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The federal government has a trust responsibility to fund Indigenous health care. But the Indian Health Service (IHS) has long been underfunded by it.

June Zhao, an assistant professor at the University of Oklahoma Hudson College of Public Health, said she learned about this issue in conversation with leadership at an IHS clinic in the state. They shared how limited financial resources result in challenges with hiring staff and maintaining facilities. This has impacted their ability to provide health care.

She decided she wanted to help address this fundamental problem.

StateImpact’s Jillian Taylor and KOSU’s Sarah Liese spoke with Zhao about her recent research, which explores a solution that could help increase and sustain IHS funding.

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Oklahoma ranks high nationally for its pricey home insurance premiums. As climate change brings more extreme weather and inflation affects purchasing power, some look to policy changes to settle escalating insurance costs. 

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StateImpact’s Logan Layden sat down with Oklahoma Lieutenant Governor Matt Pinnell, who also serves as chairman of the Oklahoma Route 66 Centennial Commission, to discuss the significance of America’s Main Street and plans to celebrate its 100 year anniversary in 2026.

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America’s opioid epidemic has been a prolonged public health crisis, resulting in countless overdose deaths and billions in settlement funds from opioid manufacturers, distributors and retailers.

But another crisis is afoot. That’s what investigative reporter Shoshana Walter from The Marshall Project presents in her first book, “Rehab: An American Scandal.” StateImpact’s Jillian Taylor spoke with Walter about her findings on the treatment industry and how it chased profits over patients.

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Alongside the passage of billions of dollars in Medicaid spending reductions over a decade, Oklahoma is also vying for an opportunity available to all 50 states to fund sustainable rural health care initiatives.

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The ground-dwelling bird’s preferred grassland habitat overlaps with agricultural and energy-rich regions, putting the species’ future in the hands of private landowners. In the second installment of a two-part series, StateImpact’s Chloe Bennett-Steele reports on continued conservation efforts for the species.

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Intergenerational programs are working throughout the state in small numbers to bring different age groups together through ongoing, mutually beneficial activities. As Oklahoma’s aging population grows, officials are looking to expand the model to accomodate them.

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