OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) is working to make sure Oklahomans have widely available access to N95 masks in the state. In partnership with the Oklahoma Pharmacists Association and pharmacy partners around the state, the OSDH will be distributing N95 masks around the state to local pharmacies through a distribution system that will provide Oklahomans the opportunity to go to their local pharmacies to receive N95 masks, free of charge.

Isolation and stress caused from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic can lead many to turn to drugs to cope. According to the Center for Disease Control, Oklahoma has seen a 20% rise in drug overdose deaths during the pandemic. With the recent surge in the Omicron variant, further isolation and stress will leave family members looking for ways to help loved ones suffering from addiction.

OKLAHOMA CITY - The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH), the Tulsa County Health Department (THD) and the Oklahoma City-County Health Department (OCCHD) are moving away from universal case investigation and contact tracing to focus on a more strategic approach of outbreak investigations and targeted case investigations.

BROKEN ARROW –– The eighth annual Oklahoma Local Agriculture Summit is set to take place March 1 - March 3, 2022, at the Stoney Creek Hotel located at 200 W. Albany Street, Broken Arrow, Okla. The focus of the conference is to increase the availability of local food in Oklahoma communities and strengthen farmers markets and agritourism sites through education and networking opportunities.

Conservation Incentive Contracts (CIC) address priority resource concerns, including sequestering carbon and improving soil health in highpriority areas. Through these contracts, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) works with producers to strengthen the quality and condition of natural resources on their operations using management practices, such as irrigation water management, drainage water management, feed management and residue and tillage management that target resource concerns, including degraded soil and water quality, available water, and soil erosion.

Funding opportunities to enhance the specialty crop industry within the state are now available, thanks to the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program through the United States Department of Agriculture’s Agriculture Marketing Services. Eligible applicants include nonprofits, local, state, and federal government entities, for-profit organizations and colleges and universities.