Story and Photo by Van Mitchell, Staff Writer

Leo Webster, a 24-year Air Force MSgt/E7 RET, knows first-hand the importance of communication when helping other veterans.
In July 2018 he started Vet Chat, a monthly meeting where veterans can gather and communicate with each other and learn about resources that are available to them.
Meetings are held the second Saturday of each month at 9 a.m. in the lobby of Cornerstone Church located at 9900 SE 15th Street in Midwest City.
Vet Chat allows veterans and service members to network and fellowship while learning about the resources available to Warriors, spouses, family members, and widows.
The program’s goal is to give a source of support while also connecting and encouraging veterans by sharing stories in passing of useful advice, information, or resources.
Topics include education benefits, VA burial benefits, Wills, Power of Attorney, disability rating, housing and spousal benefits.
“We strive to connect our veterans with local agencies, organizations, and civic groups that specialize in assisting our heroes and their families,” Webster said. “The goal of this group is to be a source of support while also connecting, encouraging and motivating veterans.”
Webster said Senior News and Living will host a Veteran’s Resource Fair at Cornerstone Church on Saturday, Sept. 14 from 9 a.m. to noon in lieu of the regular Vet Chat meeting that day.

Webster said the idea of Vet Chat began while sitting in church.
“I was sitting in church one day and just looking around at the number of veterans in my church. And being a 24-year Air Force veteran myself, I said, “We need to start talking to each other.” This is just going on in my mind,” he said. “So, I invited a group of veterans to my house to have lunch.”
Webster said he and the rest of his invited guests sat in his living room and started talking to each other.
“You put a table full of food out, you can get a lot of people,” he said. “We started thinking about what are the things that we can just start helping veterans with? And obviously benefits and services and things that were available to veterans. So, I just ran a poll around the table and said, ‘Okay, what are some things? Just write down some things that you think that we can work on.’ Each person came up with a list of things they thought.”
Webster said the Vet Chat meetings outgrew his living room.
“We met in my living room at my house for a long time, but it just mushroomed,” he said. “I asked my pastor, Ron McKey, at Cornerstone Church if I could just start using the foyer in the church. He said absolutely. He said anything that we can do to help our veterans is welcomed.”
Webster said initially the Vet Chat meeting started with around eight veterans, but has grown slowly, but steadily.
“We started off with about eight people, and we’ve had as high as 57 people,” he said. “I would love to have over 100 veterans attend the Vet Chat meetings each month.”
Webster said he gets self-satisfaction from helping others.
“If someone needs something and I can help them, I feel that if I don’t do it, then I’m not fulfilling my calling of giving back,” he said.
Webster said the military teaches toughness, but that process has its challenges.
“Being in the service, us veterans are tough. We don’t ever want to admit that we have challenges, or we have aches and pains,” he said. “I’m a veteran and tried navigating applying for VA disability myself and ended up discouraged. My experience was frustrating like many others, but I had a gentleman, a good friend of mine said, ‘Leo, I’m not going to let you give up.’ He came to my house and picked me up and said, ‘We’re going down to the VA. I’m going to sit with you and you’re going to do this. He loved me through the process and just kept on loving me. And I’m comfortable right now.’”
“We help our veterans, their spouses and especially their widows.” Webster noted. When Sue Bruce lost her husband, the only thing she was sure of was she needed someone’s help. “They supported me through every part of the process. I had no clue as to all the benefits that were available to me. They just did everything, like family.” Bruce said. Carla Evans and her husband came on a Saturday earlier this year, seeking information primarily for her father and also her husband. Just weeks later her husband unexpectedly passed away. Evans said, “I could not have made it through that time without Leo and Vet Chat.
Webster said we also look out for our active service members.
“We have several wonderful retired women, like Barbara Curry, AF MSgt RET and Deborah McQuillar AF SMSgt Ret who love to support and mentor active duty females.”
Webster said he wants Vet Chat to be a safe harbor for every veteran.
“I want Vet Chat to become the model place in Midwest City where veterans can come and know, first of all, you’re at a safe place,” he said. “What you share with us is not going to be put on Facebook, it’s not going to be put out online. You are in a safe place. We are here to help you, and it’s going to be very private and confidential what you share with us. I just want to be here for our veterans. Being a veteran myself, I know how complicated it is and I just want to make life easy for these heroes and give them a safe place to just come and hang out.”
Webster said he works hard to earn each veteran’s respect.
“I have been there (Air Force) for 24 years, and I worked hard to earn the respect of the people that I serve,” he said. “And I venture to say everybody that comes to Vet Chat will tell you how hard I work to earn their respect. And I believe they all respect me, I really do. Because I don’t take anything for granted. I’m persistent when I know that I’m doing something that God would want me to do. I’m passionate about it, and I don’t want to leave any stone unturned. I want to do it with all my heart.”
Webster said while he enjoys how Vet Chat helps veterans; he will never be pleased until every veteran’s need is met.
“Yes, I am happy to see how the program is growing, but I will never be pleased until I know every veteran’s needs or services of what they need is met. And I’ll probably never accomplish that, but that gives me the drive to keep pushing every time,” he said. “Our goal is to assist our veterans to get everything that they’re entitled to. I want to be a friend to my fellow heroes, and not just be there for them.”
For more information about Vet Chat contact Webster at (405) 202-0661 or via email at lcweb@cox.net or contact James McQuillar at (405) 659-2116 or via email at jmcquillar@cox.net. See our Resource Fair Flyer on page 22

Story and Photo by Van Mitchel, Staff Writer

The Military Retiree Activities Office (RAO) at Tinker Air Force Base serves as a liaison between the active-duty community and the retiree population.
The RAO is located in Bldg. 1, Door 7, Room 153 at Tinker AFB, and is manned by experienced military retiree members Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“Our office is here to serve every retiree, regardless of rank or branch of service, when they need guidance or assistance with any issues, “ said RAO Director/CMSgt. (Retired USAF) Lorraine Caddy. “We also provide volunteers to support the Tinker mission at the RAO Office, and the Tinker Clinic Pharmacy.”
Chief Caddy said the Tinker RAO was started in 1982, and she has been with it since 1985. She started as RAO Director in 2014.
“Our primary mission is to be available for any military people or their families, regardless of rank or branch of service, to help them with whatever difficulties they’re having or get them to the right people to help them, which is really what we are,” she said. “We’re more of a referral agency than a doing agency. We have somebody here Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and they’re all trained with as much knowledge as we can give them. We just take the questions as they come on the phone or through the door.”
Chief Caddy said when someone calls or comes by the RAO, the process begins by determining what their problem is and how we can help
“Most military retirees should know how to handle their own personal business, but unfortunately, a lot of people don’t talk. Husbands and wives don’t talk, so they don’t all have the same information,” she said. “We try to find out exactly what their problem is, number one. We try to give them information about this office so that they know they can always come back here. I always tell people, “If we haven’t solved your problem, please come back. We’ll find somebody else who can help you,” because we always try to be available.”
Chief Caddy said once a veteran separates from their branch of service, it becomes more challenging to find help with services needed.
“When someone is on active duty, they basically have face to face help with all their human resource issues and things of that nature. But once you separate, you’re done. You don’t really have a local office to go to for admin information, things of that nature,” she said. “We try to get them the resources they need.”
Chief Caddy said one of the ways the RAO works to get information out is through its Military Retiree Appreciation Day happening on Saturday, Sept. 28 at the Tinker Event Center starting at 7:30 a.m. with the formal program starting at 9 a.m. with several speakers scheduled.
Chief Caddy said the 2023 Military Retiree Appreciation Day had 200 attendees.
“In years past, before COVID, we had more than that, but we had to stop completely for two years,” she said.
The event is planned by Chief Caddy and a committee of volunteers that she selects.
“We’ll open the doors to the public at 0730-for those attending with lite refreshments available while they last,” she said. “I currently have 20 booth folks lined up, meaning people will come and be at a table where you can go and speak with them, and these are people from TriCare and Casualty Assistance, VA, and more. We also have a bus tour that’s available for those who want to take it around Tinker. It takes about 45 minutes to do the bus tour.”
The Military Retiree Appreciation Day also includes the naming of the Volunteer of the Year.
“That award is presented by the Wing Commander at my request to the person at the Retiree Day Service ceremony, so that they know that we give a darn that they’re there, because these people are giving their time and they’ve already given 20 years or more of their life to service,” Chief Caddy said.
Chief Caddy encourages those attending Military Retiree Appreciation Day to ask their questions.
“When I send an email, I encourage them to bring their questions, and before I dismiss any speaker, I always say, ‘Do you have more questions? Please don’t wait until he leaves and then ask me,‘ which is what happens sometimes. They’re shy,” she said. “There’s no question that’s stupid, in my opinion. There is no such thing. If you have a question and you need answers then you need to ask it. Sometimes those questions can’t be answered at the meeting, but then I make sure that that person has an appointment with the people they need to speak with.”
Chief Caddy said she has a desire to keep helping veterans as she was helped along the way.
“I did 20 years of service, and I enjoyed every minute of it,” she said.
Chief Caddy said she was very fortunate to make Chief Master Sergeant after 15 years of service. She started her AF Creer in 1957 and retired from active service in 1977, and she was one of the first 10 women to achieve the rank of CMSgt in the entire United States Air Force.
“I was fortunate because I worked with people who cared,” she said. “Women veterans at that time were not assigned worldwide as they are today. I was working on an IG team and because of that was able to spend three years at Wiesbaden, Germany. My volunteer work with the RAO is great. I meet so many wonderful people and am happy to provide this service to our military retirees.”
Chief Caddy said veteran retiree volunteers are welcome to help with the RAO.
“We would love to have you join us as a volunteer in the Retiree Activities Office, and the Clinic Pharmacy,” she said. “We only ask for 3 hours a week of your time and you will know the joy of “continuing to serve.”

For more information about the RAO or to sign up for the Military Retiree Appreciation Day call (405) 739-2795 or email Chief Caddy at lorraine.caddy@us.af.mil

Dear Savvy Senior, I understand that the Veterans Administration has a benefit that can help veterans and spouses with long-term care costs. We recently had to move my elderly father into an assisted living memory care facility, and my mother will probably need care too in the near future. What can you tell me?
Searching for Aid

Dear Searching,
The Veterans Administration (VA) does indeed have an underutilized benefit that can help wartime veterans and their surviving spouses pay for a variety of long-term care costs.
This benefit, called “Aid and Attendance,” is a special pension that’s paid on top of existing VA pensions for eligible veterans and surviving spouses. In 2024, it pays a maximum of $2,727 a month to married veterans; $2,300 a month to single veterans; or $1,478 a month to a surviving spouse. The money is tax free, and can be used to pay for assisted living, memory care, nursing home or in-home care services.
Currently, around 156,000 veterans and survivors are receiving the Aid and Attendance benefit, but many thousands more are eligible who either don’t know about it or don’t think they qualify.
Eligibility Requirements
To qualify, your dad must have served at least 90 days of active military service with at least one day of service during a period of war, and not have been discharged dishonorably. Single surviving spouses of wartime vets are eligible if their marriage ended due to death.
In addition, your dad will also have to meet certain thresholds for medical and financial need to be eligible.
To qualify medically he must be either disabled, or over the age of 65 and need help performing basic everyday living tasks such as eating, bathing, dressing or going to the bathroom. Being blind or in a nursing home due to disability or receiving Social Security Disability or SSI also qualifies him. Single surviving spouses have no age restrictions, but they must require help with basic everyday living tasks to be eligible.
To qualify financially your parents “net worth,” which includes assets and annual income combined, must be below $155,356 in 2024.
To calculate this, add up your parent’s assets, which includes their personal property (like investments, real estate, etc.) excluding their primary home and vehicles. And tally up their income over the past year (including Social Security, pensions, interest income from investments, annuities, etc.), minus any out-of-pocket medical expenses, prescription drugs, insurance premiums and long-term care costs over that same period of time.
The VA also has a three-year lookback to determine if your parents transferred any assets to ensure they would qualify for benefits. If so, they may be subject to a penalty period of up to 5 years.
How to Apply
To apply for Aid and Attendance, you’ll need to fill out VA Form 21-2680 and mail it to the Pension Management Center (PMC) for your dad’s state. You’ll need to have your dad’s doctor fill out the examination information section. Or you can also apply in person at a VA regional office near your parents.
For more information or to download application forms see
https://www.va.gov/pension/aid-attendance-housebound. You can also call the VA at 800-827-1000 if you have questions.
If you need some help, you can appoint a Veteran Service Officer (VSO), a VA-accredited attorney or claims agent to represent your dad. See
https://www.va.gov/ogc/apps/accreditation/index.asp to locate someone.
If your dad is eligible, it can take months for his application to be processed, so be patient.
You should also know that if your dad’s Aid and Attendance application is approved, the VA will send a lump sum retroactive payment covering the time from the day you filed the application until the day it was approved. Then your dad receives monthly payments going forward.
Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit https://savvysenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.

Senior News and Living sponsored a pop-up resource fair at the American Legion in Norman on Monday, May 13th. Here are a few highlights from the event.

By Marise Boehs

They gathered at the OnCue in Yukon Sunday morning – a dozen motorcycles, a few cars and 21 volunteers preparing to surprise a veteran who had asked for a flag pole for his yard.

The skies were overcast, a little windy and cold but nobody seemed to mind. It was the first install of the 2024 season and a chance to catch up with friends and comrades and do a thing they all love and believe in.

Flag Poles Honoring Our Veterans is a 501(c)3 organization established in 2020. Their mission is to touch as many veterans as possible throughout the state of Oklahoma. The organization is completely volunteer and runs solely on donations of materials and money from individual and corporate sponsors.
Any Oklahoma veteran who has been honorably discharged and owns his or her home can ask for a flag pole through an application on their website. (FPHOV.org FPHOV has installed 560 flag poles in the past 4 years.

“The Sunday before Veterans Day every year we do 22 flagpoles in one day in the awareness of the 22 Veterans we lose a day to suicide.”
Kevin Blake, Founder FPHOV

They honor 3-5 Veterans each Sunday from mid March through Christmas unless a holiday falls on Sunday.

The fourth Annual Veteran Appreciation cookout will be in October with live music and free food for all veterans who have received a flagpole. In the evening there is a flagpole retirement ceremony.

Founder Kevin Blake explained about the ceremony. “We collect tattered flags throughout the year and we have a burn barrel. We retire each flag and call out the name of family or friend Veterans that have passed with each flag. Then I bring the barrel home after it cools and collect the grommets and make key chains out of them. Our flag never dies.”

In his own words…

In December 2019 we were helping serve dinner at a local church (Yellow Rose in Moore) to families for kids less fortunate and would be given toys to be able to have a Christmas.

A gentleman walked up to me and asked if I was the guy down the street from him that has a flagpole and every holiday (4th of July, Memorial Day) I set flags out down my driveway and along my curbside. We figured out that I was. He said he is a Veteran, he has an Army flag and an American flag and had always wanted a flagpole.
We chatted and then went our way. That night it laid on my heart “why doesn’t that Veteran have a flagpole”. So the next day I went out and purchased a flagpole, a flag, solar light and all the materials to install it. I notified his wife and asked her to have him in their driveway at noon on Sunday 3 days before Christmas.
I posted what I was doing on Facebook and asked folks to be at my house at 11:30 am Sunday. We had 19 motorcycles and 9 cars show up – almost 40 people. I loaded the concrete and tools in my riding lawnmower trailer. His wife had him outside when he heard the bikes start up. He said he thought it was just me and my biker buddies heading out. Everyone followed me on my mower with 2 people carrying the pole and when we rounded the corner his tears started flowing. With everyone videoing, going Facebook live, saying what a great idea and why hasn’t this ever been thought of before. That night my wife said to me “I think every Veteran deserves a flagpole in their yard when they retire”.

I set out and created the name, got our 501c3, nonprofit and copyright to the name and logo. And in March of 2020 (even when Covid was starting up at the same time) we got started. Our first year we Honored 100 Veterans.

The next year we set a goal of 150 Veterans and met that goal. But as volunteers with full time jobs we felt a bit pressured so we did not set an amount goal after that. We just do as many as possible.

By Marilyn Olson, Executive Director, VillagesOKC

March 29 will be a full day of celebration and commemoration for VillagesOKC members. It’s National Vietnam Veterans Day, and two major events will fill the day. A morning ceremony at the Oklahoma History Center Museum will honor all Vietnam-era veterans. An afternoon ceremony at Del City High School will recognize the character and sacrifice of 1st Lt. James Robert Kalsu.
VillagesOKC is partnering with the Oklahoma History Center Museum, the local offices of Humana, Oklahoma Warriors Honor Flight, the Force 50 Foundation and Navigating Medicare to host a pinning ceremony honoring all the servicemen and servicewomen, active or reservists, who served anywhere in the world during the Vietnam War-era. Each will receive a lapel pin inscribed with “A Grateful Nation Thanks and Honors You.”
The event will be held in the Devon Great Hall of the museum 10 a.m. to noon, with the doors opening at 9:00 a.m. This event is free and open to the public.
At 1 p.m. that afternoon, a larger-than-life monument to Kalsu will be unveiled at the Del City High School stadium which bears his name. At 1:30 p.m. in the Del City Performing Arts Center there will be a Vietnam-Era Veteran pinning ceremony and premier of the documentary “Uncommon Character – the Legacy of James Robert Kalsu.”
Kalsu was a stand-out student and Del City High School football star, an All-American at the University of Oklahoma, and Rookie of the Year for the Buffalo Bills, who became the only active professional athlete killed in action in the Vietnam War.
“If our children and grandchildren are to truly value the freedoms we have, it will be experiencing events like this where men and women are honored for their character and selfless acts of valor,” said VillagesOKC Executive Director Marilyn Olson. “VillagesOKC values our veterans and intends to continue finding ways to honor them.”
According to a release from the museum: “March 29 was designated as Vietnam Veterans Day by the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act, to be commemorated with annual nationwide events. Guided by the stipulations in that act, only Vietnam War veterans and their families are recognized. However, the Vietnam War Commemoration organization is providing recognition pins to honor any US veteran who served on active duty or in the reserves in the US Armed Forces at any time during the period of November 1, 1955, to May 15, 1975, regardless of location, Vietnam or elsewhere. Family members of any veteran unable to be present may also receive this pin.”
The keynote speaker will be Colonel “Chuck” DeBellevue who has been deemed “Ace of Aces;” one of only five to achieve that status from downing six North Vietnamese MiGs. Altogether, he logged 550 combat hours while flying 220 combat missions; 96 over Vietnam. His decorations include the Air Force Cross, three Silver Stars, three Legions of Merit, six Distinguished Flying Crosses, eighteen Air Medals and the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Device. In 2012, he was inducted into the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame and received the Congressional Gold Medal.

Visit: https://villagesokc.org/

The Oklahoma History Center, in association with VillagesOKC, the local offices of Humana, Oklahoma Warriors Honor Flight, Navigating Medicare and the Force 50 Foundation, is proud to host a pinning ceremony honoring all the servicemen and servicewomen, active or reservists, who served anywhere in the world during the Vietnam War-era. Family members of any veteran unable to be present may also receive this pin. The event will be held in the Devon Great Hall of the Oklahoma History Center on Friday, March 29, from 10 a.m.-noon, with doors opening at 9 a.m. This event is free and open to the public.
March 29 was designated as Vietnam Veterans Day by the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act, to be commemorated with annual nationwide events. Guided by the stipulations in that act, only Vietnam War veterans and their families are recognized. However, the Vietnam War Commemoration organization is providing recognition pins to honor any US veteran who served on active duty or in the reserves in the US Armed Forces at any time during the period of November 1, 1955, to May 15, 1975, regardless of location, Vietnam or otherwise. Family members of any veteran unable to be present may also receive this pin.
The keynote speaker will be Colonel “Chuck” DeBellevue, who has been deemed “Ace of Aces,” one of only five to achieve that status from downing six North Vietnamese MiGs. He logged 550 combat hours while flying 220 combat missions, with 96 over Vietnam. His decorations include the Air Force Cross, three Silver Stars, three Legions of Merit, six Distinguished Flying Crosses, 18 Air Medals and the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Device. In 2012, he was inducted into the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame and received the Congressional Gold Medal.
Also speaking will be Colonel Peter Plank, one of the founders of the Liberty Jump Team. This team has taken more than 100 World War II veterans back to the battlefields of Normandy and Belgium at no cost to the veterans. “Taking them to the battlefields they fought in and the villages they liberated is a humbling experience. Being a part of the Liberty Jump Team preserves the memory of those that came before us alive. We owe them that,” says Plank.
Michael Do, an Oklahoma City businessman, will speak on behalf of the Oklahoma City Vietnamese community and the South Vietnamese military. Music will be provided by the 145th Army Band, known as “The Governor’s Own.”
The Oklahoma History Center is located at 800 Nazih Zuhdi Dr. in Oklahoma City. It is open to the public Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
The Oklahoma History Center is a division of the Oklahoma Historical Society and is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, National Archives and is an accredited member of the American Alliance of Museums. The mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society is to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma and its people. Founded in 1893 by members of the Territorial Press Association, the OHS maintains museums, historic sites and affiliates across the state. Through its research archives, exhibits, educational programs and publications the OHS chronicles the rich history of Oklahoma. For more information about the OHS, please visit
https://www.okhistory.org.

Fifty years ago, immunologists were just beginning to understand a newly discovered type of white blood cell that would come to be known as the T cell. Decades of research have since shown these protective cells to be so crucial, we couldn’t survive without them.
Fast-forward to today, and research stands at a similar infancy with a closely related immune cell called innate lymphoid cells, or ILCs, says Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation scientist Xiao-Hong Sun, Ph.D.
The National Institutes of Health recently awarded Sun a $3.4 million grant to continue unraveling mysteries about these cells, including whether they may offer clues about the differences in immune reactions between children and adults.
“It’s far too soon to say whether we will someday discover ILCs play a role as profound as T cells,” said Sun, who holds the Lew and Myra Ward Chair in Biomedical Research at OMRF. “But I hope this research will begin to answer that question.”
Sun joined OMRF in 1999 and studied T cells until pivoting her research to ILCs when scientists discovered them about a decade ago.
Initially, researchers believed ILCs originated only in bone marrow. In 2019, Sun discovered the thymus, a gland near the heart, can also produce them. The thymus trains the immune system to distinguish friendly cells from invaders. It tends to shrink and become less active as we age.
“Our previous discovery was important because it may shed light on why immune reactions differ between children and adults,” Sun said. “Childhood onset of asthma and food allergies are just two examples. This new study may help explain the underlying causes and suggest new therapeutic approaches.”
“It took a half-century of painstaking work by scientists around the world to get to our current understanding of T cells,” said OMRF Executive Vice President & Chief Medical Officer Judith James, M.D., Ph.D. “That’s often how science works. Dr. Sun is applying similar approaches to understand ILCs in an accelerated way. I’m excited to see where her research leads.”
Sun’s grant, No. 1R01AI178947-01, was awarded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the NIH. Oklahoma City’s Presbyterian Health Foundation provided funding for Sun to collect preliminary data for this research.

Oklahoma City Indian Clinic (OKCIC), celebrates the Red Feather Galaeach year during Native American Heritage month. This year’s occasion raised over $150,000 and will provide 30 pairs of hearing aids for patients in need.
Held at the Omni Hotel in downtown Oklahoma City, this year’s Red Feather Gala was emceed by Ali Meyer and Joleen Chaney, news anchors from KFOR. They successfully united nearly
600 supporters, including tribal representatives from various parts of Oklahoma, to contribute to OKCIC’s charitable mission. To support the cause, attendees had the opportunity to make donations through a silent and live auction and Native art.
An outstanding moment of the evening was when RADM (Ret.) Kevin Meeks received the 2023
Spirit of the Urban Indian honor. RADM Meeks was honored for his lifelong commitment to improving the well-being of Native Americans in Oklahoma. As a proud citizen of Chickasaw Nation, he currently serves as Deputy Secretary of Health. Throughout his career, he has played a pivotal role in the enhancement of health care services for American Indians.
“I am very honored to receive the Spirit of the Urban Indian Honor,” said RADM Meeks. “I’m so proud of Oklahoma City Indian Clinic’s accomplishments. They have created outstanding and nurtured outstanding partnerships with area tribes and the Indian Health Service. OKCIC is a great example for other urban Indian programs to emulate.”
The gala provided attendees with an opportunity to immerse themselves in Native American culture through a captivating dance performance by the Central Plains Dancers. Additionally, guests could make memories at the photo booth, while enjoying a night of dancing with live music and karaoke.

by Mike Lee Staff Writer

Pam Spanbauer, RN, BSN, MEd, may be retired from her nursing practice but her impact on healthcare in Oklahoma will be felt for generations to come.
As the governor’s appointee to the Physician Manpower & Training Commission, Spanbauer is the only nurse on the board that helps ensure healthcare for thousands of rural Oklahomans.
Now the board chair, Spanbauer helps make sure that small communities in Oklahoma get the competent and professional physicians they so desperately need.
Spanbauer also currently serves as the vice president of the Oklahoma Nurses Association.
The commission is a task-force established in the 1970s.
“They have funding to help fund physicians in training to go out into the rural areas in Oklahoma,” Spanbauer said. “In Oklahoma we have so much rural area. In these farming communities the last thing they can do is take a day and drive to the city to get healthcare and drive back.
“It’s really important especially with the fact we don’t have many hospitals in the rural area.”
Spanbauer was raised in a small town in North Carolina. She had a single doctor growing up who took care of her entire family.
“If we had to have gone to the city we probably wouldn’t have gotten healthcare,” said Spanbauer, whose family lived 50 miles from the nearest hospital. “I’ve always had that small-town respect.”
She says the reality is that most doctors are going into specialty practices. Those who head to family medicine will stick closer to more populated areas.
The commission will cover a significant portion of a doctor’s tuition for a commitment to be the physician in a rural area.
“Many of the physicians actually wind up staying in that area after their commitment is done,” Spanbauer said. “If it weren’t for that a lot of doctors wouldn’t even know there are these opportunities and how great healthcare can be in a small community.”
Spanbauer and the commission review each applicant and decide the best place to match each doctor. Communities routinely send in requests for physicians to cover their population.
The mission of the Physician Manpower Training Commission is to enhance medical care in rural and underserved areas of the state by administering residency, internship and scholarship incentive programs that encourage medical and nursing personnel to practice in rural and underserved areas. Further, PMTC is to upgrade the availability of health care services by increasing the number of practicing physicians, nurses and physician assistants in rural and underserved areas of Oklahoma.
Subsequently the Oklahoma Legislature has added the responsibility of a Physician Placement Program, Nursing Student Assistance Program, the FP Resident Rural Program, the Physician Community Match Program and the Physician Assistant Scholarship Program. Spanbauer says the commission is guided in all the programs by a sense of stewardship which requires that maximum effort, both individual and organizational, be utilized to increase the number of practicing physicians, nurses and physician assistants in Oklahoma and, particularly, in rural and underserved areas of the state.
“I’ve always had a strong desire to give back in some way which is why I love being retired,” Spanbauer said. “I loved what I did when I was working but now it’s like I can give back. When I was working I didn’t have as much time.”
During her career, Spanbauer served as an EMT and drove an ambulance for Children’s Hospital. She also helped start the MediFlight program and later spent nearly her entire nursing career at Mercy.
“I had an opportunity at that time to see how spread out everything in Oklahoma is,” she said. “We would drive to pick up a baby and see how some of those hospitals barely had enough to get by. They didn’t have all the equipment we had in the city to take care of these premature babies.
“I’ve always been very passionate about wanting everybody to be able to have access to care. It’s a fact that people don’t.”
Spanbauer says the commission is charged with five high-priority goals:
1. Work to improve the balance of physician manpower distribution in the State of Oklahoma, both by type of practice and by geographic location;
2. Aid accredited physician training facilities in the establishment of additional primary medical care and family practice internship and residency training programs by sharing in the cost of these programs;
3. Assist Oklahoma communities in selecting and financing qualified medical and osteopathic interns/residents to participate in the Physician Community Match Program;
4. Assist Oklahoma communities, in any manner possible, in contacting medical and osteopathic students, interns and residents, or other physicians (inside and outside Oklahoma) who might wish to practice in Oklahoma;
5. Work with Oklahoma communities and the leadership of Oklahoma’s nurse training institutions to provide nurses for underserved areas of the state.
“It gets back to what medicine is all about and that’s the relationship the doctor has with the patient and the community,” Spanbauer said.
And that’s how Spanbauer makes a difference for future generations to come.