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Good story via @realDenHoed about Oklahoma's #ContactTracing problems.
I tested positive for #COVID19 in early November and was never contacted. For months, I have heard from friends in Oklahoma County who were also never contacted. #okhealth (1/?) https://nondoc.com/2020/12/02/strained-by-surge-oklahoma-contact-tracing-operations-need-to-be-redesigned/
I tested positive for #COVID19 in early November and was never contacted. For months, I have heard from friends in Oklahoma County who were also never contacted. #okhealth (1/?) https://nondoc.com/2020/12/02/strained-by-surge-oklahoma-contact-tracing-operations-need-to-be-redesigned/
I told Commissioner of Health Lance Frye about this on Nov. 19, and he stated (as in the story) that the contact tracing system needs to be reworked. Two days later, a friend told me he was traced on a Sunday... 25 days after testing positive. Andrea was then traced 7 days after.
Of course, #ContactTracing in Oklahoma and Tulsa counties is being led by their independent city-county health departments. @okchealth says it often gets tests late, but my test was from OU here in OKC, so it's confusing that those two large orgs can't seem to communicate?
Quick aside: Oklahoma City-County Health Department responded to #COVID testing demand in the spring and summer by... shutting down its #STD testing operations. I mentioned this to state leaders and an OCCHD board member, and it was news to everyone. So when you see STD spikes...
Back to contact tracing: Months ago, we requested tracing data from OCCHD. What we got showed that #churches & #bars were not major sources of spread... except the tracing form did not ask about churches or bars. They were counted under "other," an obvious flaw for the numbers.
Lastly, I'll just say that I was fortunate to recover from #COVID19 after mild symptoms, and I stayed away from folks for more than the 10-day CDC isolation window.
But my first return to society was for a doctor's appointment at Community Health Centers of Oklahoma, an FQHC...
But my first return to society was for a doctor's appointment at Community Health Centers of Oklahoma, an FQHC...
As I checked in wearing a mask, I was asked if I'd been around anyone who was positive for COVID in the past 14 days. I said I had been positive but had recovered based on CDC guidelines.
I was told to leave the building, was refused treatment & was later hung up on.
I was told to leave the building, was refused treatment & was later hung up on.
I spoke with the clinic manager and two other employees who were in the parking lot for drive-thru COVID tests. They refused to believe the CDC guidelines say 10 days from symptom onset. I read the guidelines, and then they said, "Well, it's an internal 14 days from test policy."
I asked to see the internal policy, and after one employee flipped through some papers, she said, "Well, it's not written down." I said, "Then that's not a policy." Another employee said they had to think about their patients. I said, "I AM one of your patients."
I asked if the medical provider could come outside, look at the skin issue on my knee & bill my insurance for whatever made it worth their time. I was told, "We can't provide services in the parking lot" ... by people in PPE who were doing COVID tests in the parking lot.
Having previously worked at an FQHC, I knew former Sen. Jim Wilson passed a law requiring the boards of these federally funded clinics to abide by the Open Meeting Act.
But Community Health Centers of Oklahoma hasn't posted a board agenda since April. https://communityhealthok.org/board-meeting-agendas
But Community Health Centers of Oklahoma hasn't posted a board agenda since April. https://communityhealthok.org/board-meeting-agendas
I asked then and several days since, "When is your board meeting next? I would like to attend." I've been promised someone will call me back and tell me when the next meeting is, but that still has not happened.
I called the AG's office, which told me to contact David Prater.
I called the AG's office, which told me to contact David Prater.
I say all of this to illustrate a broader point: It's obvious why people do not trust the American (and Oklahoma) health care "system." Every day, people fall through the cracks, organizations fail to work together, and patients get frustrated. Sometimes, state laws are violated.
Will this thread change any of that? Probably not. Will it piss off a bureaucrat or five? Probably. I'm sorry for that, but I'm also tired of the dysfunction in our systems. Best of luck straightening it out, and if I can help, let me know. #okhealth
