StateImpact Oklahoma

Syphilis seemed all but eradicated in Oklahoma. Then, until about six years ago, it was reported only in men having sex with men. Cases among women grew more than eight fold from 2014 to 2018. Now, cases detected in babies are on the rise, too.

Members of the Healthier Oklahoma Coalition want to communicate with the public directly on hospital and ICU capacity, worker shortages and more.

StateImpact's Robby Korth reports on how masking rules are applied unevenly in Oklahoma's schools. A survey conducted by the State Department of Education last month found about 80 percent have some rules requiring masks in place. However, only about half of the state’s schools require masks in the classroom. Many policies simply apply to buses or hallways during passing periods.

Oklahoma state schools superintendent Joy Hofmeister says it’s impossible to know what school will look like in the near and distant future. But, she tells StateImpact’s Robby Korth wearing masks and taking the virus seriously are critical to getting to a place where safe in person schooling is again the norm.

The state prison population is projected to grow an additional 3.6% in two years because the state Department of Corrections eliminated a method of shortening prisoners’ sentences.

Oklahoma has been using federal coronavirus relief funding to ensure everyone can get tested for free without requirements, such as symptoms or a known exposure. That helps public health agencies track and fight spread. That funding expires Dec. 31, and officials are urging Congress to replace it.

As Oklahoma's coronavirus figures continue their upward trend, public health officials say statewide mask mandates are not on the list of potential mitigation efforts.

Oklahoma voters rejected State Question 814. It would have taken payments away from the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust, which funds public health measures like tobacco cessation and cancer research, and put them toward Medicaid expansion. The state is expected to see a $1 billion infusion of federal health funding, but has to put in about $150 million first. Without that TSET funding, lawmaker...

Most high school students in Oklahoma can’t vote, yet the presidential election will have a tremendous impact on them. So, Oklahoma Engaged, with the help of youth civic engagement non-profit Generation Citizen, decided to talk directly to them. StateImpact’s Robby Korth guides listeners through their conversation.

Two years after Oklahoma educators walked out of their classrooms and stormed the state Capitol, fewer teachers are running for state legislative seats. This year, more than 50 education candidates launched campaigns for legislative seats, down from 112 candidates who ran in 2018, according to figures from the Oklahoma Education Association. In an Oklahoma Media Center story supported by Oklahoma...

Turmoil has swirled around Epic Virtual Charter Schools for years. But StateImpact’s Robby Korth reports a state audit has intensified calls to take action against the school and its for profit management company. And that’s clouded the future for the more than 60,000 students who attend Oklahoma’s largest school district. This COVID-19/education reporting is made possible by a grant from the Walt...

State Question 814 would route money away from a public health and tobacco cessation program, using it to pay for Oklahoma's Medicaid expansion. This pitch isn't new, nor is the attempt to divert money out of the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust, otherwise known as TSET.

Oklahoma City Police are trying new ways to help people in crisis cope with their illness' and potentially get faster access to care.

A brief summary of this episode

In the midst of a historic pandemic and the onset of flu season, Oklahoma public health workers have another emergency to address. Statewide, syphilis cases among women have grown by more than 850 percent in four years. In south-central Oklahoma's Carter County, the case rate has grown by 900 percent since last year. Public health specialists tackle everything from raising awareness, preparing car...

The Department of Corrections is drawing heavy criticism for its steep rise in COVID-19 cases. Most of the 3,175 total cases recorded as of Sept. 23. were first reported in the past month.

Mental health calls have nearly doubled for Oklahoma City’s police force in six years. Police and policy makers say officers shouldn’t be involved in most of the calls at all.

A September surge of COVID-19 cases in Oklahoma is largely a result of the coronavirus’ spread on college campuses. StateImpact’s Catherine Sweeney and Robby Korth report on how cases have spread in college towns.

Oklahoma voters approved Medicaid expansion via State Question 802 in June. Six of Oklahoma's 77 counties approved the measure, and those counties were largely the state's most urban. Soon, conventional wisdom attributed the vote breakdown to the urban-rural divide.. However, The Oklahoma Policy Institute dug into the data and found there was more to it than that. Here, StateImpact's Catherine Swe...

More than half of the Oklahomans who have died from COVID-19 complications had an underlying heart condition. Health experts said that the state's high rate of heart disease is not the only factor.

Since classes started this semester StateImpact’s Robby Korth has been tracking COVID-19 cases in schools across Oklahoma. So far he’s identified almost 200 school districts where a case has been publicly announced. Korth spoke with StateImpact Managing Editor Logan Layden about the tracking project.

A nonprofit leader hoped Oklahoma County would use some of its $47 million CARES Act grant to help people facing eviction. But the state’s most populous county is planning to spend the bulk of that relief package on its problematic jail.

The United States entered a nationwide nursing shortage in 2001, and Oklahoma has been in one since. There aren't enough slots in nursing programs, many graduates take jobs out of state, and retention is difficult. Then the U.S. entered the worst pandemic in a century.

The Oklahoma State Board of Education refused to pass a plan that featured a masking mandate and required pivot to distance learning amid rising case numbers of the coronavirus. Instead, they opted to make a thorough plan simply a recommendation. The result, few school districts are following the state's guidelines as they reopen for school.

The pandemic threatens former prisoners’ access to resources they need to build stable lives. Offices that issue legal identification have closed for part or the majority of the pandemic.