Oklahoma has a rich and interesting history that includes Indians, cowboys, oil discoveries, dust storms, settlements of free land and forced resettlements of Indian tribes. Fifty languages are spoken in the state of Oklahoma. There are 55 distinct Indian tribes that make the state their home, and each of these tribes has its own language or dialect. Oklahoma covers 68,667 square miles, with a 2008 estimated population of 3,642,361 people – 1,317,532 living in rural Oklahoma (USDA-ERS). Oklahoma City, the capital, is the largest city and is located in the center of the state. The state’s other large cities include: Tulsa, Norman, and Lawton. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 78.3% of the state’s population is white, 7.9% is American Indian & Alaska Native, 7.9% Black/African American, 1.7% Asian, and 7.2% is of Hispanic/Latino origin.
There are 125 hospitals in Oklahoma, 69 of which are located in rural areas (North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center, Dec. 2008). The state has 33 hospitals currently identified by the Flex Monitoring Team as Critical Access Hospitals (April, 2009). There are 39 Rural Health Clinics in Oklahoma (CMS, 2009), and 13 Federally Qualified Health Centers provide services at 45 sites in the state (Kaiser, 2008). Most Oklahomans have some form of health insurance coverage, although 18.5% of its residents lack any health insurance (Kaiser, 2006-2007.)
According to the USDA Economic Research Service, the average per-capita income for all Oklahomans in 2007 was $34,997, although rural per-capita income lagged at $28,153. 2008 estimates indicate a poverty rate of 18.3% exists in rural Oklahoma, compared to a 14.3% level in urban areas of the state. 2000 data reports 23.2% of the rural population has not completed high school, while only 17.1% of the urban population lacks a high school diploma. The unemployment rate in rural Oklahoma is at 3.7%, while in urban Oklahoma it is also at 3.9% (USDA-ERS, 2008).
For a national comparison, please see an overview of the United States.
Data Sources:
U.S. Census Bureau: State & County QuickFacts
USDA Economic Research Service: State Fact Sheets
North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
Kaiser Family Foundation State Health Facts
Flex Monitoring Team: Critical Access Hospital List
Organizations
Community Resource Group (CRG)
Nonprofit/Foundation
Works in rural areas to expand the opportunities for families to build assets, improve their lives, and strengthen their communities.
HUD Community Development Block Grants: Oklahoma
Federal government
Contact information for the State CDBG program. Provides funding for community development projects.
National Network of Libraries of Medicine, South Central Region (NN/LM- SCR)
State/regional organization
Supports collaboration among libraries and information centers that serve health information needs in Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.
Oklahoma Association of Community Action Agencies (OACAA)
State/regional organization
Serves as a statewide association of private, nonprofit Community Action Agencies that focuses on the development of self-sufficiency for the economically disadvantaged people and communities of Oklahoma.
Oklahoma Community Health Services
Nonprofit/Foundation
Is a community based nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the overall health of Oklahomans.
Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS)
State government
Helps individuals and families in need help themselves to lead safer, healthier, more independent and productive lives.
Oklahoma Department of Human Services: Adult Protective Services (APS)
State government
Provides services in the least restrictive manner to vulnerable adults.
Oklahoma Department of Human Services: Child Support Enforcement Division (CSED)
State government
Acts as an economic advocate for the children of Oklahoma, ensuring that parents financially support their children.
Oklahoma Department of Human Services: Developmental Disabilities Services Division (DDSD)
State government
Works to enable people with developmental disabilities to lead healthy, independent and productive lives to the fullest extent possible; to promote the full exercise of their rights as citizens of their communities, state and country; and to promote the integrity and well-being of their families.
Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (ODMHSAS)
State government
Delivers services in the areas of mental health, substance abuse, and domestic violence and sexual assault. Provides oversight regarding Department functions and activity related to the care, treatment, and recovery of persons suffering from mental illness and substance abuse.
Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services (DRS)
State government
Dedicated to providing services to citizens with disabilities helping them to lead independent lives through education, employment recruitment, and disability benefit information.
Oklahoma Employment Security Commission (OESC)
State government
Enhances economic stability and employment security by: providing Unemployment Compensation to support unemployed workers and their communities, matching jobs and workers to increase the efficiency of local labor markets,
referring workers to training opportunities to enhance and align their skills to meet local labor market needs, and gathering, analyzing and disseminating information about the labor force to improve local economic decisions.
Oklahoma Foundation for Medical Quality (OFMQ)
National organization
Provides in-depth quality evaluation and improvement programs for Medicare. Offers expert consulting resources and tools to hospitals, physicians and nursing homes.
Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OKHCA)
State government
Mission is to purchase state and federally funded health care in the most efficient and comprehensive manner possible and to study and recommend strategies for optimizing the accessibility and quality of health care.
Oklahoma Hospital Association (OHA)
State/regional organization
Promotes the welfare of the public by leading and assisting its members in the provision of better health care and services for all people.
Oklahoma Rural Health Association
State/regional organization
This organization is in the process of creating a new website.
Oklahoma State Department of Education: Special Education Services (SDE)
State government
Ensures appropriate services and opportunities for children and youth with disabilities, through leadership, service and regulation.
Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH)
State government
Protects and promotes the health of Oklahomans to prevent disease and injury, and to assure the conditions by which our citizens can be healthy.
Oklahoma State Department of Health: Office of Minority Health (OMH)
State government
Created to address the disproportionately poor health of Oklahoma’s racial and ethnic minority population, as identified in various state and federal reports.
Oklahoma State Office of Rural Health
State government
Coordinates, plans and promotes quality healthcare for targeted, underserved rural Oklahomans through enhanced delivery systems such as education, research, service, analysis and development.
Oklahoma State University - Center for Health Sciences
Academic/Research
Educates osteopathic physicians, research scientists and other health care professionals with emphasis on serving rural and under-served Oklahoma.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: Oklahoma
Federal government
Works to increase homeownership, support community development and increase access to affordable housing. The HUD state office provides information about HUD housing programs and local contacts for the state.
USDA Rural Development Oklahoma State Office
Federal government
Committed to helping improve the economy and quality of life in all of rural America. The Rural Development State Office provides information about Rural Development programs and applications for financial assistance.
Tools
ERS State Fact Sheet: Oklahoma
Web site
Lists statistics on population, educational attainment, employment, income, farm characteristics, and farm financial indicators for the state.
MedlinePlus Go Local
Web site
Offers information about health services in local geographic areas, including hospitals, physicians, nursing homes, support groups, health screening providers and many others.
National Healthcare Quality Report State Snapshot: Oklahoma
Web site
Health care quality report for the state, based on the National Healthcare Quality Report.
Oklahoma AgrAbility Project
Web site
Assists people with disabilities employed in agriculture. Links the Cooperative Extension Service at a land-grant university with a private nonprofit disability service organization to provide practical education and assistance that promotes independence in agricultural production and rural living. The AgrAbility Project assists people involved in production agriculture who work both on small and large operations.
Oklahoma Health Centers Data
Web site
Provides access to information on Federally Qualified Health Centers for the state. Includes a map of FQHC locations, as well as information on the populations served by health centers, services provided, staff, patient visits, costs of care, and use of electronic health information.
Oklahoma Health Workforce: Highlights from the Health Workforce Profile
Web site
Highlights compiled 2000 data on levels of employment, projected growth and key environmental factors that affect demand for health care. Details for medicine, nursing, dentistry, pharmacy, mental health and aides.
Oklahoma KIDS COUNT Data Center (KCDC)
Web site
Provides data on child well-being for the state.
Oklahoma QuickFacts
Web site
Basic demographic and economic statistics for the state, with links to county-level data.
Oklahoma State Health Facts
Database
The latest state-level data on demographics, health, and health policy, including health coverage, access, financing, and state legislation. Individual state profiles and 50-state comparisons.
State Profiles- Oklahoma: Health Information Technology (HIT)
Web site
Profiles the state’s health information technology (HIT) issues. Contains sections on demographics, HIT legislation, telemedicine, Health Information Exchanges (HIE) & Regional Health Information Organizations (RHIO), grant funded HIT projects, and HIT survey information.
See also: Resources for All States: Tools Funding
Inactive Funding
Inactive Funding Opportunities -
Lists additional funding programs for this state that are not currently accepting applications. Programs that are inactive may be offered again in the future.
Documents, Reports and Other Publications
Demographic and Economic Profile: Oklahoma
Author(s): Kathleen K. Miller
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute
Discusses demographic and economic data including population, race, education, age, poverty, income, and more. Includes maps and graphics.
Date: 01 / 2009
Oklahoma 2008 State of the State's Health Report
Sponsoring organization: Oklahoma State Department of Health
Reports on the health status of Oklahoma citizens using several health indicators. Addresses health-related issues affecting those living in rural areas. Compares Oklahoma data to that of the United States.
Date: 2008
Oklahoma’s Health Care Industry Workforce: 2006 Summary
Sponsoring organization: Oklahoma Governor's Council for Workforce and Economic Development
Reports on a comprehensive study of the health care industry in Oklahoma. Includes information about health care workforce supply and demand in the state.
Date: 2006
Small Business Profile: Oklahoma
Sponsoring organization: Small Business Administration
Profile of the state's economy, covering the number of firms, industry composition, small business income, banking, women and minority business ownership, and employment.
Date: 2008
State of the State's Rural Health: 2007 Edition
Sponsoring organization: Oklahoma State University - Center for Health Sciences
Summarizes the current status of rural health care in Oklahoma. Includes county-level data, plus comparisons of urban and rural areas, and their relationship data in the United States.
Date: 01 / 2007
State Profiles - Oklahoma: Reforming the Health Care System
Sponsoring organization: AARP Public Policy Institute
Detailed profile of the state's health care system. Covers demographics, expenditures and financing, health status, utilization and quality of services, health care providers, Medicare, Medicaid, health insurance coverage, and key trends.
Date: 12 / 2005
See also: Resources for All States: Documents Success Stories
Northeastern Oklahoma Community Health Center Alzheimers Project
The Northeastern Oklahoma Community Health Center is addressing the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease by providing information and education to individuals who are caregivers to those suffering from the disease.
Chickasaw Nation Rural Health Outreach Program
The Chickasaw Nation Rural Health Outreach Program
was designed to provide a range of primary health care
services to Native American elders living in the most rural
and remote areas of the region. Specifically, the program was
designed to expand services to areas where geriatric care was
not available.
Healthy Nations Initiative
The Healthy Nations Initiative was funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to help Native Americans reduce the harm caused by substance abuse in their communities.
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