BARTLESVILLE — A local CareerTech center thinks a scholarship program it created with federal coronavirus relief funds has been so successful, it could be a statewide model for getting people into better-paying jobs or back to work in Oklahoma’s most in-demand industries.
Tri County Tech used a $1 million grant funded by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security, or CARES, Act for scholarships to get hundreds of unemployed and underemployed workers into accelerated job training programs.
The 2,300 applications that flooded in for Skills to Rebuild Scholarships and the success rate of the 540 recipients stunned Superintendent and CEO Lindel Fields.
“Tri County hasn’t taken any federal funding since 2015 just because of the strings attached. Because of the downturn in oil and gas and then the pandemic, so many people were struggling and we thought ‘What can we do to help?’” said Fields, who has been a professional educator for three decades. “Tri County has held sacred this thought that students need to have skin in the game. What we learned was just a few hundred dollars was such a challenge for students to get into school.”
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Kelsey Rader was one such wannabe student.
The 20-year-old Ochelata resident was putting in as many shifts as possible at a rural smoke shop but was barely making ends meet on her $7-an-hour pay.
“Bringing in less than $1,000 a month, it’s hard. I never had the extra money to set back. But I had been wanting to get into the medical field for a while and I saw this as a good opportunity in my career and in my life,” she said. “I know a lot of people who are in dead-end jobs, but they don’t have the money to go back to school. That’s a big hurdle right now, especially with the way the economy is.”
With just a $270 scholarship and co-workers who were willing to trade shifts at the smoke shop, Rader was able to go to school two nights per week for a month and complete a basic phlebotomy course.
In November, she got a frontline health care job that pays $13 per hour at Ascension St. John Jane Phillips Hospital in Bartlesville.
“We do everything from blood draws to dealing with outpatient paperwork. Sometimes people call us if they can’t get it (blood drawn), from one-day surgery patients to the emergency room — all over the hospital,” Rader said. “I’m making almost twice what I was making and now, I enjoy work every day.”
After Gov. Kevin Stitt mentioned the success of Tri County’s scholarship program in his recent State of the State address, Fields sent his office a formal proposal to bring Skills to Rebuild Scholarships to 15 CareerTech centers across the state.
Based on the one-year experience at Tri County, which has seen an 85% completion rate, Fields figures 11,824 students could receive scholarships at a one-year cost to the state of $10.3 million, resulting in new average wages of $17.32 per hour and an annual payroll of $307 million to $350 million across that cohort of students.
“This problem isn’t going away. Four million new people applied for unemployment last week,” he said. “As a state we need to be thinking about education at all levels if we are going to bring companies into our state and keep them. Our state does really good at graduating kids from high school but only 45% go onto college or CareerTech.”
Skills to Rebuild was designed to get students into the workforce in as little as two months by offering flexible class times including evenings and weekends and accelerated certifications in the in-demand fields of accounting, health care, nursing, child development, computer networking, cybersecurity and manufacturing.
Courses of study range from $270, $389 and $399 for phlebotomy, certified medication aid and child development associate, respectively, to $799 for certified nursing assistant to $4,500 for licensed practical nurse.
“We had hospitality workers who were laid off overnight because of the pandemic and we had people making $60,000 to $70,000 a year in the oil and gas industry out of work who are now back earning a paycheck. We never dreamed of how many lives would be affected. People want stability and there are a lot of 27- to 33- or 35-year-olds who look up and life isn’t what they thought it would be. They can’t quit dead-end jobs to retrain,” Fields said. “$1 an hour pay differential is $2,000 a year. That can be life-changing.”
Cordell Frye, 23, found himself among more than 50 people out of 90 employees laid off at Bartlesville’s Schlumberger manufacturing plant. He had worked for two years there building electrical pumps and wanted to break into an information technology job, but had no training and his only other resume experience was at a tire and lube shop.
A $2,000 Skills to Rebuild scholarship was not only his ticket to computer technology training, but a fellow student he met in his three-month training course at Tri County turned out to be his ticket to a new job six months after job loss.
“A lot of our class was online — we were only in the building one day a week because of the virus. The days we were in class, everyone was talking, participating. Everyone that was there was really happy to be there. Everyone took it seriously,” Frye said. “There was one student — he was already working at DSR and just needed that certification. He is the reason I work at DSR now. I told him I was looking for a tech job and he and someone at Tri County put a good word in for me.”
Frye sees his new job, at a company providing networking tech support for other businesses, as a foot in the door in his industry of choice. He eventually wants to earn a bachelor’s degree in IT.
“When I got laid off, I talked with my wife about me going back to school. We agreed it was time for me to further my education. It was an amazing feeling saving that good chunk of money because we were worried about that,” Frye said. “I know other people in that class I was in, they were saying if it wasn’t for that, they wouldn’t have even taken it.”
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The governor spoke to the media from the Oklahoma State Capitol
Q&A: State vaccination portal help and other guidance as most Oklahomans now eligible
Q&A: State vaccination portal help and other guidance as Oklahoma enters Phase 4
Who is eligible currently?
As of March 29, all Oklahomans 16 and older will be vaccine-eligible.
What determines how many appointments are available?
The state is reliant on COVID-19 vaccines supplied by the federal government; officials reportedly are notified of shipments one week at a time. The limited supplies make it logistically impossible to schedule vaccinations weeks in advance. Oklahoma officials hope for a policy change that resupplies be based on states' “burn rate,” of how many shipped doses are distributed promptly.
States and tribal leaders are receiving federal shipments of vaccines based on population, OSDH leaders have said. Oklahomans with a CDIB card would go to a tribal health care center for vaccines.
I signed up at vaccinate.oklahoma.gov but never got an email confirmation of any kind — what should I do?
Confirmation emails are sent out in batches; users should receive one within 24-48 business hours of registering. “Emails are sent out over a span of time in the order in which registrations occurred,” the state said. “As a result, some emails may be delayed.” If you've waited at least 48 hours without having gotten a response, it could mean a data-entry error was made by the user during registration.
State and county health officials also have said most of these issues are resolved when the user checks their junk mail folder for messages flagged as spam.
I’ve been told I can make an appointment, but I went to the portal and there were none available within 100 miles — what do I do now?
First, if the portal has a link that says "No appointments available," click anyway. Possible glitches in the system might result in that message showing up even when appointments might be open outside the user's immediate area.
If you're still coming up empty, bookmark and keep checking the “Click here” link emailed to you, says deputy OSDH commissioner Keith Reed. The link does not expire and is the only method to check for appointment availability. No further emails will be sent.
When will new appointments be added to the online portal as the state is updated on the supply of vaccines expected to ship from the federal government?
A new round of scheduling should be available on the portal every Thursday. Starting 5 p.m. Wednesday through Thursday morning, new appointments are uploaded for distribution pods, said Mindy Spohn, OSDH vaccine facilitator.
Tulsa Health Department did not add appointments Feb. 10-11 for the coming week due to inclement weather.
Someone I know is unable to go online to access the vaccination portal — how can they make sure to get an appointment?
The state recommends that those unable to access the online portal ask a family member or friend with internet capabilities to assist them with the registration process.
Some churches have stepped up to help people without internet access register on the portal, as well as those who need a foreign-language interpreter. State officials have said a Spanish translation is forthcoming for the online vaccine portal.
How are 211 and LIFE Senior Services trying to help?
Call center staff at 211 can help Oklahomans connect to resources they may need to physically access the vaccine distribution sites, but they cannot schedule appointments. OSDH helped add to 211 staff, who can collect patients' contact info to pass on to local health departments for phone scheduling.
LIFE Senior Services is helping callers get scheduled by signing them up on the portal and receiving emails for the patient. Pictured: LIFE Senior Services activities director Amberly Villegas and Geneva Boling.
Who else is trying to help people book appointments?
Josh Wright, software developer from Norman, developed a text-alert system for Oklahomans as a companion site for the state's COVID-19 vaccine portal.
The vaccine-alerts.com site has 41,000 users, who have received 1.25 million text alerts, as of Feb. 5.
Can I show up at a vaccination site without an appointment to wait for someone to miss their scheduled time?
No, Tulsa Health Department and other sites say those without appointments are not welcome at known vaccination sites. THD says if someone does miss their appointment, those shots may be offered to first-responders in the area who have not been able to get vaccinated yet.
What happens if I am unable to make my scheduled appointment? Can it be changed?
Asking that residents strive to keep their bookings as time slots are in high demand, the state has said that those who miss their scheduled time will need to make a new appointment. Cancellations or scheduling changes can be made through the portal. “There’s been some difficulty with that,” Spohn said. “Sometimes you have to wait 24 hours to be able to get back in and redirect your appointment because it locks up. … That’s among fixes we’re working on on our end.”
At what point do I schedule my second dose or "booster shot"?
The answer seems to change depending on which site a patient received their first dose.
Second-dose appointments may be scheduled at the time of the first shot. It is not required to schedule booster doses through the portal. “Follow the instructions given when you got your first shot,” OSDH Deputy Commissioner Keith Reed said.
Second-dose appointments may also be made via the state portal, and users will be asked whether they need the Pfizer or Moderna shot. Some clinics have had scheduling issues for second doses, Spohn said, so officials are working to ensure those sites aren’t filling up with only first-dose appointments.
Tulsa Health Department says: “You are able to walk in for your second dose without an appt, provided you come at the same time as your first dose. Must bring your vaccination card with you.” Director Bruce Dart said those who got a Pfizer vaccine through Tulsa Health Department should try to come back to the same site 21 days after the prime dose; those who got Moderna should walk back into the same site 28 days after.
In Wagoner County, second-dose appointments cannot be made until one week before the patient is due for the booster shot.
I can't get an appointment for my booster dose when I am supposed to — is it OK to take it any later?
Those concerned about getting appointments exactly 21 or 28 days after their first dose don’t need to worry; if you’re a little late, it doesn’t cause you to have to restart the shots. You may just take a few more days to reach 95% immunity.
The state says it may take longer for second-dose appointments to show up in the system as those cannot be entered into the system weeks in advance. Because the timing of booster doses means a three- or four-week delay, those scheduling their booster dose via the online portal are told not expect to set the schedule right after the prime dose.
Can I choose whether I receive a Moderna or Pfizer shot?
Some clinics have both Pfizer and Moderna available, but basically it’s whatever is available at the time of the appointment at the site.
Will I be able to drive-through to get my vaccination or will I have to go inside a facility?
Mindy Spohn said the state is trying at each location to help patients with accessibility issues to be able to drive-through. “The problem with drive-throughs … it does limit our throughput because you have a 15-minute observation period.” She said some sites may have found ways to offer drive-through with observation, "but their ability to reach large numbers is limited because of that."
If I have already had COVID-19, do I still need to consider getting the vaccine?
The short answer is yes. Dr. Jennifer Clark, who leads Project ECHO’s COVID-19 data sessions, said the human body’s natural immunity isn’t fully reliable and can be erratic. She said the response a person’s body will have from the vaccine will be more reliable and robust relative to the body’s natural immune response. Monks recommends waiting 90 days after recovering, especially if those who received monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma.
Do I still need to practice the three W’s after getting my vaccination?
Yes, it is vital for Oklahomans to continue to wear masks, wash their hands and watch their distance even after being vaccinated. The vaccine effectively protects recipients, but recipients may still be able to spread the virus to others. The CDC has not yet determined if or when it will stop recommending that people wear masks and avoid close contact with others to help prevent community spread.
Can you be a carrier of the virus after receiving a vaccination?
"We have to assume the answer is yes, you can. In other infectious diseases, this happens pretty commonly, though in others it does not. It won’t be known for another few months as we’ve gotten lots of people vaccinated and then tested with viral swabs," Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation President Dr. Stephen Prescott said.
Why do I have to wait 15 minutes before being able to leave after my vaccination, and what side effects are common?
Any adverse reaction that could endanger the patient's health should be evident within 15 minutes, so those receiving the vaccine must agree to observation during that time. Dr. George Monks, president of the Oklahoma State Medical Association, said possible side effects include mild pain or swelling at the injection site, true of any medicine injected into skin. Other possible side effects include mild fever, chills, tiredness and headache. Monks said side effects are almost always mild and are more common in younger people or when receiving the boost dose. Monks said one can think of the symptoms as a sign that the vaccine is working.
How many vaccine doses have gone to waste in Oklahoma?
State officials say there is no problem with expiring vaccines; doses arriving each week are already scheduled to be distributed the following week. “We don’t have any vaccine that’s sitting on the shelf,” says deputy OSDH commissioner Keith Reed. On Feb. 9, he said only 247 cumulative doses had been wasted due to broken or leading needles and vials.
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