Oklahoma lacks accessible services for families in the child welfare system, task force finds
Many foster families said the state doesn’t provide enough support. Stress leads many to consider quitting.
A patient-dumping probe clears two Tulsa hospitals after man left paralyzed on the streets
Oklahoma hospitals discharge a growing number of patients to homelessness. But experts say the bar is high to prove hospitals are violating federal law.
People with mental illness are more likely to die in jail. A new Oklahoma County program puts them in treatment instead
There have been nine suicides at the Oklahoma County jail in three years. Another six people with documented mental health issues died of other causes. One woman’s death has helped jumpstart a diversion program.
Despite support from some pro-lifers, efforts to soften Oklahoma’s strict abortion ban failed this year at the Legislature
Oklahoma anti-abortion lawmakers are in a dilemma: Support legislation that could make it easier for some women to get abortions, or risk successful legal challenges and backlash from voters.
Lawmakers fund parent representation program
Oklahoma doesn’t have the funding or systems in place to ensure families get well-trained lawyers quickly during a child welfare case. Many hope a new statewide program will help.
For those too sick for the homeless shelter, few options in Oklahoma City
People experiencing homelessness must be able to do basic tasks like bathing or eating on their own to get a bed in the state’s only respite center. But many can’t, and the need is growing.
After Oklahoma’s sweeping abortion ban, many bills to improve maternal health still failed
Lawmakers said earlier this year they believed there would be momentum this session to pass bills addressing Oklahoma’s maternal health care problems and expanding family supports after the state enacted a near-total ban on abortions last year.
Stitt dissolves statewide council on homelessness
A statewide, five-year plan to address homelessness will likely go unfinished. No other group exists to track homelessness across Oklahoma.
