OKPOLICY.ORG
Category: Oklahoma and COVID-19: Two Years Later
Oklahoma and COVID-19: Two Years Later: On March 6, 2020, Oklahoma reported its first confirmed case of COVID-19 and declared a statewide emergency 10 days later. As the pandemic now enters its third year, Oklahomans continue grappling with the impact of lives lost and the immense disruptions it has created. OK Policy will be reflecting on the COVID-19 pandemic’s impacts and challenges. Our hope is that this will highlight opportunities for collaborative decision-making, future improvements, and prosperity for all Oklahomans.
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Legislators have an opportunity to make a down payment on the state’s future
Oklahoma is in a unique position this year to make a downpayment on the future of our state. Premature tax cuts will set the state up to fail; investments will allow us to thrive. [More...]
Tribal health systems need more resources to fight public health emergencies, but there are still long-standing barriers that need to be addressed
Tribal health’s innovation throughout the COVID-19 pandemic benefitted all Oklahomans, yet tribal citizens experienced disproportionate hardships. These disparities should be addressed through better resources, data collection, and addressing long-standing discrimination and underinvestment. [More...]
Reducing our incarceration population is a matter of public safety — and public health
The state should continue reducing the number of people incarcerated in Oklahoma across the board by extending the early pandemic efforts, like expanding commutations and making permanent efforts that reduce arrests for certain non-violent offenses. These efforts are not only good for Oklahomans and public safety, but they serve the needs of public health as well. [More...]
Mitigation efforts helped keep our justice-involved youth safer during the pandemic
Justice-involved youth have faced a heightened risk during the COVID-19 pandemic. Youthful offenders, already likely burdened with childhood trauma and the stress of separation from family, faced considerable risks living in shared facilities with other youths during a highly infectious global pandemic. [More...]
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed gaps in services to vulnerable communities, particularly immigrants
Immigrants have had to bear the pandemic without much federal aid due to complicated rules around eligibility for public benefit programs, limited access to health care, economic limitations, and a variety of other factors. At the state level, Oklahoma did comparatively little to support immigrants as well. [More...]
Smart investments are the key to an equitable economic recovery from the COVID-19 recession
While macroeconomic indicators such as Gross Domestic Product (the size of an economy) and the unemployment rate (the percentage of people who want work but can’t find it) are useful for measuring the overall health of an economy, they conceal inequalities and long-standing structural challenges that hurt many Oklahomans' ability to provide for themselves and participate in our economy. [More...]
COVID-19 worsened an existing crisis for child care in Oklahoma
Due to underfunding, Oklahoma’s child care system for providers and families was in crisis long before the first COVID-19 case at a child care center was reported on March 18, 2020. [More...]
Evictions are returning to pre-pandemic levels. That’s not a good thing.
Unless action is taken, Oklahoma evictions will return to problematically high levels. Now is the time for policymakers in our state to adopt bold new policies that give renters the support and protections they need to stay in their homes and communities. [More...]
Medicaid expansion has helped Oklahomans weather the pandemic
Throughout this pandemic — and particularly since the implementation of Medicaid expansion in 2021 — Medicaid has fulfilled its purpose: facilitating access to affordable and comprehensive health coverage for those who might otherwise go without health care. State and federal actions have helped maximize the impact of Medicaid, and moving forward we should continue to prioritize accessible coverage for all eligible Oklahomans. [More...]
