for me to do so." Graham is now a program assistant at Shred the Stigma, the same harm reduction organization that initially provided her with hypodermic needles and, later, with resources to seek treatment. Between 2022 and 2024, Oklahoma's four harm reduction organizations served 8,896 clients and distributed 578,330 syringes. Hayes told the committee that one of the outcomes they anticipate is that syringe exchange programs will lead to a significant decrease in HIV and Hepatitis C (HCV) cases. Both diseases can spread through shared needles. Hayes noted that in 2022, Oklahoma ranked among the top seven states in the U.S. with the highest rural burden of HIV, with each case costing the state nearly $510,000 a lifetime. That same year, Oklahoma also had the highest rate of new HCV infections. "When we’re talking about syringe exchange programs, access to safe injection kits decreases rates of disease, and we hope that’s the story that Oklahoma's SSP program will be able to tell when the data is more complete," Hayes said. Pae said he intended to file legislation next year to remove or extend SB511's sunset date.