Perry Daily Journal (Perry, Okla.), Vol. 107, No. 27, Ed. 1 Tuesday, February 8, 2000 Page: 3 of 10
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NEWS
Perry Daily Journal, Page 3
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Tuesday, February 8, 2000
Business said in denial
of state’s bad health
By Jim Campbell, OPA Capitol News Bureau
( Oklahoma ranks 45th in the nation in percentage of adults physi-
cally able to work. Yet state health officials say the business com-
munity, although directly affected by workers’ sorry heath, is in
denial.
1 he bottom line of the latest State of the State’s Health report is
waste — squandered years of life,
i work force productivity and oppor-
% tunity for economic growth.
E “The most denial at present in my
° opinion is in the business commu-
00 = nity," said Dr. Gordon Decker, mem-
ber and past president of the State
Capitol
Report
Board of Health. "The business community has not caught on.”
But he said doctors at first also found the statistics hard to be-
lieve and he expects the business community will begin to respond.
Dr Boyd Whitlock, president of the Oklahoma State Medical
Association, said business has so far not come together as a com-
munity to tackle the poor health of the state’s work force.
Particularly damaging to Oklahoma’s efforts to attract high pay-
ingjobs. Decker said, is the state’s continuing low ranking by the
ReliaStar Financial Corp. in St. Paul, Minn. It’s used heavily by
companies looking for expansion sites.
He said he knew of one big national company that bypassed Okla-
homa partially for that reason after secret trips to Tulsa and Okla-
homa ( ity. More disturbing, he said, was that the firm’s CEO found
there seemed to be no understanding of the health problem by the
business community.”
Imagine an Oklahoma City bombing every five days, amount-
ing to an age adjusted death rate 11.3 percent above the national
average.
Each year the board rolls out such data detailing Oklahoma’s
poor health compared with the rest ofthe country. Since the reports
began in 1997, the news has not improved.
I he board focused squarely on tobacco use as “the most signifi-
cant risk factor" in leading causes of death in Oklahoma.
“I ntil our state leaders seriously consider the impact smoking
has on the health of our citizens and act accordingly, we will con-
tinue to see high rates of lung cancer, emphysema, heart disease,
stroke and other conditions," the report said
"Appropriate use of tobacco settlement funds can make a power-
ful impact on improving the health of Oklahomans. If not, the bur-
den of tobacco use will continue to plague our citizens dispropor-
tionately compared to the U.S. as a whole.”
Missionary work, it was suggested, might be in order at the
governor’s office.
Gov. Frank Keating, in his budget briefing for reporters on
Wednesday, said he was “a doubting Thomas” on the effectiveness
of smoking prevention programs.
“If we can be shown programs that work well then we certainly
should look at that," Keating said.
The governor has proposed using the first two years of the state’s
tobacco money to help balance his budget. He would use $42.8 mil-
lion in a rescue of rural hospitals, saying that would allow the state
to use another $98 million in federal matching funds.
The board, citing success in California, Massachusetts and
Florida, called for “comprehensive, evidence-based" prevention and
reduction programs using tobacco settlement funds at the commu-
nity level.
Oklahoma’s adult smoking rate, according to the report, is 23.8
percent. The national rate is 22.9. More foreboding is that 42 per-
cent of state high school students are at risk for nicotine addition, 9
percent above the national figure. Among native Americans, 50 per-
cent suffer nicotine addiction, the report says.
And Oklahomans smoked 28.7 percent more cigarettes, 111.8
packs a year, than the national rate of 86.9 packs. More women
smoke than men.
The Texas Legislature has awarded $22.2 million from its to-
bacco settlement funds to the M D. Anderson Cancer Center in
Houston for expanded programs in tobacco-related research and
education.
The Houston facility, recognized as one of the nation’s best, at-
tracts a large number of patients from Oklahoma seeking the latest
forms of treatment.
Keating has said he w ould support a revenue bond issue to fund
a state cancer center, along w ith other projects.
Officials of the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
plan to ask the Legislature for $12 million a year for nine years for
a comprehensive cancer research center. It would have facilities in
both Oklahoma City and Tulsa.
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U.S. CAPITOL
DATELINE
U.S. SENATOR JAMES M. Inhofe
AGRICULTURE SUMMIT
HELPS ADDRESS FARM CRISIS
Early in September. Congressman Frank Lucas and 1 convened an im-
portan Agricultural Summit in El Keno to hear possible solutions io the
current crisis facing our state’s farm producers. This was a constructive
meeting w hich reinforced my commitment to work for the kind of farm poli-
cies that will best serve our state and nation
The meeting featured testimony from commodity groups (Oklahoma
W heat Growers, Oklahoma Cattlemen. Oklahoma Peanut Commission and
the Oklahoma Cotton Improvement Association), general agricultural orga-
nizations (Oklahoma Farm Bureau and Oklahoma Farmers Union) and agri-
cultural lenders (Oklahoma Bankers Association and Oklahoma Farm Credit
Association) All presented ideas that had merit and were worthy of consid-
eration
Three main ideas emerged from the meeting that appeared to have the
most potential to provide the kind of short term fix that would give Okla-
homa producers the necessary tools to survive this year These included: 1)
providing emergency funds as an additional payment under the Agricultural
Market Transition Act (AM TA); 2) working to open foreign markets to do-
mestic producers: and 3) enhancing crop insurance so that it becomes a vi-
able risk management tool.
The Agricultural Appropriations bill set to he approved this fall contains
$8.7 billion in emergency agricultural spending, including $5.5 billion in the
form of an additional AMTA pay ment beyond that already received this year
in addition, die bill includes 3650 million for crop insurance premium assis
tance and $200 million in assistance for livestock producers This aid will
go a long way towards helping producers to make it through the year and get
back on their feet for next year
Partly in response to our summit meeting’s almost unanimous recom-
mendation to support more open foreign markets. I actively worked to in-
clude a provision in the Agriculture Appropriations bill that would have al-
lowed Congress to review all agricultural sanctions imposed by the Presi-
dent This provision would have opened many markets that are currently
closed and would have reduced the supply in this country, thus relieving
some ol the low price pressure Unfortunately, this measure was dropped
during the House-Senate conference on the final bill, but 1 and others will be
working hard to address this Issue again in the future
1 am also supporting a bill to create a permanent position at the Office of’
1 S Trade Representative for an Agricultural Negotiator and working with
others to make sure that 1 S agricultural interests get fairly treated in the
upcoming negotiations concerning the World Trade Organization
In response to the obvious need to improve crop insurance by enabling
producers to get more coverage for less money. I have introduced legislation
with Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas that will help make crop insurance a
viable risk management tool Primarily, the bill inverts the current premium
buy-uUwi TVrluia to make digit ieveis oi coverage more affordable for
producers This should allow farmers to better manage their risk and control
costs that are spent for this purpose
Many producers have stated they approve of the basic framework of the
current farm bill and enjoy having the freedom to plant for the market 1.
too. believe that this is the best wav to proceed But we can never ignore the
fact that things can always be improved Congress is now taking some ac-
tions w hich w ill directly help Oklahomans who hav e experienced hard times
over the past year I remain committed to listening to Oklahoma producers
and making sure that out farm policy adequately addresses their important
needs and concerns
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Vince Dennis, PharmD.,
CDE, BCPS, will be
working on Saturday, Feb.
12. He has eonipleted
training and education to
become a Certified
Diabetes Educator and a
board Certified
Pharmacotherapy
Specialist by examination.
Vince teaches as part of a multidisciplinary (nurses,
dietitians, physical therapists, pharmacy) team that provides
outpatient diabetes self-management courses at Norman
Regional Hospital and recently participated on a health care
provider expert panel for a seminar entitled “Diabetes
Dialogue," held at Norman Regional Hospital.
CERE
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580-336-2127
M-F 8:30-6 • Sat. 8:30-1
If you have any questions
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Oklahoma's
Health
J.R. Nida, M.D., M.BH.
Commissioner of Health
Vaccines and Public Health
From my office window, I can see the
open area directly behind the Children’s
Hospital in the Oklahoma Health Sci
ences Center. Now it is a pleasant green
and shaded area inside a busy hospital
complex. As a Resident in Pediatrics, I
visited a tentporary steel building with
a wooden floor that housed several
“iron lungs" waiting for a patient You
would need to ask your grandmother
or senior neighbor how they were
dreaded. Before the polio vaccination
campaign in 1955, you could find these
large cylindrical chambers by the doz
ens in open buildings like a large audi
torium with row upon row arrange
ments. They sustained the breathing
of children and adults infected with
polio viruses that paralyzed the breath
ing centers of the brain stem. The in
traduction of Salk and Sabin vaccines
has turned these lifesaving chambers
into antique pieces The temporary
buildings are gone and so are all but
• whooping cough killed 8,000 chil-
dren, most of whom were infants; and
• meningitis, now prevented by the
"Hib" vaccine, would have otherwise
infected 25,000 children, leaving many
disabled.
Today, routine immunizations are
given to children and although we
almost apologize tor the number of
injections, we rarely see these diseases.
Our success in preventing disease has
been suppressed by dramatic treat
ment topics. Antibiotics have been re-
sponsible for saving millions of lives.
A new and emerging menace, however,
has made an appearance to keep vour
doctor and those of us in public health
on our toes. First, we saw staphylococci
become resistant to penicillin and then
to the new drugs. Now, new resistant
IBorganisms are becoming expensive
and difficult to treat. Recently, an out-
break of a common pneumonia organ-
ism in ()klahoma. which wasonceeasily
treated with penicillin, was found re-
sistant to virtually every antibiotic.
If your doctor prescribes antibiotics,
you should take them as directed, ig-
noring the temptation to stop before
you have completed the course Bac-
seven to eight cases of polio in the teria thatsurvivetheshort course may
United States per year. With vigilance, be those that are resistant, giving rise
this small number may become zero to 3 new pipulation of super bugs.
A recent report by Offit and Bell esti Oh, and for those of you who worry
mates that before vaccines about immunizations,just remember
- polioparalyzed 10,000children a year; that350peoplearekilled every year in
• measles infected 4 million children, takinga bath “d 100 peopleare struck
killing 3,000; and killed by lightning outside "sing-
.ing in the rain."My thanks to Drs. Offit
• diphtheria was one of the most com 2 1
mon causes „f death in school-aged andBellfortheseinterestingstatistics,
children; Yours in good health. Dr. Jerry Nida.
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Brown, Gloria. Perry Daily Journal (Perry, Okla.), Vol. 107, No. 27, Ed. 1 Tuesday, February 8, 2000, newspaper, February 8, 2000; Perry, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc2258857/m1/3/: accessed June 12, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.