Since 2015, some state licensure boards for health professionals have had to wait weeks or months for their disciplinary actions to take effect. Boards say the delay, caused by a required review by the attorney general, puts public health at risk.
As GOP Fails to Overhaul Federal Health Law, State Looks to Roll Back Coverage
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Amid uncertainty over the federal health law, state policymakers also are exploring moves that could affect health care for hundreds of thousands of Oklahomans, by loosening what types of coverage insurers are required to provide.
Tulsa Forum: From Opioids to Meth and Heroin – What Can Be Done?
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Oklahoma Watch will host a public forum on Monday, April 3, in Tulsa on what can be done to address the continuing epidemic of fatal drug overdoses involving not only prescription painkillers, but now also black-market methamphetamine and heroin.
Analysis Outlines Possible Effects of GOP Health-Care Bill on Oklahoma
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An analysis of possible effects of the Republican health-care bill on Oklahoma, prepared for Gov. Mary Fallin, indicates the state could lose public-health funding and many Medicaid recipients might choose not to return to work because insurance would be unaffordable. Read the document.
Nicole Washington: A Refuge for the Mentally Ill
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Dr. Nicole Washington, the main psychiatrist at Family and Children’s Services in Tulsa, discusses the types of low-income clients she sees, the persistent problem of stigma, and why mental illness in poor neighborhoods should matter to all Oklahomans.
End of Hope: One Offender’s Path to the Penitentiary
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David Hammock was one of nine men who took their own lives in the Oklahoma State Penitentiary between 2012 and 2015. Convicted of arson at age 18 for burning down the old Sallisaw High School, he failed at chances to gain early release, and then, in the end, lost hope.
A Mobile-Video Answer to a Mental Health Crisis
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Law enforcement agencies are bearing much of the brunt of dealing with mentally ill people in crisis. But a unique new program is trying to take some of that burden away from police and prevent the mentally ill from unnecessarily ending up in jail.
Rick Bayless: Our Relationship with Food
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For renowned chef and entrepreneur Rick Bayless, who grew up in Oklahoma City, the obesity epidemic in Oklahoma and elsewhere reflects a misguided relationship with food. And “I am a huge believer in ‘all food is good food.'”
Detaining the Mentally Ill
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When encountering the mentally ill, police officers and others can take various actions even if the person doesn’t consent.
When Police Confront the Mentally Ill
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When the mentally ill are in crisis, the first and only responders are usually police officers. That can heighten the risk of a violent confrontation, which is what occurred in the case of Eric Tompkins of Ardmore last year. Some communities are trying a different approach to allow mental-health experts to intercede, in collaboration with police.
In Jails, Lack of Training Heightens Dangers
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Many jailers in Oklahoma have little training in how to deal effectively with the mentally ill. That can lead to bad decisions that endanger lives, mental-health and law-enforcement experts say.