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Interim Commissioner for the Oklahoma State Department of Health Preston Doerflinger held a press conference to talk about the current financial picture for the agency and his plans for moving OSDH forward after being appointed interim commissioner.

Doerflinger praised the employees and reported that he had met with almost every OSDH employee in the past week and received constructive feedback for moving the agency forward.

Doerflinger gave a brief overview of what actions put the agency in this financial situation and said he has identified over-expenditures beyond the agency’s annual revenue starting from approximately 2011 to the current fiscal year. His plan includes asking the Legislature to appropriate $30 million to the agency which will allow OSDH to meet payroll obligations and stop the growth of the current deficit. Doerflinger also plans to ask for a risk assessment from the State Auditor’s Office which will allow the agency to identify key target areas for additional performance audits.