Mercy family medicine physician Dr. Erica Dearman has shifted the focus of her practice to meet the unique needs of Medicare patients in the Oklahoma City metro area.
Dearman, a Mercy primary care physician since 2019, is passionate about caring for seniors and older adults and helping them navigate the natural life changes that come with aging.
“Many seniors are suddenly facing complex medical diagnoses, decreased physical abilities and fewer social interactions than they used to have,” Dr. Dearman said. “The focus of my practice and this new model of care is to work closely with these patients to help them optimize their quality of life in all areas.”
Dr. Dearman’s Medicare patients will have extended visit times and be seen more frequently to keep chronic conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease under control.
“The heart and soul of my practice is to help seniors stay out of the hospital and lead long, healthy lives,” Dr. Dearman said.
Patients will also have access to the full suite of services available to all Mercy patients, including Mercy on Call, the after-hours help line staffed by a full Mercy care team, and access to MyMercy, a free app and website that make it easy to manage doctor visits, medications, tests and billing in one convenient place.
Dr. Dearman will see patients at Mercy Clinic Primary Care – Edmond Memorial. Call (405) 341-7009 to schedule an appointment or book online here.

From Terry “Travels with Terry” Zinn t4z@aol.com
text and photo provided by the Oklahoma Historical Society

You could say that Baltimore is a city designed for Senior leisure. The hop on and off water taxi around the bay is an ideal way to see a lot of the area’s attractions with a minimum of exertion, as it stops at many attractions. The minimal fee is good for the entire day. The small boat captains are eager to answer area questions as to where to eat and museum times. Note, many museums and attractions are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Of course it stops at historic Ft Mc Henry – famous for the inspiration of the Star Spangle Banner composition. (www.nps.gov/fomc) You have to change boats to go the extra distance, but worth the convenience, when you think of the inconvenience of getting a taxi or uber to take you to the far out bay point. The preserved and reconstructed brick fort is informative if you have never visited a fort of this generation. It’s humbling to stand in the area that inspired America’s Anthem.
Once there it’s always good to schedule your visit with a tour by a park ranger for details of the fort. If not, the film is always inspiring, if not a bit nostalgic ,when at the end of the movie, a curtain opens to let you view through a large picture window the Fort in the background as the National Anthem plays.
Back in the downtown area is the Flag House where the American garrison size flag was created. Besides the history of the flag you can take a self-guided tour of a small period house, complete with furniture and staging of the time.
For pure entertainment, although you can’t help but learn something, is the national aquarium centrally located at the base of the Inner Harbor. (www.aqua.org) All levels of this multilevel aquarium is easily accessible with riding the multiple escalators, or if needed there is an elevator. Hosting over 20,000 aquatic animals with a Backtip Reef and Living Seashore, and a couple of large screen animal related movies, and a live dolphin show, make the aquarium one of the Inner Harbors best attraction. Of course they host a extensive gift shop with snack bar.
When you’ve got to eat, Baltimore with its vast seafood menus offers many venues. The off the beaten track funky Little Havana Bar and Grill offers many seafood based foods along with an extensive bar and their famous large Mojito.
Phillips Seafood (www.phillipsseafood.com) is a Baltimore tradition. They offer an upscale indoor or outdoor dining experience with reservations recommended. Their 8 ounce Crab Cake Extreme with Mac and Cheese, made with pure Jumbo Lump Crab with no fillers, is served in a skillet, and guaranteed to fill your Crab Cake desires. ($50.00)
If you plan to visit the Baltimore Museum of Art, be sure you check its times, as it is closed on Monday and Tuesdays. While it was closed the days I was in Baltimore I made sure I dined at Gertrude’s, where the Museum of Art displays culinary arts, under the expert guidance of owner, John Shields, is a must. Shields is a veteran TV host, and author and is called the “Culinary Ambassador of the Chesapeake Bay” with the restaurants opening in 1998. Gertrude’s is Shield’s tribute to his grandmother, Gertie. Shields is a personable entrepreneur and you may want to pickup one of his cookbooks including the 25th anniversary, “Chesapeake Bay Cooking.” Many menu options looked appealing but I chose the Irish Salmon, flown in to Gertrude’s several times a week. This is an example of the attention paid to the high standards that has made John Shield’s reputation.
An evening dining cruise aboard the Spirit of Baltimore, is a relaxing way to see more of the bay’s landscape while enjoying a buffet and beverages served by congenial staff. The cruise departs from the west wall of the harbor and cruises the Inner harbor along the Patapsco river, and includes glimpses of Fort Mc Henry. Come prepared for a casual and enjoyable evening, mixing with other tourist and those celebrating special occasions (www.spiritcruises.com/Baltimore).
While visiting the Fells Point area of the harbor you may want to stop in to the upscale Sagamore Hotel for a respite and beverage, or if your budget allows overnight accommodations. For a budget minded traveler the Days Inn Inner Harbor (www.daysinninnerharbor.com), about 3 blocks away from the harbor, and near the Horseshow Casino Baltimore, Ravens Stadium, and Oriole Park at Camden Yards, can fulfill your travel needs.
As you can guess there is much more to discover in Baltimore than I could cover in just two days, so historic and friendly Baltimore may require repeat visits (http://baltimore.org/).

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Story by Darl Devault, Contributing Editor

Seniors seeking affordable books and audiobooks can shop at the largest used book sale west of the Mississippi—the annual free two-day 43rd Friends of the Metro Library Booksale 2023. Thousands of book lovers will line up early Saturday, February 25 and Sunday, February 26, well before the 9 a.m. opening in the Oklahoma Expo Hall at the Oklahoma City State Fairgrounds. The sale closes at 5:30 p.m. each day.
“This event is such a great opportunity for folks to build a personal library and support the public library,” said Heather Zeoli, Metro Library System director of development.
Providing a diverse selection of paperback and hardcover books, CDs, DVDs, magazines and more for every demographic of customers this year, the sale’s theme is “Books Bring Us Together.” The books and much more feature a wide range of subjects—including fiction, nonfiction, cookbooks, biographies, medical, westerns, romance, children’s, encyclopedias, reference and foreign language books. Thousands of big print books printed are offered with larger point-size fonts to make it easier to read if you have weak eyesight, along with thousands of audiobooks.
In the General Area, hardback books are two dollars, paperbacks are one dollar (children’s paperbacks are 50 cents), and magazines are 3 for a dollar. Price lists for items in the general section are available online at supportmls.org/fol/booksale. Collectors go for the Items in the Better Books Room, which vary in price, mostly under $5.
The sale raises money to support the Metropolitan Library System In its 42-year run, the Friends have given more than $5 million in grants to the system. (STORY CONTINUES BELOW)

All of this is the product of the tireless efforts of hundreds of volunteers each year. “The volunteer connection lasts through the whole year – we hope everyone will come and join us for new friends and new books,” Zeoli said. Volunteering can provide seniors with a sense of purpose and fulfillment, an opportunity to socialize and connect with others, and positively impact their mental and physical health. It is a great opportunity for seniors to stay active and engaged with the community and contribute to positively impacting their peers’ lives.
With 800,000 books available, the sale becomes the largest bookstore in Oklahoma. Selective shoppers are advised to volunteer or join the nonprofit to ensure the best possible purchasing opportunity. Volunteers helping this year will be treated to the best possible selection opportunity available by having access to the sale on Thursday for a special volunteers-only session. Volunteer shifts are still open, as the group needs your help, so please visit supportmls.org/volunteer.
All volunteers receive a free T-shirt, service hours, and the chance to purchase items before the members’ sale. Volunteers are also welcome to shop on Sunday night and take materials for free. “Love of books and reading inspired my volunteering with the Friends of the Library,” Valerie Hernandez said. “Making sure others have the opportunity to select from all these books is why I help at both the sort site and the sale.”
Customers shop for many reasons. Some try to select bestsellers, classics, collectibles and research books needed for school. Others seek to complete personal libraries in certain subjects, while parents strive to enhance their children’s reading exposure.
Those who become members for $15 ahead of time can shop a Presale from 1 – 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 24. Held the day before the sale goes public, members are invited to first access. Children 11 and under accompanied by an adult are free. Those wishing to join the Friends may purchase memberships online until noon on February 23 by visiting supportmls.org/fol/membership. No memberships will be sold at the sale.
The sale is well established on the literary sale calendar for customers from all over Oklahoma, surrounding states and the region. The multi-day event attracts more than 10,000 book shoppers. Each year, a quick parking lot survey shows many customers are from out of state, coming to Oklahoma for the vast selection. In some ways, the diverse selection offered represents a snapshot of high-quality current American publishing with the bonus that everything is available for affordable purchase.
The Friends offer a year-round Amazon store to access their selection at Amazon.com. They also provide ‘Buy the Box’ sales where volunteers package and seal books by genre – buy a box of romance, mystery or children’s books – and enjoy the surprises inside.
The shopping is so robust at the sale volunteers offer a dozen checkout points in each section. And yet, so many customers arrive early a line forms for the first few hours each day.
The shopping is intense, almost competitive, as this is a once-a-year opportunity. Customers quickly buy the best music or audio CDs, gaming systems and video games, eReaders, DVDs and vinyl records. Organizers ask shoppers to refrain from bringing wheeled carts so everyone can quickly move among the sections of tables laden with thousands of books. Tables include a broad cross-section of interest, including books by Oklahoma authors—to books about Oklahoma.
Some year’s special sections offer brand new books donated when bookstores and Oklahoma publishing houses use their donations to balance their inventory.
Many business and industry concerns are well represented when entities going out of business donate their libraries. Retiring attorneys and doctors donate to provide shoppers the chance to buy current-within-four-years law textbooks or books of law statutes and medical textbooks or medical journals at a steep discount.
On Sunday night from 6 – 8, educators and nonprofits are invited to visit the sale and take home any leftover items for free. For more information and registration, please visit https://supportmls.org/npt/.

Again, volunteer shifts are still open, as the group is looking for help. To volunteer for the Booksale, visit https://supportmls.org/fol/volunteering/.

Story by Bobby Anderson, RN, Staff Writer

The new year has brought a new round of hospital layoffs as healthcare systems nationwide deal with surging labor costs, shortages, and declining revenues.
Locally, the first two weeks of January saw layoffs from Integris Health as well as OU Health.
Integris announced it was cutting some 200 positions while OU announced an equal number of layoffs.
In a statement, OU health announced the layoffs would coincide with its planned restructuring.
“As part of the redesign, OU Health will move from a holding company to an operating company structure with duplicative services and positions being eliminated,” the statement read. “An estimated 200 positions will be reconfigured to the new structure, which integrates the organization into clinical business.”
Integris Health announced its reduction would be the result of a combination of cuts.
“Financial challenges are multifold, but some include a dramatic rise in expenses due to labor shortages and supply-chain disruptions, and significantly lower patient volumes compared to pre-pandemic days,” the statement read.
Integris laid off 140 positions and cut 60 vacant jobs, according to a spokeswoman.
The healthcare industry has suffered from nursing shortages and the winter’s omicron surge, forcing many organizations to turn to contract workers demanding higher rates.
The loss of Covid subsidies from the federal government also impacted the ability to keep up with rising labor costs.
Many systems find themselves in a counter-intuitive role of both cutting positions while trying to recruit and retain nurses.
OU Health announced its organizational redesign to complete the integration from its historic merger on July 1, 2021.
OU Health was created as the flagship comprehensive, integrated academic health system to improve the care and outcomes for all Oklahomans. As the state’s academic referral health system, OU Health plays the unique role of providing critical specialty services with access to advanced technology and expertise.
“OU Health needs to support and enhance the capabilities of the state’s vital rural and regional hospitals as the flagship academic referral center. All care that can remain in a community should remain local, but if the patient needs a higher level of care, OU Health is here to serve,” said OU Health President and CEO Richard Lofgren, M.D., MPH.
The organizational redesign and operational restructure will enable OU Health to improve efficiencies and grow its impact in the state and region as well as create a highly integrated, modern clinical platform, one that serves even more Oklahomans.
“In order to grow and adapt to industry changes, we need to perform in terms of the quality of our services, patient experience, and the efficiency and effectiveness of our processes,” Lofgren said. “Oklahoma needs the unique specialty and sub-specialty services we provide. We are positioned with dedicated physicians and staff to fully realize our special mission of clinical care, education, and research. We are committed to our role of continuing to improve the care and outcomes for the region and beyond.”
Both health systems are still actively hiring bedside nurses offering both recruitment and retention bonuses.

The start of a new year often brings thoughts of renewal, new goals, a fresh start. While planning for this year, if you want to make a difference think about volunteering as a Long-Term Care Ombudsman (LTCO). Many people volunteer during the holiday season, but volunteers are needed every day of the year and LTCO volunteers are in high demand. A LTCO volunteer can assist residents in Nursing Facilities, Assisted Living Facilities, Residential Care Facilities, and Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities. Volunteers make weekly visits to field resident complaints and help residents advocate for resolution for those complaints. If you are passionate about giving a voice to members of our most vulnerable population this is the opportunity you’ve been waiting for.
If a weekly commitment doesn’t fit in your schedule, consider contacting a facility near you and ask how you can support residents. Facilities can be located by searching online at https://www.medicare.gov/. There are many opportunities to help make a difference in Long-Term Care communities. If you are motivated by helping others, make the call today.
If you have a loved one in a Long-Term Care facility and have any questions regarding care or concerns you may have, you can contact an Ombudsman to assist you.
Areawide Aging Agency’s Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program advocates for the needs of residents in LTC facilities serving Canadian, Cleveland, Logan, and Oklahoma Counties. You may contact us at (405)942-8500 and ask to speak with an Ombudsman, visit our website at https://www.areawideaging.org/ or find us on Facebook.

The National Institutes of Health has awarded the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation $3.4 million to study age-related muscle atrophy and weakness.
The five-year grant follows a discovery by OMRF scientists Holly Van Remmen, Ph.D., and Jacob Brown, Ph.D., connecting age-related muscle loss called sarcopenia to a missing nerve signal.
Most people begin to experience progressive loss of muscle mass and strength in their 30s or 40s. The condition becomes more pronounced after age 65, leaving older people susceptible to falls and difficulty performing daily tasks.
“It’s just a natural process of aging, and some people lose more muscle mass and strength than others,” said Brown, a scientist in Van Remmen’s lab.
While inactivity is the most common contributor to sarcopenia, Van Remmen’s team has shown another cause: denervation, which is an interruption in communication with the nerves that connect muscles to the spinal cord. (STORY CONTINUES BELOW)

In recent work published in the journal Redox Biology, Van Remmen and Brown found that muscle makes a metabolite during denervation that leads to muscle atrophy. Metabolites are the products of chemical changes within a cell.
With the new grant, the researchers will study whether blocking the production of this metabolite protects against age-related muscle atrophy in research models.
“This is a novel area of research that we hope will lead to new possibilities to design much-needed pharmaceutical interventions,” said Van Remmen, who holds the G.T. Blankenship Chair in Aging Research. “Ultimately, we hope this path of research will extend the time that older adults can remain healthy and active.”
Without current drug options to treat sarcopenia, Van Remmen added that it’s important for older adults to ward off its progression by staying physically active and maintaining a healthy diet.
“Simple strength and resistance training paired with a diet that includes adequate amounts of healthy proteins can make a world of difference in maintaining muscle mass,” she said.

Story by Darl DeVault, contributing editor

Earnest “Red” Callaway, a visionary volunteer organizer in the world of bicycling and successful paddleboat racing team captain while at Spanish Cove Retirement Village in Yukon, died on December 29 at 96. Callaway dedicated himself to promoting the sport of cycling and making it accessible to all, leaving a lasting positive impact on the cycling community in Oklahoma.
Born in Loveland, Colorado, he started flying airplanes when he was 15. He joined the Navy one day after his 18th birthday in 1944. Flying transport planes, the WWII veteran retired from his 20-year career as a lieutenant commander.
Moving to Oklahoma City in 1963, he worked at the US Federal Aviation Administration Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center, rising through the ranks to be the Chief of Flight Standards there. By the last 15 years of his federal service, he traveled the world from Oklahoma, leading teams coordinating takeoff and landing standards for new large civilian airports.
In 1973, at 46, Callaway founded the Oklahoma Bicycle Society (OBS) to promote bicycle safety and provide a unified voice for those interested in bicycling. He also sought to protect the rights of cyclists and make the sport more accessible to all. Through his leadership, the OBS quickly became the largest cycling organization in the state.
Callaway was a dedicated cyclist known for his ability to ride 8,000 miles a year, which helped him to become a 55-plus age group racing state champion and second nationally in the 60-plus age group. (STORY CONTINUES BELOW)

However, his real claim to fame was as a stellar bike event creator, volunteer recruiter, and negotiator in a 40-year career devoted to cycling, wherein he became known as the father of Oklahoma bicycling. He envisioned and brought to life more cycling events than all others combined across the state, enabling the building of a vibrant cycling culture.
To start the OBS, Callaway published 5,000 copies of “The Pathfinder” bicycle newsletter in 1973 and distributed it to 25 bicycle shops from Norman to Stillwater in his first master recruiter mode in cycling.
The newsletter invited Oklahoma’s cyclists to ride in planned events and join the OBS. Callaway financed the printing of the newsletter out of his own pocket for the first couple of years of the club.
Callaway’s planning and staging of the Greater Oklahoma City Century Run in 1973 and kicking off the Grand Tour in 1974 sparked a club dominance of central Oklahoma cycling importance that has never waned. He lent his expertise to any event including cycling, even triathlons, as they began in the 1980s.
“I met Red in 1983 riding my bicycle around lake Overholser. He was such an encouraging person,” said Johnny Carroll, retired daily cyclist. “We often had excellent chats in between the hard riding. The most important thing about him was he made me feel like a friend instantly. He had the precious gift of conversation.”
He perfected the administrative diplomacy needed to coordinate with Oklahoma City Water Utilities Trust officials for cycling events at Lakes Overholser, Hefner, and Draper over the years. This literally paved the way to having Oklahoma City paved trails at the three largest lakes, some of the safest places to ride.
He did this by organizing events, by showing, not just telling city officials how important bicycling is to its citizens. By staging special events where thousands of people came out to ride their bicycles together, Callaway presented the civic leaders with proof of concept. A good example was in 1990 when 1,600 riders gathered to participate in the Lake Hefner Streak. This fostered an ever-present idea in civic decision-makers’ minds to address the need for safe places for these riders to participate in their sport.
Callaway’s legacy of determined advocacy for bicycling means so much to today’s local bicyclists, who now seldom have to think about where they can ride safely. He sparked the expectation that Oklahoma communities can have safe riding areas available. He added immeasurably to Oklahomans’ access to safe cycling to promote good health, their most valuable asset.
Callaway’s talents also extended to creating challenging and prestigious ultramarathon cycling events locally in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Here his expertise in safety, event planning, leadership, communications, and marketing helped spark another form of interest in bicycling. He led the OBS to stage Ironbutt, a 24-hour unpaced event doing 14-mile laps around Draper. This endurance event tested the limits of even the most experienced cyclists as riders needed to ride non-stop, with only short breaks for food if they were going to win. Ridden as a shorter version of the Race Across America (RAAM), Ironbutt became a qualifier for the grueling RAAM televised by ABC’s Wide World of Sport in its first five years.
Ironbutt’s race against the clock proved popular as a physical and mental test, with riders pushing through fatigue, pain, and sleep deprivation. Its entry list grew so large, drawing ultramarathon cyclists from around the country, Callaway helped the OBS create Tinbutt, a 12-hour event at Draper every other year to qualify for Ironbutt.
He also envisioned OBS’s popular Downwind to Wichita ride, a 172-mile journey from Oklahoma City to Wichita once each summer for several years when a strong south wind was available.
In addition to these larger events, the OBS also hosts a variety of shorter recreational rides throughout the year, including weekend and weekday evening rides while staging educational and charity events. These rides are open to all riders, regardless of skill level, allowing cyclists to get out and enjoy the sport while socializing with other riders.
In his last 10 years, Callaway excelled at paddleboat racing with his fellow residents at Spanish Cove. As captain of the Spanish Cove Dragon Boat Paddling Team for five years, he helped inspire teammates to many medals by beating teams 10, 20, 30 and even 40 years younger.
When redesigned team t-shirts were delivered, they featured the team motto, “Paddle Strong, Live Long,” in bold letters on the back of the hot-pink shirts. Callaway was not only an excellent leader on the water, but also had a vision for the team’s image and message, suggesting the team t-shirt should include the phrase “Paddle Strong, Live Long, and Die Healthy.”
“His proposal highlights the importance of physical activity and exercise in maintaining a healthy lifestyle,” said Debbie Miller, Spanish Cove wellness coordinator. “He believed the sport of dragon boat paddling provides a fun and exciting way to stay active with health benefits such as improving cardiovascular fitness, strengthening muscles, and reducing stress. He felt the team’s philosophy of living a balanced life where physical fitness, mental well-being and healthy habits are all important should be reflected on the team t-shirt.”
Callaway is survived by his wife, Dorothy Wilson, who paddled at his side at Spanish Cove, his children Rusty, Jan and Rick, their spouses and his numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his first wife, Betty, and his son and daughter-in-law, Chris and Leslie Callaway.
He lived an active and healthy life right until the end. His participation in dragon boat paddling symbolizes the importance of community in our lives. It shows even in our later years, we can still be valuable group members, contributing to its goals and enjoying the team’s camaraderie. His paddling was a testament to his fitness and vitality, and his team leadership reflected his mental acuity and energy. His paddling reminded people they can stay healthy and seek an active lifestyle in their golden years.
The cycling community in Oklahoma will forever be grateful for his contributions, and his passing is deeply felt at Spanish Cove. Callaway’s dedication to promoting fitness in many safe forms has left a lasting positive impact on Oklahoma and will be remembered for years to come.

INTEGRIS Health is celebrating 35 years of kidney transplantation. Surgeons with the INTEGRIS Health Nazih Zuhdi Transplant Institute have performed more than 2200 kidney transplants since the program began.
The INTEGRIS Health Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Center offers superior outcomes for kidney transplants from both living and deceased donors. It consists of one of the largest and most experienced transplant teams in the United States.
E.N. Scott Samara, M.D., is the surgical director of kidney transplant at INTEGRIS Health Baptist Medical Center. He conducted the first kidney transplant at the facility and still practices today. He is proud of what the program has accomplished through the years
“I have been grateful to see over 2000 patients be able to avoid or stop dialysis and live normal productive lives,” says Samara. “In the last 15 years, I have even been able to work with my son, Dr. Shea Samara, and Dr. Jose El-Amm, who is the medical director of kidney transplant and like a son to me, which has been both professionally and personally fulfilling.”
Every ten minutes another person is added to the national transplant waiting list. Of those, 82% are in need of a kidney. There are more than 90,000 people in the United States waiting for a kidney donation. The average wait time for a kidney is three to five years from a deceased donor. With living donation, a patient may be able to receive a transplant much faster. To learn more or schedule an assessment, call 405-949-3816.