Better nutrition, improved mental health counseling and corrected seat belt laws are some of the issues the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy will push when the state legislature convenes in February.
Joe Dorman, executive director of the OICA, said physical and mental health are among its top priorities this legislative session.
“We’re going to do anything we can to improve the lives of our young people, and that includes better food which builds better bodies and has a greater impact on young lives,” he said. “One of the important things is to provide incentives for buying healthier items and having healthier lifestyles.”
Oklahoma ranks in the bottom 10 for child well-being when it comes to major health and well-being indicators, according to the 2021 edition of the KIDS COUNT Data Book published annually by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
States were evaluated in four categories: economic well-being, education, health, and family and community. Oklahoma ranked 33rd in economic well-being, 41st in family and community, 45th in education and 42nd in health, an increase of seven spots from the 2020 report.
Still, Dorman and the OICA will be pushing lawmakers in 2022 to provide additional funding so people who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits can receive $20 in DUO bucks for fresh fruits and vegetables. OICA’s proposal would allow SNAP recipients to receive the DUO bucks after they purchase $20 worth of groceries with their EBT card. DUO stands for Double Up Oklahoma, which is a program under Hunger Free Oklahoma.
Participating farmer’s markets and grocery stores are listed at www.doubleupoklahoma.org.
Farmer’s markets in Lawton and Duncan are part of the DUO program.
Mental health
Dorman also wants to help protect children from themselves and suicide ideations. Part of the plan is to have children and adult caregivers complete Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) surveys while increasing the number of children screened for ACEs at times such as pediatric visits. OICA also wants to increase initiatives to normalize mental health care as well as reducing barriers to mental health care.
Dorman continues to promote the new mental health hotline – 988 – that children and adults can call when facing a crisis. Trained behavioral health professionals will man the hotline for all Oklahomans who are seeking help. The hotline will begin July 1, 2022, and is the first step to a multi-level crisis response.
About 4% of adults in Oklahoma had serious thoughts of suicide in the past year, and 1 in 10 students reported attempting suicide in the past 12 month, according to the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. Each week, about 300 Oklahomans are admitted for urgent care or crisis mental health services, the agency reported.
In Oklahoma, teen females ages 15-19 had a death rate by suicide of 8.6 per 100,000 adolescents compared to the U.S. rate of 5.2. Among males, teen suicides for ages 15-19 had a rate of 26.5 per 100,000 adolescents for the time period 2015-2019. The figures were from a report prepared by the Centers for Disease Control.
Possible legislative action
OICA also wants to implement sustainable support and enhanced tax credits to help families with privately paid care for children with disabilities, such as stable accounts, 525 accounts, and other incentive programs.
Seek policies that best serve children with developmental disabilities in a timely manner. In the past, children with disabilities have been placed on a wait list that lasted as long as 13 years.
Improve children’s oral health by encouraging that school-based sealant programs be initiated, improve oral health education and assessments, and support community fluoridation improvements.
Correct the defect in Oklahoma’s seat belt law that allows young children to legally ride without a seatbelt and improve safety policies for youth in vehicles. During the 2021 legislative session, lawmakers approved a seat belt law that addressed height and weight, but deleted age restrictions. Because of that oversight, any child 8 years of age or older is not required to wear a seat belt in the back seat, Dorman said. The OICA director said he’s “seen far too many deaths” of youngsters who were not wearing seat belts in the back seat.
Improve vaccine access and bring awareness of accurate information about vaccines, including the vaccine for COVID-19, while also encouraging use of the meningitis vaccine and other necessary preventative measures to bring Oklahoma standards in line with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention standards.
Support initiatives that promote a holistic approach to children’s physical, mental, and social health.
Act on lessons learned during COVID-19 lockdown, including the need for increased access to counseling, along with more outside activities that are safe for children.