Oklahoma Senate sends blood clot prevention bill to governor

By AI, Created 11:25 AM UTC, May 20, 2026, /AGP/ – The Oklahoma Senate passed House Bill 3644, the Blake Burgess Blood Clot Prevention Act, on April 28, sending it to Gov. Kevin Stitt. The measure would require hospitals and surgical centers to adopt blood clot prevention protocols and create a statewide registry, putting Oklahoma among the first states to move on the issue.

Why it matters: - Venous blood clots are a dangerous and often preventable cause of death that kills about 100,000 Americans a year. - The bill could reduce preventable deaths in Oklahoma by requiring hospitals to identify at-risk patients sooner and respond faster. - A statewide registry would give Oklahoma data to track outcomes and improve care over time.

What happened: - The Oklahoma Senate passed House Bill 3644, the Blake Burgess Blood Clot Prevention Act, on April 28. - The bill now goes to Gov. Kevin Stitt for his signature. - The National Blood Clot Alliance celebrated the vote as a patient-safety victory. - The legislation is named for Blake Burgess, a 21-year-old Oklahoman who died from a pulmonary embolism in 2020.

The details: - The bill requires hospitals with emergency departments and ambulatory surgical centers to adopt formal policies for identifying patients at risk of blood clots. - The measure also requires procedures for responding quickly when that risk is detected. - Clinical staff would receive annual training to recognize warning signs and act immediately. - The Oklahoma State Department of Health would create a statewide venous thromboembolism, or VTE, registry. - The registry would track outcomes and monitor compliance with nationally recognized medical guidelines. - The registry is designed to produce data that could inform blood clot prevention policy beyond Oklahoma. - The bill follows Florida’s 2025 Emily Adkins Family Protection Act, another state blood clot law.

Between the lines: - The Burgess family turned Blake Burgess’ death into a statewide advocacy campaign. - The family met with lawmakers, spoke at community events, and worked with the National Blood Clot Alliance to push the bill forward. - Oklahoma is moving ahead without waiting for federal action, where no standard blood clot prevention law exists for U.S. hospitals. - The state is positioning itself as an early adopter of a data-driven approach that could become a model for other legislatures. - Legislative sponsors include Rep. Preston Stinson, Sen. Kelly Hines and Rep. Nick Archer.

What’s next: - Gov. Kevin Stitt can sign the bill into law. - If he signs, Oklahoma will join a small but growing group of states taking direct action on blood clot prevention. - The new registry and hospital protocols would then become the backbone of the state’s prevention effort.

The bottom line: - Oklahoma has moved a blood clot prevention bill to the governor’s desk, and a signature would turn a family’s advocacy into statewide patient-safety rules.