The Oklahoma State Department of Health is preparing to lay off more than 150 employees next month due to budget woes.
Data obtained by The Oklahoman shows 43 registered nurses are scheduled to lose their jobs at local health departments. The data also shows 28 patient care assistants, 16 licensed practical nurses and 50 office workers are also expected to be laid off.
Department spokesman Tony Sellars attributes some of the layoffs to ending the ParentPro pilot program, a home-visiting initiative that teaches parenting skills to at-risk families.
The department announced its plan to lay off about 10 percent of its workforce last year. The announcement followed financial trouble, allegedly caused by overspending and shifting federal money in questionable ways under former officials who resigned in 2017.