 The Oklahoma public health system stands ready with statewide and national partners to treat and minimize further spread of COVID-19.
As the number of COVID-19 cases continue to rise, it is important that we all stay safe and healthy. That’s why on March 16, the TSET team started working remotely until further notice. We have closed our physical office and have shifted any in-person meetings to phone calls, conference calls or video chats. For a list of our staff emails, visit the TSET website. For more information on COVID-19, visit the Oklahoma Department of Health.
 Dr. Kamrin Torbati (left), an OB-GYN at McAlester Regional Health Center, recently was named Oklahoma's Rural Health Association Physician of the Year. Michelle Mabray, a physician recruiter with the health center, attended the event.
When Dr. Kamrin Torbati launched his medical career in the underserved community of McAlester, he had no idea that just a few years later he would be named Oklahoma’s Rural Health Association Physician of the Year. But that’s just what happened on March 6 at the Oklahoma Rural Health Conference in Norman. Dr. Torbati, who is an OB-GYN at McAlester Regional Health Center, was placed in the community through the Oklahoma Medical Loan Repayment Program, a partnership between TSET, local community funds and the Physician Manpower Training Commission.
 The second episode of the TSET Better Health Podcast will air in early April.
The next episode of the TSET Better Health Podcast is coming in early April. Co-hosts James Tyree and Cate Howell will discuss social distancing, its impact on mental and physical health, and helpful ideas on how to keep eating better and moving more in this unprecedented time.
Listeners also will learn why now is a particularly good time to quit tobacco. While there is not yet much data on COVID-19 in smokers, health experts have observed in reports from China that tobacco users seem to be overrepresented among those who have severe or critical cases of COVID-19.
On Spotify, TuneIn, Stitcher, Podbean and everywhere you listen to podcasts. Listen here.
 The TSET Board of Directors recently voted to renew its grant to the Oklahoma Tobacco Research Center.
TSET will continue to support cutting-edge science and research into addiction and tobacco cessation after the TSET Board of Directors voted to renew its grant to the Oklahoma Tobacco Research Center (OTRC). The grant provides up to $11.4 million over three years for research into addiction and the harms of tobacco and nicotine products. The renewal recognizes the progress of OTRC scientists, whose efforts currently include 25 active studies with federal awards totaling over $29 million in research funding. Those studies include a focus on the use of e-cigarettes and other emerging tobacco products in Oklahoma’s youth populations. Read more.
 The Oklahoma TSET Board of Directors recently approved Healthy Communities Incentive Grants for 11 Oklahoma municipalities. The grants will fund health-promoting projects such as walking trails and exercise equipment.
Whether you’re a child or an adult, the community you live in matters a lot. Access to playgrounds, walking paths and exercise equipment are all things that shape our futures. At TSET, one of the many ways we help create healthy choices is through Healthy Incentive Grants for both schools and communities throughout Oklahoma.
The TSET Board of Directors recently approved Healthy Schools Incentive Grants for 20 Oklahoma school districts and 10 school sites. All applicants for incentive grants adopted policies and implemented healthy strategies to be eligible to compete for grant funding. The grants will fund health-promoting projects such as playground and fitness equipment, hydration stations, walking paths and more. Find a complete list of schools here.
Additionally, the Board approved Healthy Communities Incentive Grants for 11 Oklahoma municipalities. The grants will fund health-promoting projects such as sidewalk improvements, walking trails and exercise equipment. Learn the communities that received grants here.
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