{"id":34492,"date":"2022-01-20T06:00:44","date_gmt":"2022-01-20T12:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/?p=34492"},"modified":"2022-01-20T11:17:14","modified_gmt":"2022-01-20T17:17:14","slug":"newly-released-records-shed-light-on-issues-in-the-states-public-health-laboratory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/2022\/01\/20\/newly-released-records-shed-light-on-issues-in-the-states-public-health-laboratory\/","title":{"rendered":"Emails show a rush to finalize a deal to move Oklahoma\u2019s Public Health Lab in the face of pushback from lawmakers"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"width: 100%; height: 200px; margin-bottom: 20px; border-radius: 6px; overflow: hidden;\"><iframe style=\"width: 100%; height: 200px;\" src=\"https:\/\/player.captivate.fm\/episode\/becf94cc-33c7-4739-a0eb-c001cb088107\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\" seamless=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div><p><i> <\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This story was produced in partnership with the nonprofit newsroom <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.readfrontier.org\/\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Frontier.<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When Gov. Kevin Stitt announced in October 2020 that his administration would relocate the state\u2019s Public Health Laboratory from Oklahoma City to Stillwater, lawmakers and health care groups raised concerns the move would compromise testing capabilities during the coronavirus pandemic.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shortly after the announcement, three state lawmakers representing the Oklahoma City metro area <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/oksenate.gov\/press-releases\/senators-carri-hicks-and-julia-kirt-respond-new-oklahoma-pandemic-center?back=\/press-releases\/2020-10\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">issued a press release<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, raising concerns about the move. Rep. Ryan Martinez, R-Edmond, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.okhouse.gov\/Media\/News_Story.aspx?NewsID=6799\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">said he would file legislation to keep the facility in Oklahoma City<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Over these protests, the Oklahoma State Department of Health moved ahead with the plan and signed a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/s3.documentcloud.org\/documents\/21182748\/12162020-combined-opcie-management-agreement_fully-executed-003.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">management agreement<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with Prairie One Solutions, a nonprofit formed in 2020 under the Oklahoma State University Research Foundation, to manage the new lab in Stillwater in December, before the state Legislature convened for its next session.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The state paired the lab with a new pandemic research center, and state<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> health officials have said the new Stillwater facility will<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/oklahoma.gov\/innovation\/opcie.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cbecome a global leader in promoting pandemic awareness and preserving public health.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Emails obtained by <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Frontier<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and StateImpact Oklahoma show state leaders wanted to quickly lock a management agreement with PrairieOne Solutions into place because of pushback from state lawmakers.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Attorney Matt Stacy, who at the time served as the agency\u2019s hospital surge plan adviser, wrote in an email dated Oct. 29, 2020, that Elizabeth Pollard, Oklahoma Secretary of Science and Innovation, was \u201canxious\u201d to get the contract finalized.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe have already experienced some legislative resistance to the move to Stillwater and as many pieces, as we can have in place sooner rather than later will make this deal hard to break up,\u201d Stacy wrote.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In a written response to questions from <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Frontier <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and StateImpact Oklahoma, the Health Department said it was aware the Legislature had \u201cgreat interest in the success of the state\u2019s Public Health Lab.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe wanted to work closely with them through it,\u201d the response said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Martinez remains critical of the state\u2019s scramble to relocate the facility.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIt was a rushed move with low scrutiny, high cost and bad early results,\u201d Martinez said in a written statement provided to <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Frontier <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and StateImpact Oklahoma<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. \u201cThere was a clear intent to minimize and avoid communication with legislators, lab employees and the public.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">During the transition to Stillwater, the state <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2021\/02\/18\/staff-shortages-at-oklahomas-relocated-public-health-lab-cause-testing-delays\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">faced testing delays<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> after it temporarily outsourced some work the Public Health Lab would ordinarily do to other facilities. In a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.readfrontier.org\/stories\/state-health-officials-say-theyve-fixed-problems-at-the-public-health-lab-in-response-to-a-federal-investigation-but-havent-released-a-report-on-the-inquiry\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">September 2021 inspection<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, federal investigators found the lab had mishandled COVID-19 testing samples and faced <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.readfrontier.org\/stories\/one-worker-called-a-move-to-stillwater-a-hurried-thoughtless-decision-before-inspectors-found-violations-at-oklahomas-public-health-lab\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">critical staffing shortages<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The Health Department said all issues investigators found have since been fixed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the past few months, the Public Health Lab has again come under fire for its COVID sample sequencing. Health officials and researchers use genomic sequencing to find new COVID variants and Oklahoma is<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#published-sars-cov-2-sequences\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> ranked last nationally<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for total samples sequenced, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Officials have said the state recently improved its<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.oklahoman.com\/story\/news\/2021\/12\/12\/covid-vaccine-booster-shots-omicron-variant-oklahoma-ranks-last-sequencing\/8887053002\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> efforts<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><b>Legislature passed bonds for a new lab that haven\u2019t been used\u00a0<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While the Legislature passed bonds to replace the state\u2019s old Public Health Lab in Oklahoma City more than four years ago, the Health Department hasn\u2019t used any of that funding. The agency has also tapped federal pandemic relief money to help cover some of the cost of the move to Stillwater.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Long before the beginning of the pandemic, agency officials warned the lab\u2019s capacity was severely limited, the building was falling into disrepair and its equipment was aging into obsolescence. The lab\u2019s infrastructure was decaying to the extent that it risked <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.oklahoman.com\/article\/5608377\/state-health-board-green-lights-bonds-for-health-lab\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">losing accreditation<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> from the College of American Pathologists.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The state Board of Health made obtaining state <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/journalrecord.com\/2014\/12\/09\/new-oklahoma-health-laboratory-is-board-priority-health-care\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">funding for a new lab<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> one of its top legislative priorities in 2014.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Legislature authorized a bond to build a new lab in 2017. Lawmakers passed <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.oklegislature.gov\/BillInfo.aspx?Bill=HB2389&Session=1700\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">House Bill 2389<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which allowed the agency to take out more than $58 million in debt to build the lab. The lab was initially<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ok.gov\/health2\/documents\/6-1-2017%20Health%20lab%20caddo.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> expected to be completed by 2019<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To date, that debt has never been taken out, said Andrew Messer, Oklahoma\u2019s deputy treasurer for policy and state debt management.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In a statement, the Health Department confirmed it hadn\u2019t yet utilized the bond.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Last year, the Legislature passed a bill that put a deadline on the State Health Department to take out the bonds by 2025.<\/span><\/p><p><b>Public relations and moving expenses<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Amid opposition from the Legislature, the State Department of Health used about<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.readfrontier.org\/stories\/under-new-management-oklahoma-health-officials-plan-to-enter-agreement-with-nonprofit-for-public-health-lab-management\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> $2.9 million in funding from the state\u2019s federal CARES Act funding<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for mobile lab trailers to assist with testing capabilities while the lab\u2019s new building was being outfitted. The state ordered the trailers in late 2020, which were initially expected to arrive sometime in 2021. More than a year later, the Public Health Lab is still waiting to receive the lab trailers. The mobile lab trailers are still undergoing a quality check before they\u2019re delivered to the state, a spokeswoman for OSDH said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThese trailers will allow for specialty processing, including microbiology and mycology testing, at the PHL, as well as, position the lab to be prepared for future pandemics,\u201d department officials wrote in a statement.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Expenses have also included funding for the lab management contract the state entered with Prairie One Solutions, as well as fees to a PR firm to manage the lab and pandemic center\u2019s reputation.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The state Health Department has paid Prairie One more than $1.69 million, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2021\/12\/09\/how-relocation-privatization-compromised-the-oklahoma-public-health-lab-mission\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Oklahoma Watch reported in December<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Between October 2020 to November 2021, the Oklahoma City-based public relations firm Saxum billed the Oklahoma State Department of Health more than $250,000 for work related to the Public Health Lab. That figure comes from invoices the agency submitted to the Health Department.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Health Department officials said they believed using the funds for public relations related to the Public Health Lab was an appropriate use of state and federal funding meant for public health information assistance.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe Public Health Lab and pandemic center are closely tied to our pandemic response efforts,\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and both serve as tools in our overall response,\u201d the agency said in an email. \u201cThis is evident through the COVID-19 testing and genomic sequencing services that are provided by those entities. We did not have the internal capacity to initially take on the communications and inquiries regarding the PHL and OPCIE.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This story was produced in partnership with the nonprofit newsroom The Frontier.\u00a0When Gov. Kevin Stitt announced in October 2020 that his administration would relocate the state\u2019s Public Health Laboratory from Oklahoma City to Stillwater, lawmakers and health care groups raised concerns the move would compromise testing capabilities during the coronavirus pandemic.Shortly after the announcement, three [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":213,"featured_media":34498,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[23,1],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34492"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/213"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34492"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34492\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34499,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34492\/revisions\/34499"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34498"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34492"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34492"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34492"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}