Public health lab loses employees as it moves
After the St it tad ministration decided to move the state's public health lab from Oklahoma City to Stillwater, 13 employees have decided not to make the move.
Since the change was announced in October, more than one- third of the l ab's 35 employees either retired, resigned or accepted other jobs within the State Department of Health or state government.
“We really wanted to be excited about what their new endeavors are, but we are super excited about the 22 that are making the transition with us,” said Travis Kirkpatrick, a deputy commissioner at the Oklahoma State Department of Health.
For now, the vacated positions will not be filled, he said. Future hiring decisions will prioritize hands- on lab employees over administrative staff.
It's not that the Department of Health doesn't want to hire more lab employees, it's that some of the automation of the new lab has made it so that's not immediately necessary, Kirkpatrick said.
A new public health lab has been in the works for years, but it was the decision to move the lab to Stillwater that drew some pushback and criticism. The move is slated to be complete this month, Kirkpatrick said.
The lab processes some COVID-19 tests and all newborn screening tests, the blood test that is used to find if babies have certain hidden genetic disorders. Employees also study food-borne illnesses and monitor disease outbreaks.
Of the roughly 50 employees that work in the lab, located inside the former State Department of Health building, 35 were asked to relocate
or commute to Still water. Of those, 22 will transition to the former Devon Energy office complex in Stillwater, although three lab employees will be able to work from home.
One employee's retirement was already in the works when the decision to move the lab was announced. More than a dozen other employees that serve in lab-adjacent roles will be able to continue their work in Oklahoma City.
Critics of the move expressed concerns that losing longtime lab employees could result in a loss of institutional knowledge. Without knowing the specific employees quitting the lab, a spokesman for the Oklahoma Public Employees Association said losing 13 employees roughly translates to 130 years of experience lost because, on average, each lab employee has a decade of experience.
SandRidge Energy's former downtown office tower, the new home of the State Department of Health, wasn't equipped to house the public health lab. State health officials have said Still water is the ideal location for the lab that will be housed with the state' s newly formed Oklahoma Pandemic Center for Innovation and Excellence, which will work closely with Oklahoma State University.
“We made the decision to move the public health lab for what we feel puts Oklahoma in a better position for the future ,” Kirk patrick said. “We don't begrudge anyone making the decision that' s best for them, and we really wish them well.”
Upset the Oklahoma Legislature wasn't consulted about moving the public health lab, Rep. Ryan Martinez, R-Edmond, plans to introduce legislation that would prevent state assets from being moved without legislative input. He is still working on the bill language.
Change in management
The State Department of Health in December announced the hiring of Dr. Michael Kayser as the director of the lab and pandemic center, which will prepare Oklahoma for future pandemics and public health crises.
The agency contracted with Prairie One Solutions, a newly formed subsidiary of the Oklahoma State University Research Foundation, to oversee both entities — a move that coincided with the decision to move the lab to Stillwater.
Prairie One Solutions will be paid 15% of the operating budget of the lab and pandemic center combined and 15% of any income derived from the two entities, according to a copy of the management agreement obtained through a public records request.
The pandemic center, not the lab, will drive revenue generation, Kirkpatrick said.
“We' re not going to be monetizing anything that you would generally see in the public health space,” he said.
Kayser did much of his clinical education and training in Oklahoma, spent four years studying biochemical genetics at the National Human Genome Research Institute, expanded genetic testing at St. Francis Children's Hospital in Tulsa and worked at the Cancer Treatment Centers of America.
At a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the pandemic center last month, Gov. Kevin Stitt said the facility will improve public health and Oklahoma's economy by bringing in federal research grants and allow the state to partner with the private sector to bring more research and development jobs to the state.
“It's going to prove to be a huge, huge economic driver for years to come,” Stitt said. “It' s also going to help us attract the clinical and laboratory research talent that we should, and we know we can, attract here in the state of Oklahoma.”
Reporter Carmen Forman covers state government, politics and the COVID-19 pandemic for The Oklahoman. Send story tips to cforman@oklahoman.com or connect on Twitter with @ CarmenMForman. Please support her work, and the work of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a print or digital subscription today at oklahoman.com/subscribe.