health care
Ransomware attacks force Oklahoma hospitals to divert emergency room patients
Oklahoma is among six states experiencing a temporary disruption to some hospital services after a ransomware attack against Ardent Health Services, a health care company based in Nashville. Ardent operates 30 hospitals, including those under Oklahoma’s Hillcrest HealthCare System. It’s investigating a ransomware attack it experienced on Nov. 23, and, according to a news release, […]
Some Republicans willing to compromise on abortion ban exceptions. Activists ensured they didn’t.
This story was originally published by ProPublica.”ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox. Series: Post-Roe America:Abortion Access Divides the Nation After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, ending nearly 50 years of federal protection for abortion, some states […]
Opinion: Oklahoma’s lack of sex ed curriculum harming the state’s health outcomes
It’s time to have a candid conversation about a topic that seems to make many lawmakers cringe and flush. Sex education. StateImpact reporter Jillian Taylor reported recently that the only sexual education topic that must be taught is AIDS prevention instruction. School districts, though, get to decide when and how to teach it. Parents can […]
Oklahoma AG sues Biden administration over family planning grant clawback
OKLAHOMA CITY – Attorney General Genter Drummond filed a federal lawsuit against the Biden administration for clawing back a nearly $5 million family planning grant from the Oklahoma State Department of Health. The Biden administration reallocated those funds to abortion-rights groups like Planned Parenthood, according to a Monday news release from Drummond’s office. After the […]
Most Americans want health exceptions in abortion bans. Political infighting keeps blocking them.
In early October, an Idaho woman 20 weeks into her pregnancy went to the emergency room after her water broke about five months early. When the water breaks prematurely, an infection can develop and infect the fetus, placenta and other fluids. At that stage of pregnancy, the threat of infection becomes a ticking clock for […]
OU Health begins construction on behavioral health center for children
OKLAHOMA CITY — Officials broke ground Wednesday on a new pediatric behavioral health center at OU Health that will be the first of its kind in the state. Once complete, the Oklahoma Children’s Hospital OU Behavioral Health Center will have 72 beds for children to receive short-term and long-term mental health care. The three-story, 172,755-square-foot […]
Report: Abortions up nationwide following U.S. Supreme Court Dobbs ruling
The number of abortions nationwide increased in the year since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, with abortions surging in states including Oregon that don’t limit the procedure, according to a report released Tuesday. The WeCount report, backed by the Colorado-based Society of Family Planning, is the fourth in a series of quarterly reports […]
‘Historic agreement’ reached between VA, Cherokee Nation to expand veterans care in Oklahoma
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Cherokee Nation have entered into a “historic agreement” that officials said could serve as a “roadmap” for how rural America can work with tribes to increase care for veterans. Through the partnership, the Eastern Oklahoma VA Health Care System plans to open a new 1,300-square-foot clinic inside […]
Oklahoma providers, advocates worry as trans youth face gender care restrictions
OKLAHOMA CITY — Transgender youth who receive hormone medications as part of their gender-affirming care will have their access cut off next month. Advocates and providers are worried about what full implementation of a new state law that bans gender-affirming care for minors could mean for transgender youth who will soon be prohibited from accessing […]
As Missouri providers halt transgender care for minors, some feel duped by legislative deal
Harry Castilow said his family did “all the things you’re supposed to do” when his teenage son Jay came out as transgender. Jay began his social transition in 2021 when he was 15, choosing his name and living as a teenage boy. He went to therapy throughout that first year and got appointments with a […]
Oklahoma’s anti-abortion laws spur greater demand for vasectomies
OKLAHOMA CITY — When Oklahoma City urologist Dr. Basel Hassoun saw the news last summer that the U.S. Supreme Court had overturned Roe v. Wade, he never expected the ruling could impact his job. But about six months after the high court’s decision, he began to see an uptick in the number of patients seeking […]
A new COVID booster is here. Will those at greatest risk get it?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends new COVID-19 booster vaccines for all — but many who need them most won’t get them. About 75% of people in the United States appear to have skipped last year’s bivalent booster, and nothing suggests uptake will be better this time around. “Urging people to get boosters […]