Quotes of the Day

“The COVID alert system map here in Oklahoma is similar to a tornado alert system, except the sirens don’t sound until after the tornado hits. So, we need a system that alerts before things get really bad.”

-Dr. George Monks with the Oklahoma State Medical Association [KTUL]

“Too many Oklahomans still can’t afford to see a doctor or fill a prescription, and Oklahomans deserve better. Implementing Medicaid expansion in 2021 should put a significant dent in these numbers.”

-Carly Putnam, Policy Director for OK Policy, speaking about the number of Oklahomans without health insurance [The Oklahoman]

“When we are already starting on first base and many of our neighbors are on third base, we can’t stay home much longer. We just can’t.”

-Dr. Jamie Polk, Oklahoma City Public Schools Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Education speaking about returning to in-person instruction [The Oklahoman]

“They didn’t get a sentence to die. They don’t deserve to die.”

 – Tiffany Walton, a registered nurse from Taft who organized a protest about virus-related conditions at Oklahoma prisons [Public Radio Tulsa]

“I never in my life thought I would see the supply chain of our health care system fall flat on its face. That’s what it did. Because (Stillwater) is a town and a community that rallies behind each other, it didn’t happen at Stillwater Medical, but other hospitals were making face shields out of Krispy Kreme Donut boxes – in this state.”

-Stillwater Medical CEO Denise Webber, thanking community members who donated personal protection equipment to her hospital [Stillwater News Press]

“If we ever want to see progress and change, we can’t ignore the stories of the unheard and oppressed. We have to look at ugly truths. We can’t make the choice to hide it away for the students.”

-Eric Parker, a social studies teacher at Taft Middle School in Oklahoma City [The Frontier] 

“What’s happening is inhumane.”

-Nancy Dalquest speaking about reports of conditions inside Eddie Warrior Correctional Center and its virus outbreak [The Oklahoman]

“We’re literally sleeping on top of each other in here. Social distancing is a joke.”

-Chelsea Norton, who is incarcerated at Eddie Warrior Correctional Center and has tested positive for COVID-19 [The Frontier] 

“It’s so much more than a tourist site — it’s a crime scene. Until Tulsa does right by Greenwood, this district will forever be a crime scene.”

-The Rev. Dr. Robert Turner of the Historic Vernon African Methodist Episcopal Church in Tulsa, the only structure in Tulsa’s Greenwood district that was not destroyed by the mobs during the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre [New York Times] 

“The biggest challenge now in helping our virtual students is trying to stay connected with them so that we can help if they are in a dangerous situation or provide academic and emotional support.”

-Lindsey Schnoebelen, school counselor at Bartlesville’s Central Middle School [Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise]