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Quotes of the Day
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“How many women is enough? Our Legislature has been predominantly white men for the history of the state and nobody’s called the question of how many men is enough.”
– Sen. Carrie Hicks (D-Oklahoma City) on the pushback after the influx of new women legislators following the 2018 elections [The Oklahoman]
“In Oklahoma, we have pre-emption, meaning that our local municipalities cannot voluntarily go smoke-free if they so choose. It would take action at the state level to create a smoke-free environment.”
– Scott Tholen of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network on the importance of smoke-free laws – 1 in 3 cancer deaths in Oklahoma are tied to tobaccco, including second-hand smoke. [Public Radio Tulsa]
“I’d be in trouble. I’d probably be back in the hospital”
– Jenny Box of Sapulpa says without the new Cura Clinic for patients without health insurance she might be unable to manage her health condition [Tulsa World]
“More than 450,000 working-age Oklahomans have no health care coverage. When their medical problems become a crisis, they end up in hospital emergency rooms, adding to the uncompensated medical expenses that are pushing rural hospitals to the brink and driving up the premiums of insured Oklahomans…It’s a solvable problem, and a big part of that solution is taking advantage of available federal funding to make sure Oklahomans have access to health care.”
– Tulsa World Editorial Board [Tulsa World]
“A hospital closure is a frightening thing for a small town. It places lives in jeopardy and has a domino effect on the community. Health care professionals leave, pharmacies can’t stay open, nursing homes have to close and residents are forced to rely on ambulances to take them to the next closest facility in their most vulnerable hours.”
– Patti Davis, president of the Oklahoma Hospital Association, on how losing a hospital can devastate rural communities, leaving them with diminished prospects for economic development [Gatehouse News]
“I believe wholeheartedly that if it goes to the ballot, it passes. Everyday Oklahomans agree, and it polls very high. We’ve neglected Oklahomans for years, and years, and years at the expense of big corporations, and it’s time we take care of Oklahomans.”
– Rep. Matt Meredith (D-Tahlequah), speaking about the ballot initiative to expand health coverage for over 100,000 Oklahomans that will begin collecting signature July 31 [Tahlequah Daily Press]
“There are times when people say, ‘Not everyone needs to go to college,’ and there are times when people say, ‘It’s just not worth the cost.’ And I will agree that maybe not everyone needs a bachelor’s degree. But everyone actually does need to have some sort of post-high school learning — unless any of us are OK with someone being able to earn only $9,000 a year.”
– Danette Howard, senior vice president and chief strategy officer for the Lumina Foundation, speaking at the Tulsa Regional Chamber’s State of Education event this week [Tulsa World]
“It is a prescription-driven epidemic. We’re all one car accident away from getting an opioid prescription, and if you have the right kind of brain, you can get addicted.”
– Dr. Jason Beaman, chair of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at OSU Center for Health Sciences, speaking about the history and current state of the opioid epidemic in Oklahoma [CNHI]
“I needed a safe place. Not only did I have a safe place in my school, I had teachers who encouraged me. I had teachers who valued me. That’s why I wanted to teach, just to give back to what was given to me.”
– Jena Nelson, a 2020 Oklahoma Teacher of the Year finalist, believes public education saved her life [The Oklahoman]
“Our clients’ needs are much greater than what we are serving today. That has been reflected in budget constraints.”
– Calvin Moore, President & CEO of Meals on Wheels of Metro Tulsa, which currently provides meals to 1,000 home-bound clients who cannot prepare their own food and 500 teenagers without consistent access to a kitchen [Tulsa World]
