Sen. Hicks speaks at Women in Government Leadership and Innovation Summit

OKLAHOMA CITY – Last Thursday, Sen. Carri Hicks, D-Oklahoma City, traveled to Orlando, Florida to speak at the Women in Government (WIG) Leadership and Innovation Summit. One of the main focuses of the training was addressing access to healthcare, and she spoke about her legislation this year expanding newborn screenings and its importance to improving the health of Oklahomans.

“This was a very informative and collaborative summit where we learned about the important correlation between healthy communities and healthy economies. One can’t exist without the other, and it’s critical as lawmakers that we create policies to improve and protect the health of our citizens,” Hicks said. “I was privileged to get to share about my Senate Bill 1464, which will ensure early detection of certain health conditions to help get Oklahoma infants the treatment they need to live long, healthy lives. I also learned about many other health policies that could be beneficial to improving our state health outcomes, and I can’t wait to share those with my colleagues.”

Hick’s legislation, which will go into effect Nov. 1, 2024, will require the Oklahoma State Health Department’s (OSDH) screening list for newborns to be updated regularly to match the federal Recommended Uniform Screening Panel (RUSP).

The Oklahoma City Democrat serves as one of Oklahoma’s WIG state directors and has become one of the Senate’s leading voices for policies to improve the lives of Oklahomans. As a member of both the Health and Human Services standing committee and appropriations subcommittee, she has authored numerous health-related bills, addressing the cost of insulin and diabetes treatment, providing nursing mothers with necessary accommodations, and working to prevent infant suffocation, among other important policies.

Headquartered in Washington, D.C., WIG is a national nonprofit organization that for over 30 years has provided leadership opportunities, expert forums, and educational resources to address and resolve complex public policy issues for all women state legislators across the country. Topics discussed at the summit included, among others, transforming mental health care through technology; breaking down barriers to mental health access; the importance of treating heart disease in women; building a more expansive and inclusive worker pipeline; pharmacy benefit reforms; and valuing gene therapies for rare diseases.  

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For more information, contact:  Sen. Hicks: (405) 521-5543 or Carri.Hicks@oksenate.gov