Claudia Griffith

Claudia Griffith (1950 to 2018) was an American registered nurse, public health professional and legislator from Norman, Oklahoma. Born in Altus, Oklahoma, she studied at the University of Oklahoma, where she took a master's degree in public health. She became the first full-time Patient Health Coordinator at Norman Regional Hospital, then worked for the Cleveland County Health Department and as a consultant to the university's Health Promotions Program on health education and disease prevention with Native American communities. She later directed Health for Friends, a nonprofit that provides prenatal, chronic disease, pharmacy and dental care to people who are underserved or without means, and she was among the first Oklahomans to volunteer as a medical responder after the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. Elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives for district 45 in 2014 and again in 2016, she wrote and backed bills to help survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence and to widen access for elderly and disabled residents. She died of a heart attack on 14 July 2018 while seeking a state Senate seat, and the university's School of Public Health created an endowed scholarship in her name.