October 1, 2019 Issue, Page 4 of 10

Page Text

Page 4 The Elk City News, Elk City, Oklahoma Tuesday, October 1, 2019 Opinion Page Ws “ElkCituNews A) We = Uy SHOKNG GUN Serving Western Oklahoma since 1901 WM Rpt INN MIR) HIS, OICA gears up for TMM VN YO TY October fall forum By Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy CEO Joe Dorman We are less than a week from the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy’s (OICA) annual Fall Forum. This con- ference gathers the best and brightest minds engaged in child wellbeing to discuss public policy and find solutions to problems facing the youth of our state. The event will be held on October 1-2, with an optional day on October 3 to teach advocates about the interim study process and to explore how the Oklahoma nonprofit world can assist with ensuring an accurate count in the 2020 Census. The interim study conversation will be presided over by State Sen. Paul Scott and State Rep. Mark Lawson, whose leadership at this forum we greatly appreciate. I am often asked how people can get more involved in making a difference to their community. They can start by coming to this conference! DEA LO ve 4-4 T am pleased that we will have several lawmakers at- tending our conference to help guide delegates as we shape Let’s not imperil access to the policy for the 2020 legislative session. Our six agenda- item breakout sessions will be: 1. Criminal Justice Reform, chaired by Reps. Chris Kan- medicines allowing us to thrive nady and Collin Walke; 2. Poverty and The Economy, chaired by Sens. John Mi- By Guy Anthony healthy, I want drug prices drugs they import from these drug bills can begin to chael Montgomery & Carri Hicks; Two years after I was sex- to come down. Unfortunate- Canada are legitimate. And pile up. 3.Behavioral/Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, ually assaulted as a teenager, ly, many plans to cut drug Canadian regulators have People who are worried I was diagnosed with HIV. prices -- including importing repeatedly stated that they about losing the medicines chaired by Reps. Carol Bush & Cyndi Munson; That day, I realized I had a drugs from Canada -- would can’t guarantee the quality that keep them healthy can 4. At Risk Children, chaired by Reps. Rhonda Baker and choice. put me and countless other of drugs that pass over their get desperate. Counterfeiters Chelsey Branham; T could start thinking of people at risk. border. will prey on unsuspecting, 5. Health Care/Insurance, chaired by Reps. Nicole Miller myself as a victim with a Drug importation is dan- We've already seen how vulnerable patients. and Andy Fugate; and lifelong medical condition. gerous. risky Canadian pharmacies T’ve spent my adult life 6. Early Childhood Development, chaired by Rep. Sher- Or, I could find a way to stay Foreign markets are flood- are. Last year, a U.S. district working to end the stigma rie Conley and Sen. Mary Boren. positive. I chose the latter, ed with counterfeit drugs. court judge fined Canada’s surrounding HIV and the In addition, we will hold a panel discussion with state and I haven’t looked back According to the World largest online pharmacy $34 emotional impact it has. agency leaders regarding Children’s Policy 2020. This since. Health Organization one million for funneling coun- We’ ve come a long way, and panel will include State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister, Tama lucky man. Decades in 10 drugs sold in devel- terfeit drugs into the United Td hate to see this progress of medical breakthroughs oping countries is fake or States. They also found that reversed. Opening up a mar- Cabinet Secs. Steven Buck and Jerome Loughridge, Dep. have made HIV a manage- ineffective. Pills that look the pharmacy made $78 mil- ket for dangerous, counter- Sec. Carter Kimble, DHS Dir. Justin Brown & Front Porch able condition. Thanks to legitimate, but lack active lion importing illicit medi- feit drugs will make it harder Initiative Dir. Tom Bates. This discussion will give attend- treatment, HIV hasn’t af- ingredients or deliver im- cines, including two com- for people to live with HIV. ees a clear picture into what we can expect from Governor fected my physical health. proper doses, claim tens of pletely ineffective cancer But ensuring continued ac- Stitt’s administration going into their second year of ser- In fact, my HIV is so well- thousands of lives each year. drugs. cess to safe, effective medi- vice. managed, it isn’t even trace- They also generate up to $30 Effectively treating HIV cations will help them thrive. We will also hold breakout sessions over topics such as able anymore. billion a year in profits. often requires a specific - Guy Anthony is the Presi- Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), recognizing and Like all people who rely Americans have no way and expensive -- combina- dent and CEO of Black, preventing child abuse, feeding programs and initiatives, on medications to stay to know whether or not the tion of drugs. Over time, Gifted & Whole. Camping fee hikes justified, necessary public health and vaccinations, and we will discuss spe- cific programs like Handle with Care and Youth Services of Oklahoma. Along with all of this, there will be awards presented to the winners of the Laura Choate Resilience Muskogee Phoenix, Okla. derfunding." According to lege of access -- and to pay across the state and generat- Those who use the camp- state tourism officials, it's for upkeep of the amenities. ing $627 million in state and Award, the Steven A. Novick Advocacy Award and the grounds at our state parks either pay up or shut down An estimated 9.3 million local tax revenue. Melvin & Jasmine Moran Kidizenship Awards. should be prepared for some some parks. people visited Oklahoma There likely will be some All of this is possible because of our event sponsors — hikes. It would be much wiser to state parks, generating annu- who oppose fee increases of SONIC, the Chickasaw Nation, TSET and the Love Meyer These might not be the invest in our state parks and al revenue of about $26 mil- any kind. There may even Foundation — and I'd like to take this moment to thank kind of hikes we necessarily keep them open than to shut lion -- that is but a fraction be some who would rather them on behalf of OICA. enjoy -- an increase of camp- them down. Andif an invest- of their overall economic close state parks and convey If you would like to attend and be a part of this gather- site base rates -- but it defi- ment is needed, it is not un- impact. Those park visitors them to private ownership. ing, please register on the “Fall Forum” tab at OICA.org. nitely the kind that is needed fair to ask those who use and spend a lot more money out- Both of those options would if we want to keep our parks enjoy the parks to contribute side the parks, supporting be shortsighted and unwise. Together, we can speak as one voice and provide a brighter "viable after decades of un- a little bit more for the privi- an estimated 100,000 jobs Publicly accessible land future for Oklahoma’s Children! already is in short supply, and demand will only grow Many Oklahomans “uninsured” only on paper campsite fees are justified greater as years pass. Higher By Jonathan Small al subsidies. Those individu- that those who used it were technically uninsured Okla- than Oklahoma but also a -- let's just make sure the in- An often-overlooked as- als already have the ability not required to pay the fed- homans already have access higher rate of people with creased revenue doesn't get pect of the Medicaid-ex- to buy a policy off a federal eral Affordable Care Act’s to insurance and/or low-cost private insurance. An official hijacked and is plowed back pansion debate is that law- exchange with little or no penalty for being uninsured. health treatment. And that in to our parks to make them from OU Medicine recently makers are being asked to out-of-pocket expense. According to the Census, doesn’t even account for all conceded to legislators that even more appealing. expend hundreds of millions Another 19,000 uninsured 9.3% of Oklahoma’s 3.9 the people who obtain care Texas’ booming economy more in state spending to in- Oklahomans are already million people are American through Federally Qualified sure people who are, effec- qualified for Medicaid. Indian. Admittedly, many Health Centers, free clinics, has increased private cover- age, which has resulted in Have tively, already insured. Put together, those two of those individuals have and similar facilities. So how Oklahoma’s topline insured rate of 14.2% gets un- groups represent more than 100,000 uninsured Oklaho- insurance, but that figure does it make sense to spend includes many who do not. hundreds of millions more in better-funded hospitals in that state. something headlines, particularly since that’s the second-highest un- mans. But they are uninsured The Self-Governance Com- state tax dollars on Medicaid Oklahoma should follow by choice, not as the result of munication and Education expansion to insure the (ef- Texas’ lead in this area, and to share? insured rate in the country. What goes unnoticed is that any financial challenges. Also, policymakers should tribal consortium has esti- fectively) already-insured? mated more than 129,000 focus on adopting policies There are better ways to that result in greater private- Send your many of those people can get not ignore the reality that uninsured Oklahomans may letter to address Oklahoma’s chal- sector job growth, rather coverage or treatment today many Oklahomans can also be American Indians who lenges than Medicaid expan- than follow the ever-bigger for little cost, and often for access treatment through In- can access IHS facilities and sion, particularly in the area editor@ government model of failed free. dian Health Service (IHS) care. A speaker at a recent of rural infrastructure, such states like Illinois and Cali- Members of the bicameral facilities and tribal govern- legislative hearing estimated as directing Oklahoma’s to- ecdailynews. fornia. Healthcare Working Group ment programs. While ac- 10 percent of Oklahoma’s bacco settlement funds to were recently informed that cess to those facilities is not uninsured are American In- rural hospitals and doctors. Jonathan Small serves as president of the Oklahoma com an estimated 85,000 unin- counted as being insured, dian And it’s worth noting what sured Oklahomans currently federal officials felt the IHS As a result, it is feasible is occurring in Texas, which Council of Public Affairs qualify for significant feder- system was good enough that as many as 200,000 has a higher uninsured rate (www.ocpathink.org).