Photography and Text by Terry “Travels with Terry” Zinn t4z@aol.com

In the Oklahoma region many of us over the years have visited Wichita, Kansas, for a theatrical event at Century Two or to see the Chisholm Trail, or to just get a bit of Western atmosphere. I too have, over the years, visited Wichita and on a recent visit was surprised at the additions to this vibrant city. And as last month I suggested you visit Dodge City, you might as well take about a two hour drive on over to Wichita, before or after your Dodge City visit. Not recommending travel at the moment, but it’s fun to explore and plan for the new year. And remember to check current times and conditions on venues you plan to visit.
My home base was the Ambassador Hotel, an Autograph Collection Hotel, (https://ambassadorwichitaks.com) where the modern black and gray and chrome atmosphere welcomes the well-worn traveler seeking a step up from the ordinary. Located downtown with convenient self-parking and an expansive room with courteous attendants and city views, the Ambassador promises a surprise upscale experience. While I requested long in advance for one of their ADA rooms, there was no bench or chair in the walk-in shower. I re-requested such from the front desk, and by the next day, with some bumps in the road, was happily accommodated.
The hotel staff was very good in following through with requests. I only wish the food and beverage side of the hotel had not disappointed. The steak and unique charred Caesar salad were exceptional at the Siena Tuscan Steakhouse, however they did not honor a coupon., They gave me a drink coupon for the downstairs pseudo speak easy. Even after talking to the Food and Beverage manager and crew it was not accepted, even though my server agreed the coupon was misleading – almost a bait and switch situation. I did not mind paying for my drink, but the experience left a bad farewell feeling for the hotel, as I was leaving the next day. Just a heads up, as I tell it like I experience in all my travel articles. So when I say “I’m impressed,” you know it.
About a block from the hotel is the Roxy Theater, (www.roxysdowntown.com) with a disguised rear entrance for the uninitiated, to a funky building housing a dinner theater. The food was acceptable for Dinner Theater fare and their production of Avenue Q, was one of the best I have seen. The wait staff had more tables than they could easily accommodate. I’d recommend the Roxy, now you know what to expect.
A pleasant unexpected surprise is the Tanganyika Wildlife Park (www.twpark.com) where wild animals including a plethora of giraffes, a Rhino, a variety of primates are among the surprises. Roaming the expansive grounds, even during a rain shower is a recommended experience where you can slow down and enjoy nature and its creations.
Who’d think that there was a goat farm in Kansas that also served adult beverages and farm to table gourmet lunches which is Elderslie Farm. (https://eldersliefarm.com) Being a family owned operation from chef to owner tour guide, the home-grown sincerity rang throughout the farm, from goat milking and cheese making to the wood working of heritage wood into tables, shelves and doors. Admiration goes out to Elderslie Farm for their preservation of tender loving care and investment in preservation. They even have a large blackberry patch that is a community pick and share in June. The season for blackberries is brief – influenced heavily by the unpredictable spring weather. Reserve a tour and luncheon here – you will be surprised.
Talk about surprises, two dining establishments blew my critical socks off. Georges, a true French bistro, (http://georgesfrenchbistro.com/) located in an unprepossessing strip mall, will delight your taste buds. My luncheon Martini and Prosciutto Eggs Benedict with truffle frites, was accented by the continental waiter and the chatter of the accompanying “ladies who lunch,” who find this their congenial gathering place.
6Steakhouse, (www.6ssteakhouse.com) located out near the Zoo and offering lake front views, is an upscale dining experience not to be passed by. An aged steak prepared to my specification, even with a second “more heat” request, was memorable. What they call creamed corn is a unique roasted corn medley, from which you could make an entire meal. A relatively new establishment promises many years of good times with their sleek upscale interior dining and even an added education into the ageing of fine beef, I found enlightening. (if you say “6S” fast enough it can sound like, success.)
Of course, Wichita is known for its Keeper or the Plains symbolic statue with its reflections in the river, is still an attraction to be viewed anytime.
The veteran The Museum of World Treasures, warehouse style building https://worldtreasures.org is a long-time Wichita resident. It offers mainly replicas of world history documents and artifacts, (including Custer’s button up fly underwear). Seeing many letters of world figures and artifacts can be quite educational for the youth, along with the ever-popular T-Rex skeleton. Also you can enjoy the gardens of Botanica (https://botanica.org) and the restored WWII B29 bomber at B-29 Doc Hangar and Educational Center (www.b29doc.com) .
The best surprise of all was the Wichita Art Museum’s (www.wichitaartmuseum.org) limited showing of what could be called the most comprehensive overview of the Works and Life of Georgia O’Keeffe. Having seen many exhibitions of her work, I was delighted to see her paintings and timeline juxtaposed with her actual artifacts and many of her dresses. While this exhibit is over another intriguing exhibit is “Foot In the Door” photographs from local Wichita residents through April 18, 2021. Staged in conjunction with the Wichita Art Museum’s 85th Anniversary, “the exhibition is an opportunity to recognize Wichita artists and make them feel welcomed and loved at their art museum. They are critical to the lifeblood at WAM,” says director Dr. Patricia McDonnell.
To help with your Wichita surprises contact them at: www.visitwichita.com

Mr. Terry Zinn – Travel Editor
Past President: International Food Wine and Travel Writers Association
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The following statement is attributable to Ernest J. Grant, PhD, RN, FAAN, President, American Nurses Association (ANA):
“To claim that health care professionals are inflating the number of COVID-19 cases or deaths to make more money is outrageous, baseless, and dangerous.
Nurses, physicians, and other frontline health care workers have endured brutally long shifts covered in stifling personal protective equipment (PPE). Others have faced long days and weeks caring for COVID-19 patients, working without sufficient PPE, or forced to reuse PPE multiple times, increasing their risk of infection, or bringing the virus home to those they love, illness and even death.
More than 350 nurses in the United States have died as a result of COVID-19, many others have been infected and hospitalized. All have faced extreme stress and mental anguish.
As cases and hospitalizations surge across this country, our nation’s leaders have a responsibility to call for and model public health measures to stem the spread of the disease. They should follow science and the guidance of health care professionals.
Nurses, physicians, and other frontline health care workers have demonstrated courage, commitment, and grit in responding to this pandemic, risking their own health and safety to care for others. To try to slander or place blame on these dedicated health care professionals is a shameless, blatant lie.”

When Covid-19 hit James Richardson, it hit him hard. Now, the 45-year-old physical therapist is using his experience with the virus to help others.
A distance runner who also regularly lifts weights, the Oklahoma City resident didn’t fit any of the traditional risk factors associated with Covid-19. But shortly after a work exposure at his clinic in March, the virus had him fighting for his life.
Following his recovery, he’s now participating in antibody research at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation.
“It was such a miserable experience. If there’s anything I can do to help others avoid that or experience it less severely, that’s what I’m going to do,” he said.
Infected by a patient in his physical therapy clinic, Richardson soon developed a fever of almost 103 degrees and blacked out repeatedly. He was admitted to the emergency room at Integris Baptist Medical Center and moved to isolation in the hospital’s Covid unit.
“It felt like my chest was tightening more with every breath, like I had a constrictor snake wrapped around me,” he remembered. For a week in the hospital, he cycled in and out of consciousness.
The low point came when his oxygen levels crashed, and the ventilator team was called. “I was able to muster the word ‘no’ when they asked to vent me,” he said. “I was afraid of the long-term consequences.”
Fortunately, Richardson pulled through without the ventilator. But nine months later, he continues to feel the lingering effects of the virus.
I’m still dealing with things that don’t feel right. I can’t breathe well, and some of the cognitive effects are scary,” said Richardson. “I find myself trying to explain something to a patient or a colleague and can’t find the words; I just want to slap myself on the back of the head and yell, ‘Spit it out already!’”
Once he’d cleared the virus from his body for a sufficient period, Richardson began donating plasma to the Oklahoma Blood Institute for use in treating other Covid-19 patients. He also volunteered for research at OMRF, where scientists are studying his antibodies as part of a two-year federal grant.
“Our goal is to understand people’s differing immune responses to the virus,” said Linda Thompson, Ph.D., one of the leaders of the project at OMRF. Using blood donated by volunteers, the scientists are looking for biological clues that might identify those individuals most likely to experience a severe response to the virus.
This information can be used to develop potential treatments and to inform vaccine design and improvement over the coming years.
“Someone like James volunteering isn’t just valuable,” said Thompson. “It’s crucial in helping us understand the effects of antibodies in fighting this virus.” When Richardson learned what taking part in the OMRF research entailed, he says the decision to participate was easy.
“All I need to do is show up to help and give a little blood?” he said. “Count me in!”
If you’ve recently recovered from Covid-19 and are interested in volunteering for OMRF’s antibody research study, please call 405-271-7221.

By Nick Thomas

Now in her seventh decade as a film actress, British beauty Jacqueline Bisset first hit the big screen in the mid-1960s and was soon on her way to becoming a household name after dramatic roles later in the decade in films such as “Bullitt” with Steve McQueen.
Although her role was small as McQueen’s sizzling love interest and she didn’t appear in the film’s action sequences, Bisset was on set to witness some of the legendary driving scenes often performed by McQueen, a keen race car enthusiast.
“Watching those cars jumping in the air on the streets of San Francisco was amazing,” Bisset recalled from Los Angeles. “There were also some scenes where I had to drive Steve around in a yellow convertible and remember thinking God Almighty, I don’t want to mess this up with a race car driver next to me!”
She says McQueen, a major star at the time, was “very patient with me and we would go out for meals with the director and producer when we’d break for lunch. He didn’t like getting caught in crowds and would often just jump on his bike and get the hell out of there.”
Also memorable for Bissett – and audiences for her wet T-shirt scenes – was “The Deep” a decade later. Noted for its stunning underwater sequences, the actress still has mixed feelings more than 40 years later when she speaks of the aquatic adventure.
“As a child, some stupid kids tried to dunk me and ever since I’ve been fearful of the water and swimming around others,” she explained. “But the diving crew on ‘The Deep’ were amazing and I found it a beautiful experience even though the thought of drowning was still a daily worry. I had a stunt double for some underwater shots, but she looked nothing like me so it meant I attempted more stunts that I would have liked. When you’re 90 feet underwater you have to solve any problem right there – you can’t just shoot to the surface.”
In one scene, her character attempts precisely that after encountering a moray eel (her stunt double did the eel sequence).
“It was complicated to film and very frightening – I actually thought I was going to drown. The others didn’t know if I was acting or in real trouble, which I was. I got through it, but even as I speak of it now, my throat tightens!”
With several films in post-production for 2021, Bissett has remained a busy actress throughout her career and in recent years has tackled personal roles such as 2018’s “Head Full of Honey” with its Alzheimer’s theme.
“My mother got dementia in her early 50s and lived with it for 35 years, so it’s something I knew a lot about,” she says. “The film approaches the subject with a little humor because that can sometimes help families dealing with it. It’s painful humor but can make it more bearable.”
Nick Thomas teaches at Auburn University at Montgomery, Ala., and has written features, columns, and interviews for over 850 newspapers and magazines.

* As of this advisory, there are 283,781 cases of COVID-19 in Oklahoma.
* 2,594 is today’s 7-day rolling average for the number of new cases reported.
* There are 22 additional deaths identified to report.
* Two in Cleveland County, one female in the 65 or older age group, one male in the 65 or older age group.
* One in Creek County, one male in the 65 or older age group.
* One in Garfield County, one male in the 65 or older age group.
* One in Grady County, one male in the 65 or older age group.
* One in Kay County, one female in the 65 or older age group.
* One in Love County, one female in the 50-64 age group.
* One in McClain County, one female in the 65 or older age group.
* One in McCurtain County, one male in the 65 or older age group.
* Eight in Oklahoma County, three females in the 65 or older age group, one male in the 18-35 age group, one male in the 50-64 age group, three males in the 65 or older age group.
* One in Pontotoc County, one male in the 65 or older age group.
* Three in Tulsa County, one female in the 65 or older age group, two males in the 65 or older age group.
* One in Woods County, one female in the 65 or older age group.
* There are 2,405 total deaths in the state.
* Additional hospitalization data can be found in the Hospital Tiers report, published evenings Monday through Friday.
* For more information, visit https://oklahoma.gov/covid19.html.

*The total includes laboratory information provided to OSDH at the time of the report. As a result, counts are subject to change. Total counts may not reflect unique individuals.
***The purpose of publishing aggregated statistical COVID-19 data through the OSDH Dashboard, the Executive Order Report, and the Weekly Epidemiology and Surveillance Report is to support the needs of the general public in receiving important and necessary information regarding the state of the health and safety of the citizens of Oklahoma. These resources may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be used in any way that would determine the identity of any reported cases.
Data Source: Acute Disease Service, Oklahoma State Department of Health. *As of 2020-12-29 at 7:00 a.m.

Oklahomans should feel confident in receiving either of the vaccines.
Still, we know there is a lot of mis-information out there. The Mayo Clinic debunks many of the most common myths below.
Myth: The COVID-19 vaccine is not safe because it was rapidly developed and tested.
Fact: Many pharmaceutical companies invested significant resources into quickly developing a vaccine for COVID-19 because of the world-wide impact of the pandemic. The emergency situation warranted an emergency response but that does not mean that companies bypassed safety protocols or perform adequate testing.
To receive emergency use authorization, the biopharmaceutical manufacturer must have followed at least half of the study participants for at least two months after completing the vaccination series, and the vaccine must be proven safe and effective in that population. In addition to the safety review by the FDA, the Advisory Committee on Immunization has convened a panel of vaccine safety experts to independently evaluate the safety data from the clinical trials. The safety of the COVID-19 vaccine will continue to be closely monitored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the FDA.
Myth: I already had COVID-19 and recovered, so I don’t need to get a COVID-19 vaccine when it’s available.
Fact: There is not enough information currently available to say if or for how long after infection someone is protected from getting COVID-19 again. This is called natural immunity. Early evidence suggests natural immunity from COVID-19 may not last very long, but more studies are needed to better understand this. Mayo Clinic recommends getting the COVID-19 vaccine, even if you’ve had COVID-19 previously. However, those that had COVID-19 should delay vaccination until about 90 days from diagnosis. People should not get vaccinated if in quarantine after exposure or if they have COVID-19 symptoms.
Myth: There are severe side effects of the COVID-19 vaccines.
Fact: There are short-term mild or moderate vaccine reactions that resolve without complication or injury. Keep in mind that these side effects are indicators that your immune system is responding to the vaccine and are common when receiving vaccines.
Myth: I won’t need to wear a mask after I get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Fact: It may take time for everyone who wants a COVID-19 vaccination to get one. Also, while the vaccine may prevent you from getting sick, it is unknown at this time if you can still carry and transmit the virus to others. Until more is understood about how well the vaccine works, continuing with precautions such as mask-wearing and physical distancing will be important.
Myth: More people will die as a result of a negative side effect to the COVID-19 vaccine than would actually die from the virus.
Fact: Circulating on social media is the claim that COVID-19’s mortality rate is 1%-2% and that people should not be vaccinated against a virus with a high survival rate. However, a 1% mortality rate is 10 times more lethal than the seasonal flu. In addition, the mortality rate can vary widely and is influenced by age, sex and underlying health condition.
You cannot get COVID-19 infection from the COVID-19 vaccines; they are inactivated vaccines and not live vaccines.
While no vaccine is 100% effective, they are far better than not getting a vaccine. The benefits certainly outweigh the risks in healthy people.
Myth: The COVID-19 vaccine was developed as a way to control the general population either through microchip tracking or nano transducers in our brains.
Fact: There is no vaccine “microchip” and the vaccine will not track people or gather personal information into a database. This myth started after comments made by Bill Gates from The Gates Foundation about a digital certificate of vaccine records. The technology he was referencing is not a microchip, has not been implemented in any manner and is not tied to the development, testing or distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Myth: The COVID-19 vaccine will alter my DNA.
Fact: Injecting mRNA into your body will not interact or do anything to the DNA of your cells. Human cells break down and get rid of the mRNA soon after they have finished using the instructions.
Myth: The COVID-19 vaccines were developed using fetal tissue.
Fact: Current mRNA COVID-19 vaccines were not created with and do not require the use of fetal cell cultures in the production process.
INTEGRIS Health is a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network.

Chronic pain can be quite common among older adults as they face conditions such as arthritis and neuropathy. Treating pain in older adults requires special considerations, however, especially when it comes to opioids.
The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center recently received a $2.5 million federal grant to tailor methods of treating chronic pain to the older adult population – with an emphasis on decreasing the use of opioids – and to disseminate those best practices to primary care clinics across Oklahoma. The grant is from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the lead federal agency charged with improving the safety and quality of America’s healthcare system.
In recent years, the OU Health Sciences Center has made significant contributions to the medical profession’s understanding of the risks and benefits of using opioids to treat chronic pain. However, much of that work has focused on the general population, rather than older adults specifically. This grant will allow physicians and researchers to concentrate solely on older adults, and to establish standards of pain management that prioritize non-opioid medications and treatments.
“The older population has a much different relationship with opioids than the younger population does,” said one of the grant’s three principal investigators, Zsolt Nagykaldi, Ph.D., Director of Research for the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine in the OU College of Medicine. “In the younger population, the No. 1 problem is typically misuse, while in the older population, the bigger problems are interactions between opioids and other medications and other health conditions, as well as a higher risk of falls.”
There are numerous reasons for limiting or avoiding opioid prescriptions in older adults, said co-principal investigator Steven Crawford, M.D., Senior Associate Dean for the OU College of Medicine. Metabolism slows as people age, which can increase the effects of opioids. Conditions like emphysema and sleep apnea complicate the use of opioids, Crawford said, and other medications may interact poorly with opioids. Opioids also cause constipation, which can affect the body’s systems and eventually lead to serious issues.
However, there are many alternatives to opioids. Non-opioid medications may be an option, although care must be exercised with anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen, which can damage the kidneys and increase the risk of internal bleeding, among other complications, Crawford said. There are many non-pharmacologic possibilities, such as physical therapy, topical agents, acupuncture, massage, meditation and exercise. Those are also important options if patients are decreasing their opioid use slowly over time.
“Regular physical activity is very important for managing chronic pain because pain gets worse if people sit for a long time,” said geriatrician and co-principal investigator Lee Jennings, M.D., Chief of the Section of Geriatrics in the Department of Medicine, OU College of Medicine. Jennings is also director of the Oklahoma Healthy Aging Initiative (OHAI), which provides gentle exercise opportunities and falls prevention classes (including via Zoom) across Oklahoma. OHAI’s free programming will be emphasized as part of the overall program.
“It’s not easy to treat older adults with chronic pain, so this grant will allow us to help patients and their physicians to understand and have access to alternatives to opioids,” Jennings said. “It’s very important to have safe opioid prescribing practices and to make sure that patients understand the risks, but we have to think through other ways to manage pain. It’s not always possible to make someone totally pain-free, but we also don’t want to put someone at risk for a fall because they’re taking a medication that has a sedating effect. We want them to continue doing the activities that enrich their lives. We don’t want people to stop doing the things they enjoy because that can lead to social isolation and loneliness, which ultimately leads to poorer health.”
Because primary care clinics provide most of the care for older adults with chronic pain, the OU Health Sciences Center will be working with up to 50 clinics across Oklahoma. Community panels, comprised of both patients and clinicians, will provide insight into the needs specific to each area. The OU Health Sciences Center has an extensive network of relationships with rural clinics across the state to share best practices and provide hands-on assistance; this grant will enable further outreach on a topic that’s important to many Oklahomans.
“New medical guidelines, if they follow the natural course of things, can take years to become wedded into the practices of clinics,” Crawford said. “This type of program allows us to accelerate that process by working with clinics to improve the quality of life for their patients.”

The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL), representing more than 14,000 nursing homes and assisted living communities across the country that provide care to approximately five million people each year, released the following statement in response to the pending COVID relief package.
The following statement is attributable to Mark Parkinson, president and CEO of AHCA/NCAL: “While we appreciate the difficulty in reaching a bipartisan compromise, we are disappointed that Congress could not strike a deal that recognizes the dire situation our long term care residents and staff are facing right now. Due to soaring community spread, nursing homes are experiencing a record-breaking number of cases and deaths—worse than the spring. Even with a vaccine on its way, it will likely take months to fully vaccinate our residents and staff, as well as the remaining public. Facilities will not be able to return to normal for some time, meaning providers need ongoing support with PPE, testing and staffing.
“Meanwhile, nearly two-thirds of long term care facilities are operating at a loss, and the additional funds slated for the Provider Relief Fund for all heath care providers in this legislation are minimal. Hundreds of facilities are in danger of closing their doors permanently and uprooting the frail seniors they care for. Congress must do more in the new year by directing specific aid to long term care. We owe it to our nation’s seniors and our health care heroes.”

Three Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation scientists were recently recognized for excellence at the American College of Rheumatology meeting, the world’s largest annual conference for the field.
OMRF senior research assistant Sherri Longobardi received the Sjögren’s Foundation’s Outstanding Abstract Award for her work in identifying new methods for diagnosing Sjögren’s syndrome, where immune cells attack moisture-producing glands, causing symptoms that include severe dry eyes and dry mouth, fatigue, joint pain and rashes. There are currently no approved treatments for the illness.
Current blood tests to diagnose Sjögren’s look for biomarkers found in just 60% of patients, making the disease challenging to detect, and a lip biopsy is often required to confirm a diagnosis. Since beginning her research in 2016, Longobardi has identified eight new markers, paving the way for a blood test with accuracy rates as high as 93%.
Darise Farris, Ph.D., who mentors Longobardi at OMRF and holds a $2.7 million Sjögren’s grant from the National Institutes of Health, noted the work is a major step forward in the field. “This a significant discovery that could better diagnose patients and save a large portion from a painful lip biopsy and extensive testing.”
OMRF scientists Eliza Chakravarty, M.D., and Melissa Munroe, M.D., Ph.D., were also recognized for outstanding abstracts at the meeting. Their separate projects focused on better understanding aspects of the autoimmune disease lupus.
Chakravarty helped lead a multi-site NIH trial to determine whether patients can safely stop taking a lupus medication — mycophenolate mofetil — associated with numerous side effects. The study determined that patients with stable disease may be able to stop the medication without added risk of disease flare.
Munroe’s project examined specific inflammatory and regulatory imbalances in the blood that may help clinicians better predict and identify which relatives of lupus patients will go on to develop the condition.
“The American College of Rheumatology meeting is a gathering of the brightest minds in the field,” said OMRF Vice President of Clinical Affairs Judith James, M.D., Ph.D. “The recognition of these investigators and their teams is yet another nod to OMRF’s critical work in understanding and treating autoimmune diseases.”

by Bobby Anderson, Staff Writer

After a career as a home builder, Gina Wallen-Conatser was happily retired.
But it seemed she kept hearing about a problem she just couldn’t shake.
Friends in the medical industry kept remarking how often seniors couldn’t make their scheduled appointments due to a lack of transportation.
Her parents in San Antonio would tell her stories about how unsafe it was to get around.
So with time on her hands, a problem to be solved and a family ready to help out she started Go Go Geezers, a ride service dedicated to helping people get around.
“We take seniors and people with disabilities to medical appointments, like dialysis and chemotherapy,” Wallen-Conatser said. “It helps keep people healthy and with early detection some illnesses may be prevented.”
“When people can get out and go on appointments, shopping and church, it helps with feelings of isolation. There is a sense of independence.”
Based in Yukon, Go Go Geezers traverses not only the metro but the state with enough notice.
“Covid has made transport a little more complicated,” she said. “We clean after every ride. We have plastic up that separates the driver from the rider. Drivers wear masks and gloves and we ask that riders wear masks.”
Drivers go through extensive training – CPR, defensive driver, passenger assistance, wheelchair ADA just to name a few.
“They treat the riders like family members,” Wallen-Conatser said. “They’re very careful. When the same drivers take the rider a couple times a week they build a friendship.”
Wallen-Conatser’s son, Blake, is a driver and partner. A customer remarked to her the other day they see him more than they see their own family
Wallen-Conatser loves the stories her drivers tell her. One of her driver’s told her a recent passenger noted her husband passed. She mentioned that a coffee would be nice but wouldn’t dream about drinking it in the new Go Go Geezer van. After the driver dropped her off to her appointment he returned at the appointed time with coffee and flowers.
Operations Manager Morgan called one night to tell her she had a rider who was going to the emergency room. Insurance normally covered their ride, but this time it wouldn’t.
Wallen-Conatser dispatched the Go Go Geezer van anyway to get her at 11:30 p.m. in a different town than normal.
“Everyday riders call and say wonderful things about all our drivers and dispatch,” she said. “When you book a ride with us, Morgan will call you the night before and verify reservation. Morgan gets to know the riders and she visits with them.”
“I tease her that she’s everyone’s granddaughter and best friend.”
Go Go Geezers took their first ride at the end of April. The service has grown to nine vehicles with three wheelchair vans.
“I want to keep growing and helping our community get to their appointments safely,” she said. “My family is in Texas and I would love to expand there. My goal is to keep hiring the best drivers who really care about the riders.”
“We can take anyone. You don’t have to be a senior or a person with disabilities,” she said. “We take riders all week long to work, or out to eat, church, shopping. We are children and pet-friendly. We have wheelchairs, walkers or car seats to use if needed. Our vehicles are new and clean.” For more information call 405-924-4248.