Oklahoma Department of Health outsources management of public health lab [The Oklahoman, Oklahoma City]
Dec. 24 The Oklahoma State Department of Health will outsource management of the state’s public health lab.
The state has contracted with Prairie One Solutions, a newly formed subsidiary of the Oklahoma State University Research Foundation, to oversee the public health lab and the future Oklahoma Pandemic Center for Innovation and Excellence.
The new management contract coincides with a decision to move the public health lab from Oklahoma City to Stillwater so the lab and the pandemic center can be housed together.
The move of the state’s public health lab is unlikely to be complete by the end of the year, as state leaders originally thought.
By: Barry Mangold
OKLAHOMA CITY -
The Oklahoma State Department of Health is considering a public-private partnership with a nonprofit to manage the Public Health Lab and the Oklahoma Pandemic Center for Innovation and Excellence, or OPCIE.
Deputy Commissioner Travis Kirkpatrick said Wednesday they are in talks with Prairie One, a subsidiary of the Oklahoma State University Research Foundation to lead the facilities, which are staffed by state employees.
“We are not privatizing the public health lab,” Kirkpatrick said, adding all existing jobs are secure. The unique partnership would allow the facilities to focus on serving Oklahomans by being better prepared for health emergencies, he said.