Emergency departments across Oklahoma are reporting a sharp uptick in respiratory illness this week, compounding strain on an already fragile rural health system and prompting urgent calls for policy action from public health officials and community advocates.

The Oklahoma State Department of Health said Thursday that emergency visits for respiratory symptoms rose 32 percent statewide over the last 14 days, with pediatric visits increasing most dramatically. Laboratory surveillance shows co-circulation of influenza A, RSV and SARS-CoV-2, a configuration that can multiply hospital admissions, Dr. Alicia Moreno, Oklahoma’s interim health commissioner, told KGOU’s PM NewsBrief. “We’re asking clinicians, schools and families to be vigilant,” Moreno said. “Vaccination, testing and staying home when symptomatic remain our most effective tools.”

The surge is colliding with long-term challenges: workforce shortages, thin operating margins and the recent decision by a 25-bed hospital in McCurtain County to suspend inpatient services this month. James Randle, chief executive of McCurtain Community Hospital, said the move was unavoidable after months of operating losses and an inability to recruit clinicians. “We can still provide outpatient care and stabilize emergencies, but we can no longer safely keep inpatient units open,” Randle said. The closure will force some residents to drive up to 60 miles for hospital care, he added.

That geographic gap is particularly consequential for low-income families and Indigenous communities that rely on local facilities and face transportation barriers. Lydia White, director of the Oklahoma Health Equity Coalition and a citizen of the Choctaw Nation, warned that service reductions will worsen health disparities. “When the nearest hospital is an hour away, routine complications become life-threatening,” White said. “Communities already under-resourced will bear the brunt.”

Lawmakers reconvening in October are weighing proposals that would expand telehealth reimbursement and boost Medicaid rates for critical services, measures supporters say could blunt the impact of closures and improve rural retention. Republican and Democratic legislators have signaled interest, but details remain contentious as budget writers balance care access with fiscal constraints.

“We need pragmatic fixes—reimbursement parity for telehealth, targeted workforce incentives and clearer emergency transport protocols,” said Rep. Janet Hale, an Oklahoma City lawmaker sponsoring a telehealth package. “This surge makes those reforms urgent.” Opponents have expressed concern about costs and potential overuse of services if telehealth is expanded without guardrails.

Public health experts emphasize prevention even as policy talks continue. The state is rerouting supplies of antiviral medication and portable oxygen concentrators to hardest-hit counties and doubling outreach to community clinics for vaccination clinics and testing. Still, some community health centers say they lack sufficient staff to run expanded campaigns.

The situation in Oklahoma underscores a broader national pattern: seasonal respiratory waves are becoming less predictable and intersecting with systemic weaknesses in rural health care. For many residents, the immediate choices will be practical and painful—postponing care, driving farther for hospital services, or seeking crowded emergency rooms.

KGOU’s PM NewsBrief highlighted these developments Thursday, and public health leaders urged Oklahomans to stay informed about local clinic hours, get vaccinated where eligible, and to seek care promptly for respiratory distress. As officials and advocates negotiate short- and long-term solutions, equity experts say the guiding question should be who pays when community hospitals can no longer shoulder the burden alone.