The new INTEGRIS Moore Community Hospital, which brings a transformative concept of health care to Central Oklahoma, is officially open and accepting patients.
A Grand Opening ribbon-cutting event was held Feb. 26 to introduce the new hospital, at 1401 SW 34th St. in Moore. Speakers included Glenn Lewis, mayor of Moore, Kathy Gillette, president and CEO of the Moore Chamber of Commerce, Jamie Crow, membership director of the South Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce and State Senator Darrell Weaver.
The 60,685 square-foot INTEGRIS Moore Community Hospital, which opens to the public today (Feb. 27), is part of a major initiative in which INTEGRIS will, in 2019, open four new community hospitals – small-format facilities also known as micro-hospitals or neighborhood hospitals – in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area.
The INTEGRIS Community Hospital at Council Crossing, 9417 N. Council Road., opened Feb. 6. The INTEGRIS Del City Community Hospital at 4801 SE 15th St., is scheduled to open March 6, and the INTEGRIS OKC West Community Hospital at 300 S. Rockwell Ave., will open in May.
As part of its expansion initiative, INTEGRIS, the state’s largest nonprofit health care system, entered into a joint venture partnership with Emerus, the nation’s first and largest operator of micro-hospitals hospitals, to build and manage the facilities.
“Each new community hospital is an innovative way to create more access points for people who are seeking care,” said Timothy Pehrson, president and chief executive officer at INTEGRIS. “We think the citizens of Moore will find this facility to be more convenient, more affordable and if they need higher levels of care, they’ll be connected to all the great things people have come to expect from INTEGRIS.”
Emerus Chief Executive Officer Craig Goguen said the company is honored to partner with INTEGRIS, an award-winning, highly respected health system brand, as it expands its footprint throughout central Oklahoma. “Our transformative concept of health care allows great health systems like INTEGRIS to expand its reach into the community to provide a variety of patient services that are fast, convenient and economical.”
These new community hospitals will serve a variety of patient needs including emergency medical care, inpatient care and other comprehensive health services. While the ancillary services vary, each community hospital has a set of core services including the emergency department, pharmacy, lab and imaging.
The rest of the services depend on the needs of the community, but common examples include primary care, dietary services, women’s services and low-acuity outpatient surgeries. The community hospitals offer:
* Health system integration — allowing for care coordination, consultation and seamless transition across the care continuum
* Fully licensed as a hospital and subject to all hospital conditions of participation and regulatory requirements
* Emergency-trained physicians and outpatient ambulatory clinical services on site — ensuring patients receive the highest quality care, when they need it
* Inpatient bed capacity — allowing patients to stay closer to home when lower level admissions/recoveries are needed
* All patients accepted without regard to insurance or ability to pay, including Medicare, Medicaid and Tricare
* Community-based hospitals open 24 hours a day, seven days a week – offering ease of access to our patients

5 Ways to Spot a Lottery Scam

You get a phone call or a letter in the mail informing you that you just won millions in a lottery. Could this be your lucky day? More than likely, no, as this is a very common scam that preys on your excitement to claim a big prize.
To finish out our series of scams, did you know that in 2017, nearly 500,000 people fell victim to lottery scams? The reported losses alone totaled $117 million and that’s only what was reported. The actual number of victims and losses are probably larger, as many victims are too embarrassed to report it. These scams, commonly referred to as “advance fee”, “lottery” or “sweepstake” scam, often begin with fraudsters informing you that you’ve won a lottery or sweepstake raffle. You are issued a check worth more than the amount owed and instructed to pay “taxes and fees” before receiving a lump sum payment. Unfortunately, the check, in addition to the raffle, is false.
There is no legitimate reason for someone who is giving you money to ask you to send money back. That’s a huge red flag that it’s a scam. To help prevent you from falling victim to this scam, here are some helpful tips to keep you from getting tricked.
* Don’t be fooled by the appearance of the check. Scam artists are using sophisticated technology to create legitimate looking counterfeit checks. Some are counterfeit money orders, some are phony cashier’s checks and others look like they are from legitimate business accounts. The company name may be real, but someone has forged the checks without their knowledge.
* Verify the requestor before you wire or issue a check. It is important to know who you are sending money to before you send it. Just because someone contacted you doesn’t mean they are a trusted source.
* Ensure a check has “cleared” to be most safe. Under federal law, banks must make deposited funds available quickly, but just because you can withdraw the money doesn’t mean the check is good, even if it’s a cashier’s check or money order. Be sure to ask if the check has cleared, not merely if the funds are available before you decide to spend the money.
* Report any suspected fraud to your bank immediately. Bank staff are experts in spotting fraudulent checks. If you think someone is trying to pull a fake check scam, don’t deposit it— report it. Contact your local bank or the National Consumers League’s Fraud Center, fraud.org.

by Kaylee Snow

Move and adapt.
For Patti Townsend, her entire life could be described by these two words.
After enduring the drought of the Dust Bowl, Townsend’s father, an Oklahoma farmer and coal miner, decided to move his family west to California during World War II. There was a need for work in the shipyards because of the war, so he was certain a better life would await them there.
“My father just threw up his hands and said, ‘This farming is not worth it right now,’” she said.
Townsend grew up in San Francisco, a much different sight from the New Mexico cattle ranches she would soon call home.
After marrying Gayland Townsend, the two began ranching together in Albuquerque and then Roswell. They raised commercial cattle before incorporating Brangus into their herd, eventually owning nearly 800 head. The Townsends moved several times while in New Mexico, each time to a bigger ranch, before relocating to Oklahoma in 2004.
“I was chief cook and bottle washer,” Patti Townsend laughed, pointing out that she worked more than everyone else because she had two jobs: ranching and cooking.
She added, “They counted on me being out there helping them with cattle a nd then having dinner on the table too.”
“I wasn’t a hired hand,” she laughed. “I was a free hand. Let’s put it that way. I was out there working cattle and then having pot roast in the oven.”
She would have beans on the stove and cornbread in the oven while she worked cattle.
“They’d send me up there about 10 minutes before, and then I put everything on the table,” Townsend said. “They ate. I cleaned up. I was back out there in the corral.”
While the Townsends ranched in Roswell on the “home place,” Patti Townsend became heavily involved with the New Mexico Cowbelles. She served on the board, as secretary and as president.
“I did everything they asked me to,” she said.
Townsend worked beef cook-offs, helped the New Mexico Beef Council – where she also chaired the board – at the state fair, and helped put on the beef ambassador contest. She traveled to each region of the state giving workshops, ran booths at the state capitol, and visited schools to teach children about beef cattle. She also led farm tours to show the public more about the industry.
She recalls one lady being so excited – and scared – to give a cow a shot for the first time.
“She did it. She ended up giving that cow a shot, and then she raised her hands up and just thought that was the greatest thing in the world that she gave that cow a shot,” Townsend laughed.
It was the education and promotion of agriculture, specifically beef cattle, that drove Townsend.
She was involved on the local, state and national level. She was named the 1999 New Mexico Cowbelle of the Year and served as president. She also served as region director of the American National CattleWomen for six years and was president of ANCW in 2003.
Townsend, who “to this day still can’t believe it,” was named the 2011 ANCW Outstanding CattleWoman of the Year.
“It was the best honor I could have in my life,” she said.
The “home place” or “family ranch” as Patti Townsend calls it, is where the Townsends lived for about 21 years and raised three sons: Philip, Charles and Steven. It is also where Townsend started her sheep herd, which grew to nearly 600 head over a 20 year period.
“The boys had them [the sheep] for ag,” she said. “It was an ag project, and course they showed sheep too. The oldest one took off to college, and he had to sell his part of the sheep to the other two. And when the second one went off to college, he had to sell his part to the youngest one. And then when the youngest one when off to college, there was nobody to buy them but Momma. So I bought his share, and so those were Momma’s sheep now.”
“There was a herd of them by the time we finished with them because they can have triplets,” she laughed.
Her sons were all heavily involved in FFA, showing cattle, pigs and sheep. All three received their American FFA Degrees, and Charles was a state FFA officer.
All three also grew up to pursue agriculture. Charles is a veterinarian, Philip is a rancher and fishermen’s guide, and Steven runs the ranch, which is now located in Milburn, Oklahoma.
“We started getting bigger on account of the youngest son [Steven] wanting to be a rancher, and so that’s the reason we sold the family ranch,” she said. “He’s always wanted to be a rancher since he was 3 years old.”
The Townsends moved to a bigger ranch outside of Roswell first before moving the cattle to Oklahoma.
Why would a successful ranching family decide to move 500 miles to begin the challenge of raising cattle in a completely new state?
The answer can be found in one word: drought.
After year five of what would be an eight-year intense drought, the Townsends were at a crossroads. Their time in New Mexico had set them up for success in Oklahoma.
“A man walked up to us and wanted to buy the ranch,” she said, “and my husband said, ‘Sold.’ So we bought a place here in Oklahoma, and that’s where we are now. We still have Brangus cattle. We raise about 600 head here.”
As the ranches got bigger and more help came in the form of her sons, Patti Townsend wasn’t needed as much. However, she never got too far away from the ranch.
“I stayed involved with the cattle, and when we culled cows and stuff like that my husband wanted me out there working to make sure I was satisfied with what they sent to the sale and what they kept for heifers. They didn’t sell my pets. Let me put it that way,” Townsend laughed.
She became very involved with the Oklahoma CattleWomen and was slated to become an officer here too, before deciding she was needed more at home to take care of her husband after his heart attack.
“I’m getting back involved with them again, but I am not moving up to be president so leave that off your list,” she laughed.
She has truly loved the ranching life – where she spent her entire career – and is hopeful that her grandchildren and great-grandchildren will pursue it.
“It is a beautiful life for a family, and I would suggest it for any young couple that wants to start living on the ranch to try it,” she said. “Get them out of the city. Put them on the ranch or the farm, and it’s a hard life. I’m not going to say it’s an easy life. We had some rough times. We had some big rough times, but we made it. We just stuck together and made it. I wouldn’t trade it for a billion dollars, or a trillion.”
It has been almost 50 years since the Townsends first started ranching together.
“It was fun days. I enjoyed it. I really did. It’s just something I did, and I was young enough to do it. Don’t ask me to now,” she laughed.
Patti Townsend, now nearly 78, reflects back on her days on the home place and says every memory was great – whether it was good or bad. She would certainly love to be working underneath the Oklahoma sky.
“I wish I was 10 years younger,” she said. “I’d be out there hand in hand. I’d still be the chief cook and bottle washer.”

Dear Savvy Senior, What can you tell me about reverse mortgages for retirees? My wife and I are contemplating getting one but want to make sure we know what we’re getting into. Running Short

Dear Running,
For retirees who own their home and want to stay living there, but could use some extra cash, a reverse mortgage is a viable financial tool, but there’s a lot to know and consider to be sure it’s a good option for you.
Let’s start with the basics.
A reverse mortgage is a unique type of loan that allows older homeowners to borrow money against the equity in their house (or condo) that doesn’t have to be repaid until the homeowner dies, sells the house or moves out for at least 12 months. At that point, you or your heirs will have to pay back the loan plus accrued interest and fees, but you will never owe more than the value of your home.
It’s also important to understand that with a reverse mortgage, you, not the bank, own the house, so you’re still required to pay your property taxes and homeowners insurance. Not paying them can result in foreclosure.
To be eligible, you must be 62 years of age or older, own your own home (or owe only a small balance) and currently be living there.
You will also need to undergo a financial assessment to determine whether you can afford to continue paying your property taxes and insurance. Depending on your financial situation, you may be required to put part of your loan into an escrow account to pay future bills. If the financial assessment finds that you cannot pay your insurance and taxes and have enough cash left to live on, you’ll be denied.
Loan Details
Around 95 percent of all reverse mortgages offered today are Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECM), which are FHA insured and offered through private mortgage lenders and banks. HECM’s also have home value limits that vary by county, but cannot exceed $679,650.
How much you can actually get through a reverse mortgage depends on your age (the older you are the more you can get), your home’s value and the prevailing interest rates. Generally, most people can borrow somewhere between 50 and 65 percent of the home’s value. To estimate how much you can borrow, use the reverse mortgage calculator at ReverseMortgage.org.
You also need to know that reverse mortgages have recently become more expensive with a number of fees, including: a 2 percent lender origination fee for the first $200,000 of the home’s value and 1 percent of the remaining value, with a cap of $6,000; an upfront 2 percent mortgage insurance premium (MIP) fee on the maximum loan amount, plus an annual MIP fee that’s equal to 0.5 percent of the outstanding loan balance; along with an appraisal fee, closing costs and other miscellaneous expenses. Most fees can be deducted for the loan amount to reduce your out-of-pocket cost at closing.
To receive your money, you can opt for a lump sum, a line of credit, regular monthly checks or a combination of these.
More Information
To learn more, read the National Council on Aging’s online booklet “Use Your Home to Stay at Home” at NCOA.org/home-equity. And see the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association self-evaluation checklist at ReverseMortgage.org/consumerguides.
Also note that because reverse mortgages are complex loans, all borrowers are required to get face-to-face or telephone counseling through a HUD approved independent counseling agency before taking one out. Most agencies typically charge around $125. To locate one near you, visit Go.usa.gov/v2H, or call 800-569-4287.
Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.

The Retired and Senior Volunteer Program of Central Oklahoma (RSVP), a nonprofit organization that enriches the lives of senior adults through community volunteer opportunities and the Provide-A-Ride Senior Transportation Program, recently announced its 2019 Advisory Council members.
RSVP Advisory Council members are: Debbie Evers, community volunteer; Jamie Jeter, retired, Tinker Air Force Base; Wanda Patrick, retired, Hank Martin, CPA; Sheryl Presley, TRIAD coordinator, Oklahoma City Police Department; Kimberly Sanders, retired, Focus Oil & Gas; Paul Sanders, retired, All-American Bottling Corporation; and David Smith, retired, Oklahoma Tax Commission.
RSVP’s advisory council helps to enhance the nonprofit’s recruitment, retention, and recognition of volunteers.

LAWTON – Nichole Lorenzen is bringing the farm to the city one art project at a time.
Owner of Lorenzen Farm Art, Nichole Lorenzen creates farmhouse decor and gifts from her original watercolor paintings. She offers her paintings in real barn wood frames and prints on tile, metal, coasters, car coasters, bookmarks and magnets.
“Being able to offer farm tractor art prints to people that own or remember their pieces of equipment makes me feel like I am bringing agriculture into a few more homes,” Lorenzen said.
She said what makes her art special is that it is created from what she sees on her own farm where she bales hay and tends to cattle alongside her husband. Lorenzen said she loves that she can paint and work while watching the kids and dogs play all while the cattle bawl in the background. She loves the idea of growing a business at her farm.
Lorenzen Farm Art was started in 2013 when Lorenzen was accepted to an art show. In 2017 she opened her online Etsy store. This year, she has added Amazon and is currently building a website for wholesale and retail shoppers. She also sets up booths at art shows and festivals.
“The booth should feel like a country home that says, ‘Come in, leave your boots on the porch and grab a sweet tea,’” Lorezen said. “It brings a smile to your face and lightens your load. The artwork is bright and happy. It reminds you of good old memories from Grandpa’s farm.”
Lorenzen’s goal is to continue expanding her operation into gift shops and businesses across the state and nation. Lorenzen Farm Art recently joined the Made in Oklahoma Program. To learn more about the business, visit www.nicholelorenzen.com or find the company on Facebook, Instagram or Etsy.

By Ron Hendricks

Dementia could be reduced if everyone with hearing loss would seek treatment. Dr. Pam Matthews, Oklahoma City Audiologist, explained to the Monday meeting of Central Oklahoma Chapter of Hearing Loss Association of America (COC HLAA) how hearing loss and decreased brain functions are connected. If the brain does not receive signals from the ear, it must work harder to fill in the blank spaces to the detriment of other brain functions — bringing on cognitive disorders. An early visit to the audiologist at first sign of hearing loss, could help prevent Dementia.
Pam discussed how a new hearing aid wearer reported good hearing in the low registers, but had lost over 50% in the upper ranges. New hearing aids allowed the wearer to once again hear high pitched sounds like children’s laughter, the squeak of a door hinge, or the tinkling of running water. It is encouraging to know that a visit to the audiologist could help combat potential loss of brain activity. A hearing test is the best way to know for sure if you have hearing loss.
Do you have hearing loss? Hear a few of the most common symptoms according to the National HLAA: Do you:
* Ask people to repeat what they say * Have trouble following the conversation in groups * Think others are mumbling * Frequently turn up the volume on the TV or car radio * Have difficulty on the phone * Oversleep because you didn’t hear your alarm clock * Have difficulty hearing or understanding speech at the movies * Avoid going to noisy parties and restaurants
Hearing tests are easy and available online and at many locations here in the OKC metro. In many cases, the initial screening is free. See any of the fine Audiologists here in the Oklahoma City area for more information.

COC HLAA has served Oklahoma’s hearing loss population for 27 years and is going strong for 2019. Two informational and educational meetings are held monthly and both are open to the public and are free. Meetings are captioned and are a safe and friendly place if you have hearing loss or love someone with hearing loss. Again, this year we will give two scholarships of $1,000 each to students heading for higher education this fall. We are actively involved in making Oklahoma City more accessible to those with hearing loss thru our LOOP OKC drive — getting hearing Loops installed in public facilities. And for over 20 years the Hearing Helpers Room has encouraged Oklahomans to live well with hearing loss; open Monday – Friday, 10-3, at 5100 N Brookline, Suite 100. Stop by to try a device in person or check one out for a free trial at home. We have over 100 assistive hearing devices on hand. Volunteers have ordering information and are available to answers any questions. For more information visit the website at WWW:OKCHearingLoss.org

How do you stay active? Warr Acres Senior Center

I’m never still. I like to line dance twice a week. Sharon Garrett

I have a cardio machine in my lanai and get out three times a week. Burna Hankins

I like to line dance and play ping pong every now and then. Billie Willis

I don’t. I do like to line dance. Rita Knight

by Bobby Anderson, Staff Writer

The flu season is just now ramping into overdrive and Oklahomans are feeling it.
According to the most recent data provided by the Oklahoma State Department of Health, more than 250 Oklahomans were hospitalized for the flu the week of Feb. 13-19 alone – bringing the total number of hospitalizations to more than 1,200.
Some 31 Oklahomans have died from the flu since Sept. 1, 2018.
Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control estimates 20.4 million have already contracted the flu.
And in late February the CDC announced an emerging variant of the virus was responsible for nearly half of all cases and could push the season all the way into May.
Odds are you’ll come into contact with the flu this season.
But what if there were a way for you to minimize not only your exposure but the exposure of others when you start feeling sick?
Enter DispatchHealth, an innovative health care delivery model rapidly growing in the metro.
DispatchHealth is bringing back the house call with a modern technology twist. DispatchHealth gives patients ways to access convenient, high-quality acute care in the comfort of their home, office or in the location of need.
DispatchHealth is redefining the healthcare landscape as an extension of a patient’s healthcare team and offering solutions for simple to complex medical problems all from the comfort of your home.
While most seek treatment at an emergency room (ER) or urgent care clinic, when leaving one’s home the virus can be immediately exposed to others and cause further spread of the flu.
And if you don’t have the flu then you’re walking right into a waiting room full of it.
Randee Green, APRN, is one of the Dispatch nurse practitioners treating patients in their home.
“I know from working in the ER if they go to the ER and they’re 80 years old and say they’re weak they’re going to get worked up from head to toe,” Green said. “I like being able to go in with a couple tests I can run and say ‘this is something we can handle at home.’ Then if it’s not then we can send them on.”
“I do like the satisfaction of knowing I’ve saved this person from getting run through the mill in the emergency room.”
No lengthy waits. No need to leave your home.
And maybe one of the best things about the service is that for patients with Medicare, Medicare Advantage as well as Blue Cross and Blue Shield insurance plans the cost is the same or less than that of an urgent care co-pay.
A respiratory therapist for 15 years, Amy Evans is the Dispatch market director.
“I’ve learned what a valuable resource it is for seniors to keep them at home,” Evans said.
The flu is transmitted by contact and airborne measures and is especially dangerous for young children, seniors and those with chronic illnesses. A person who has caught the virus can infect others up to six feet away. Adults can infect others one day before their flu symptoms even develop and can pass on the virus up to a full week after becoming sick.
“If they don’t have the flu they risk getting it when they go to the ER,” Evans said. “If they do have the flu then they can stay at home and be comfortable and have someone come to them.”
“And the cost is cheaper than the ER.”
Evans said – on average – Medicare patients without a secondary insurance are paying less than $20 locally.
“I feel like I’m finally in a positive track in healthcare because we’re doing something to help,” Evans said. “We’re helping the population, the community and we’re helping the healthcare system reduce costs. It’s win-win all over the place.”
“We’re helping providers after hours so they not just telling them to go to the ER. We’re partnering with physicians, hospitals, post-acute care, skilled and assisted living.”
Services include testing such as: blood tests on-site, strep test, flu swab, urinalysis, urine cultures, stool culture, test for blood in stool, pregnancy test, lactate, 12-lead EKG, PT/INR, rapid infectious disease testing and more.
Medication – as well as IV fluid and breathing treatments – can also be administered on site.
DispatchHealth can be reached by calling 405-213-0190 and currently sees patients from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.