The universe keeps writing punchlines for Gov. Kevin Stitt. Three months after being the first governor in the country to contract COVID-19, Stitt came bursting out of the gate last week with another one of his five-minute ideas: the Oklahoma Pandemic Center for Innovation & Excellence. Two days in a row after the announcement, the […]
health
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Chicken-Fried News: Almost worst
The countless web surfers who will surely ask Jeeves about Oklahoma after encountering our spiffy new “Imagine That” advertising campaign might uncover some less than flattering imaginative fodder. For example, a recent study by financial advice site WalletHub rated Oklahoma the 47th best state for women, ranking it 44th in economic and social well-being and […]
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Food inequality
The biggest health risk affecting certain communities is inequality. That’s what experts said last week during a symposium on northeast Oklahoma City’s lack of food security. Ward 7 councilwoman Nikki Nice, along with a panel of three experts, discussed the various components that play into food insecurity at the event hosted by Urban Land Institute […]
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Chicken-Fried News: Less money, less problems?
In 1990, Oklahoma ranked 32nd nationally in overall health, according to a report by America’s Health Rankings. Today, it is nearly at the bottom, coming in at 47th. In fact, obesity has increased 17 percent in the last six years alone. So what’s a reasonable way to help improve Oklahomans’ health? Oklahoma State Department of […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Celebration cup
For the first time in a decade, Urban Teahouse’s owner arrives for a meeting fresh off doing some volunteer work with Restore OKC, a nonprofit working to bridge the city’s poverty gap. After opening Urban Teahouse at its original location at May and Grand avenues 10 years ago and opening its current location at 519 […]
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Health gap
Oklahomans throughout the state are urging lawmakers to expand health care coverage before the legislative session ends. Various organizations within Coalition to Expand Coverage came together to host Rally for Coverage April 24 at the state Capitol. Oklahoma is one of 14 states that has not accepted federal funds for Medicaid expansion. Expanded coverage would […]
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Chicken-Fried News: Up top
Looks like Gov. Kevin Stitt’s goal to make Oklahoma a top 10 state is already working. It is just … maybe not what he had in mind. Three separate reports published since February found that Oklahoma tops the worst lists for online dating, being a woman and mental health for teenagers and children. First, a […]
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Commentary: Taking shots
Just 10 months ago, a child in Norman was diagnosed with an entirely preventable disease, one for which a vaccine was developed 55 years ago. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared the disease to be eradicated in the U.S. in 2000, but 18 years later, Oklahoma Department of Health was forced to issue a […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Running start
Pete White Health & Wellness Center officially opened to the public May 4. Ernie Schmidt was one of the very first people in line to utilize the Capitol Hill-area health facility for residents age 50 and older. “I signed up the first day,” Schmidt said. “I had the paperwork before [the center opened].” The 37,000 […]
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Complex mandate
In January, the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), with encouragement from the White House, announced that it would allow states to mandate work requirements for able-bodied Medicaid recipients to receive benefits and released guidelines for how those mandates should look. Four months later, Gov. Mary Fallin signed a bill that requires the […]