story and photos by Bobby Anderson, staff writer

Over the course of the last 15 years, Bill Muir has held a lot of hands, eased a multitude of fears and moved more than a few boxes.
As owner of Compass Senior Living Solutions, Bill, and wife Karen, focus on the next step for families who are in the midst of making important living decisions.
Do I need an independent or assisted living community?
Will this community help me thrive and get more out of life?
Can I afford what I need and where can I go to find out?
The Muirs answer all these questions and more, offering a one-of-a-kind concierge service in the metro all at no cost to the client.
Muir’s business is such that most times he gets a phone call from a distressed family member. Overwhelmed, stressed and under time constraints – the call relays the urgent need for mom or dad, grandmother or grandfather to find a new living situation.
All too often families are asked to make future living decisions within the span of a day or two when their loved one enters the hospital after a fall or sudden illness that makes it apparent they won’t be able to return to their home.
“Case managers will say ‘here’s a list of assisted livings in the area. You need to go visit them and let me know tomorrow which one you want to move your mom into,’” Bill said. “Boom. It’s deer in the headlights.”
That’s where Compass Senior Living Solutions comes in.
Here’s how it works:
* Bill or Karen will meet with you or fill out a brief evaluation over the phone. They will discuss what changes are going on in your life and determine what type of community will meet your needs.
* A review of your financial resources and communities that fit your budget comes next. Bill can also search out financial resources that can save you money if you qualify.
* Finding the area you are most interested in living and choosing three or four communities to tour follows. They will accompany you – or provide transportation if necessary – on tours to help you evaluate the offerings of each community.
The best part is the service is free to families and those who refer to him.
“I’m unbiased and my fees are paid by my communities,” Bill said. “Unlike my competitors, both Internet and other local referrals services my rates are all flat.
“I’m the only one like that.”
That means Muir is beholden to no one but his client.
And it doesn’t end there.
What sets Bill apart is his experience from the other side of the door working for communities in the metro. He spent the last 15 years marketing senior living communities.
“I know the information those assisted livings need and I know where to go get it,” he said. “Most assisted referral resources just spread names, point people in the right direction but they don’t do the most important part which is holding that family’s hand and helping them navigate through this whole thing all the way through move-in process.
“My service doesn’t stop when I connect them with a community.”
Move-in day is a big one not only for families but Bill himself.
He’s there early to make sure promised arrangements have been made.
He’s making sure medications are in place and ready to be dispensed and care plans have already been established by providers and are ready to go.
“It’s making sure those families are getting everything these communities advertise,” Bill said. “That is my goal, to provide that piece that is really missing.”
Bill also utilizes his sister, Vicki Muir – a 30-year case manager and social worker.
In addition, he’s a licensed long-term care insurance agent who no longer sells products but helps clients navigate the lengthy process of filing for benefits.
Uncovering forgotten aid and attendance benefits is another service Compass provides.
Over the past decade Internet services claiming to help find a place for mom or dad, have sprung up. It’s often a one-way street.
Muir’s service overlaps so many professions. He’s part real estate agent, counselor, confidant, life coach and negotiator.
He’s been there as people have agonized over decisions and he’s also seen the worry melt away with the right fit.
“It’s a transitions program but that’s an overused phrase now,” Bill explained of his service in a nutshell. “That’s the real difference in what I do is I make that transition all the way from first contact until after the move-in.”

To ensure that Oklahoma is prepared for future public health emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic, the Center for Public Health Practice at the Hudson College of Public Health at the OU Health Sciences Center convened stakeholders from across the state to study strengths and weaknesses in various sectors of society. Today, that group — known as the Achieving a Healthy Oklahoma initiative — is announcing recommendations aimed at improving preparedness and making Oklahomans less vulnerable to emerging diseases.
“While our state mounted a strong response to COVID-19, we wanted to bring people together in order to learn from our mistakes and build upon our resources,” said Dale Bratzler, DO, MPH, interim dean of the Hudson College of Public Health and the University of Oklahoma’s Chief COVID Officer. “Members of this initiative came from diverse sectors of our society, and they dedicated themselves to establishing actions we can take to improve and expand our public health infrastructure.”
The Achieving a Healthy Oklahoma initiative began nearly a year ago as a nonpartisan effort funded by private and philanthropic organizations. The group, with more than 100 members representing the sectors of public health/healthcare, business, education, and community organizations, held statewide listening sessions and workgroup meetings, conducted interviews and performed surveys.
From those efforts, the initiative’s four overarching recommendations are:
1. State and local health departments should optimize emergency response performance by:
* Identifying key public and private partnership capabilities to improve performance across Oklahoma; and
* Coordinating innovative responses and efforts across jurisdictional boundaries
2. Health leaders and policymakers should pursue sustainable funding for state and local health departments to strengthen public-private partnerships. Oklahoma State Department of Health workforce data indicates there are 316 unfilled public health positions — 193 of which are considered critical — across Oklahoma. The greatest shortage is among registered nurses.
3. The Center for Public Health Practice (at the Hudson College of Public Health) should serve as a hub for:
* Communications around public health preparedness
* Policy collaboration
* Workforce development data and evaluation
* Cross-sector collaboration to guide data modernization and grant opportunities
* Periodic review of the Achieving a Healthy Oklahoma recommendations and impacts
4. Data modernization must be a key driver for the next phase of preparedness and health improvement. Policymakers must pursue funding for sustainable, interconnected health data solutions, including cross-sector, statewide and national systems. The Center for Public Health Practice is uniquely positioned to serve as a central data modernization hub between public-private entities to pursue scalable and interoperable health data projects.
The Achieving a Healthy Oklahoma initiative made further recommendations specific to the sectors of public health/healthcare, business, education, and community engagement. Within each area, action items were designated to the Center for Public Health Practice, Oklahoma policymakers and public-private engagement.
The initiative also gleaned insight from different areas of Oklahoma through six regional listening sessions. Listening was key to understanding each area’s distinct needs, as one stakeholder said: “We really have to step away from planning for people without planning with people. What you do for me, without me, you do to me.”
Common themes emerged in each community. Participants identified strengths including a strong volunteer presence; flexibility among common and secondary schools; business engagement in the emergency response effort; and coordination of emergency response systems at the local and county level. Weaknesses included inadequate staffing at county health departments, hospitals and schools; politicization of strictly science and health issues; technology barriers; burnout among healthcare workers; and barriers to vaccine rollout.
Recommendations that developed from listening sessions include: developing real-time actionable communication strategies; additional investment in the healthcare workforce and ensuring staff work at the highest level of licensure; making real-time, decentralized and transparent data accessible; and training policymakers and political leaders on disaster response and health emergency management.
The regional outreach of the Achieving a Healthy Oklahoma initiative also identified several successes unique to each area’s response to COVID-19. In Duncan, for example, urgent care clinics played a critical role in diverting non-emergency care from hospitals. Duncan Regional Hospital retained its employees and cross-trained staff to adapt to changing needs. In Muskogee, the city sent masks to every resident, and businesses were proactive in encouraging masking in stores. In Miami, first responders and leaders from schools and county health departments facilitated an increase in public trust and communication. In addition, the local hospital system, operated by Integris, partnered with Indian Health Services to manage the influx of COVID-19 cases.
In McAlester, hospitals diverted care to federally qualified health centers, which played a critical role in relieving local healthcare facilities that were overburdened by COVID-19. In addition, the Choctaw Nation was a key partner in the local vaccination effort. In Lawton, libraries served as central hubs to deliver IT access and community resource catalogs to community members. The vaccination effort was quickly organized, and volunteers and community partners delivered up to 1,500 vaccinations a day.
The Southern Plains Tribal Health Board, which provides a unified voice on tribal public health needs and policy for the 43 federally recognized tributes in Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas, extended tribal resources to all residents in local communities regardless of tribal status. Tribes also took a population-level approach to addressing COVID-19 health needs rather than an individual approach. Contact tracers with tribes served as comprehensive case managers and public health allies.
The Achieving a Healthy Oklahoma initiative is one of the first of its kind in the nation, and it establishes the foundation for Oklahoma to serve as a leading agent of change for public health, said Gary Cox, J.D., Associate Dean for Public Health Practice in the Hudson College of Public Health and Community Partnerships Director for the college’s Center for Public Health.
“The work accomplished this past year by our committees provides actionable steps for Oklahoma to be better poised across healthcare, business, education, and community sectors to prepare for — and respond to — public health crises in the future,” Cox said. “The Center for Public Health Practice is prepared to turn these action steps into sustainable, effective programs that can be implemented throughout Oklahoma and serve as a template for the rest of the nation.”
To read the entire report from the Achieving a Healthy Oklahoma initiative, visit https://publichealth.ouhsc.edu/AHO.

The Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) of Central Oklahoma announces new members to its board of directors, Maria Fernanda, and to its advisory council, Jamie Jeter.
Fernanda is the Community Outreach Specialist with Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Oklahoma. She holds a bachelor’s degree in family studies from Southern Nazarene University. She serves on the board of Possibilities Inc.; Calm Waters, serving on the fundraising committee; and the United Way of Central Oklahoma, serving on the allocation committee. She has served as a member of the Calle Dos Cinco civic group and served on the Citizens Advisory Board for the City of Oklahoma City. In addition, she has volunteered with Hilltop Pediatrics and the Integris Mobile Clinic.
RSVP of Central Oklahoma welcomes back seasoned advisory council member Jamie Jeter, who previously served a three-year term on the advisory council. Jeter retired from working in contracting and finance at Tinker Air Force Base after 37 years, serving in management the last eight years of her career. She is an avid volunteer, serving at Alliance Health, Midwest City, as auxiliary treasurer and office manager and a strong supporter of RSVP’s mission.
Since 1973, RSVP of Central Oklahoma has helped older adults continue to live with purpose and meaning by connecting them with rewarding community volunteer opportunities, including RSVP’s Provide-A-Ride Senior Transportation Program. RSVP is a partner of AmeriCorps Seniors and the United Way of Central Oklahoma. To learn more about RSVP of Central Oklahoma, call 405-605-3110 or visit rsvpokc.org. You can also follow RSVP on Facebook at facebook.com/RSVPokc.