Health & Medical
Pathologist Accepts Okla. Medical Examiner Job
Written by Dick Pryor Tuesday, 29 March 2011 19:28
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OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - A forensic pathologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., has accepted an offer to become Chief Medical Examiner in Oklahoma. Medical examiner's office spokeswoman Cherokee Ballard said Tuesday that Dr. Eric Pfeifer formally accepted the offer in an email. Pfeifer was offered the job Monday at an annual salary of $225,000. The Board of Medicolegal Investigations has had trouble finding a replacement for Dr. Collie Trant, who was fired in 2010. It withdrew an offer to an Arizona medical examiner after learning he once transported a body in the bed of his pickup truck. The board also offered the job to interim chief medical examiner Dr. Andrew Sibley - but he turned down the position. Ballard says Pfeifer will start when his medical license is approved in Oklahoma.
Officials: Flu deaths in Oklahoma climbs to 19
Written by Dick Pryor Thursday, 17 March 2011 22:04
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Oklahoma State Health Department officials say another person has died of influenza complications, bringing the total this season to 19.The Health Department reported Thursday that the latest flu death was an Oklahoma County resident in the 65 and older age group. Officials say 47 percent of flu deaths have occurred in the 65 and older age group. Since Sept. 1, 927 cases of flu-associated hospitalizations have been reported to the state Health Department. Officials say 47 percent of hospitalizations have occurred among children 18 or younger. Officials say 380 of the 517 specimens tested by state Health Department were positive for influenza. Of those, 64.7 percent were positive for Type A flu, 4.7 percent were positive for H1N1 or swine flu, and 30.5 percent were positive for influenza B.
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Officials: Flu Deaths in Oklahoma Climbs to 19
Written by Dick Pryor Thursday, 17 March 2011 19:30
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Oklahoma State Health Department officials say another person has died of influenza complications, bringing the total this season to 19. The Health Department reported Thursday that the latest flu death was an Oklahoma County resident in the 65 and older age group. Officials say 47 percent of flu deaths have occurred in the 65 and older age group. Since Sept. 1, 927 cases of flu-associated hospitalizations have been reported to the state Health Department. Officials say 47 percent of hospitalizations have occurred among children 18 or younger. Officials say 380 of the 517 specimens tested by state Health Department were positive for influenza. Of those, 64.7 percent were positive for Type A flu, 4.7 percent were positive for H1N1 or swine flu, and 30.5 percent were positive for influenza B.
Health Advisory Issued in SE Okla. Due to Fires
Written by Dick Pryor Thursday, 03 March 2011 22:39
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality has issued a health advisory in three southeastern Oklahoma counties because of smoke from fires. Children and the elderly and people with respiratory or heart diseases in Pushmataha, Atoka and Pittsburg counties are advised to avoid prolonged outdoor activities on Thursday because of the smoke. The fires have burned in northern Atoka and northwestern Pushmataha counties. DEQ says in a news release that the remainder of southeastern Oklahoma and the central section of the state are under a moderate health risk.
Okla. Doctors Oppose Cesarean Section Births Plan
Written by Dick Pryor Thursday, 03 March 2011 21:54
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KLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The Oklahoma Health Care Authority has backed off a proposal to reduce cesarean section births after doctors complained they weren't included in its development. According to the Journal Record, state Medical Director Garth Splinter wrote in a Jan. 24 letter that the Cesarean Section Quality Initiative came about because Oklahoma's C-section birth rate has climbed without outcome improvements for mothers and babies. Splinter says the rate jumped from 22.5 percent in 1996 to 33.6 percent in 2007. The initiative seeks to lower the first-time C-section rate to 18 percent. Obstetrician-gynecologist Dana Stone told a House committee Wednesday doctors would've preferred a collaborative approach over a letter that seemed to be more about cost control than quality. The authority will review the plan and work with physicians on a new version.ents for mothers and babies. Splinter says the rate jumped from 22.5 percent in 1996 to 33.6 percent in 2007. The initiative seeks to lower the first-time C-section rate to 18 percent. Obstetrician-gynecologist Dana Stone told a House committee Wednesday doctors would've preferred a collaborative approach over a letter that seemed to be more about cost control than quality. The authority will review the plan and work with physicians on a new version.
