Ritze: Feds Planning To Send Ebola Patients To OK?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 16, 2014

Rep. Ritze Says Federal Government Checking Oklahoma Hospitals’ Readiness to Accept Ebola Patients

OKLAHOMA CITY –State Rep. Mike Ritze said today that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has recently contacted the Oklahoma Department of Health to inquire about the readiness of state hospitals to accept patients who may have the Ebola virus. Ritze said he plans on looking into the specifics of the inquiry and has contacted Oklahoma Commissioner of Health Terry Cline for more information.

Ritze said he knows that New Mexico and several other states have also been contacted by HHS.

“This may just be a routine inquiry, but it strikes me as curious given the recent outbreak of Ebola cases in West Africa,” said Ritze, R-Broken Arrow. “At this point, there is no need to panic, but it would be helpful to get some accurate information from our state and federal health organizations so we know how severe the threat may be.”

Ritze, who serves as a ranking member of the House Public Health Committee, is a board certified physician and surgeon with a master’s degree in forensic science administration.

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