A new law requested by Insurance Commissioner John D. Doak aims to protect Oklahoma storm victims. Senate Bill 439, signed by Gov. Mary Fallin Monday, ensures transparency and accountability in the insurance adjusting process.
“I am proud that Gov. Fallin and the Oklahoma Legislature saw the importance of this bill,” said Doak. “After a natural disaster, storm survivors are vulnerable. This new law will protect Oklahomans by making sure all public adjusters follow the same rules.”
Public adjusters are licensed insurance claims adjusters who appraise and negotiate an insurance claim on behalf of the policyholder. Unlike an insurance company adjuster, public adjusters advocate for the claimant.
Senate Bill 439, written by Sen. Marty Quinn, R-Claremore, and Rep. Randy Grau, R-Oklahoma City, specifies certain required and prohibited actions of public adjusters. It also sets requirements for contracts used by public adjusters. Some of the new rules include:
Cannot charge more than 10 percent of the total claim on a non-commercial claim after a disaster.
Must hold any insurance proceeds on behalf of the policyholder in a non-interest bearing account in a FDIC-insured bank.
Claim records must be kept for at least five years and are subject to inspection by the Insurance Commissioner.
The new law also states that unauthorized adjusting practices in the state of Oklahoma will be considered a misdemeanor.
“In light of the recent devastating storms in our communities, this legislation is as important as ever and will serve to protect our citizens when they are most vulnerable,” Grau said. “This bill is the result of the hard work and collaboration of numerous individuals including Commissioner Doak, two national public adjusting organizations, local public adjusters and consumers.”
“This common sense reform is a huge step toward protecting Oklahomans when they need it most,” Quinn said. “I’m grateful to the Insurance Commissioner and his staff for working to pass this legislation and grateful to Gov. Fallin for signing the bill.”
The law goes into effect November 1.
The Oklahoma Insurance Department, an agency of the State of Oklahoma, is responsible for the education and protection of the insurance-buying public and for oversight of the insurance industry in the state.

Bobby Anderson
Staff Writer

A piece of national history right here in Oklahoma City will soon be repurposed as the 23rd Street Armory is brought to life once again.
The home to Oklahoma’s National Guard for decades, the building will soon be revitalized by new owners COOP Ale Works.
The Oklahoma Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES) recently accepted the company’s proposal to acquire and redevelop the armory, which includes restoring the building and creating a unique experience.
“Oklahoma City is our home and we always wanted to return to the core of the city. In planning for a final home for the brewery, we wanted to find a place that is meaningful to our town and state, and gives us an opportunity to create an incredible experience,” said Daniel Mercer, co-founder of COOP Ale Works. “The Armory, with its unique history, structure and space, is the perfect fit and we believe it will become a venue that attracts visitors from across the state, country and world.”
Under COOP’s proposal, the 87,000-plus-square-foot building will be purchased from the state for $600,000 and returned to its former glory with updates to the interior functionality. The exterior will be maintained to honor its unique history with modern refreshes, including updated windows, while the inside will be transformed into a bustling brewery production floor, full-service restaurant, 22-room boutique hotel, multiple event spaces, offices and meeting rooms.
In total, COOP plans to dedicate $20 million to the overall project.
A 60-barrel, state-of-the-art brewhouse on the first floor will be the heart of the operation. Fermentation, conditioning, packaging and other production equipment will occupy the remainder of the 22,000-square-foot drill hall floor. More than 30,000 square feet of perimeter space surrounding the production floor will house brewery storage, offices, barrel aging, cold storage, shipping, receiving and more.
On the second floor, the east wing will become an 8,000-square-foot restaurant and taproom, with indoor and patio seating for more than 160 patrons. The full-service restaurant will serve a diverse collection of food and beverages. On the third floor of the east wing, dedicated event spaces will be available for community and private events.
Sean Mossman is the director of sales and marketing for COOP Aleworks. The need for expansion for COOP started two years ago, just two years after moving into a second venue.
“We began to start looking for places that could house a much bigger operation for us,” Mossman said. “Among the things we really wanted along with space was to create a brewery Oklahoma City could be proud of. To accomplish that we needed to move back into the urban core which is in the process of being revitalized.”
“When we saw the Armory and it became available it was a real no-brainer. It checked every box.”
COOP Ale Works is a craft brewery based in Oklahoma City, dedicated to brewing full-flavored beers. Since 2009, COOP has created a core lineup of six year-round canned beers in addition to four seasonal canned beers.
A 22-room boutique hotel will tie the experience together. Hotel rooms will occupy the second and third floors of the west wing of the building with a refined lobby located on the west side of first floor to welcome guests.
The proposal also includes five acres surrounding the armory building as well as leases for two adjacent properties. The additional properties will provide substantial parking, opportunities for retail and downtown living, and green space.
A new building would have been easier but Mossman said COOP wanted to strengthen ties in OKC.
“We focused early on for something on the Register of Historic Places or just meant something to the community through time,” Mossman said.
The 23rd Street Armory, constructed in 1938, was designed by architect and Oklahoma Army National Guard Major Bryan Nolen and was built as part of the Depression-era Works Progress Administration. At the time of its original construction, it was promoted as the only armory in Oklahoma funded entirely by state funds generated from oil wells located on the Oklahoma State Capitol grounds. The three-story building served as the state’s hub for the Oklahoma National Guard and the storied 45th Infantry Division.
“Our commitment to preserving the building is really important from our perspective as is doing honor to the 45th Infantry,” Mossman said. “We’ve gotten testimony from dozens of people who have went through that building and it means so much to them and they’re excited somebody is doing something with it that’s meaningful and it’s not being knocked down and forgotten.”
Mossman said COOP will invest $20 million into renovations with projected annual economic activity of $26 million to OKC.

The Oklahoma Assisted Living Association recognized Emily Ardoin as the winner of 2015 OKALA Caregiver of the Year award. Ardoin serves as an Advanced Certified Medical Aide at Jefferson’s Garden.
“Emily is truly a team player. She’s willing to fill in wherever we need her,” said Donna Kilgore, Residence Director at Jefferson’s Garden. The award indicates Ardoin has shown excellence in the care of Oklahoma seniors since August 2010. It also proves the exceptional performance of her duties within Jefferson’s Garden Assisted Living.
Emily is respected and admired by her fellow associates and she can always be counted on to help where she’s needed.
“Emily pays great attention to residents and details. I’m so glad to have her on my team,” said Adrian Carpenter, Health Care Coordinator at Jefferson’s Garden.
Everyone says Ardoin’s smile and cheerful spirit is infectious. Residents adore her and she adores them.
Jefferson’s Garden is a Legend Senior Living residence. Legend Senior Living is a privately owned company founded in 2001 by Timothy Buchanan and is dedicated to providing quality services and housing to senior adults. Legend Senior Living owns and operates Senior Living Residences in Kan., Fla., Colo., Okla. and Texas.

by Vickie Jenkins
Staff Writer

Touchmark is the premier retirement community in north Edmond where they offer elegant independent and assisted living plus memory care. Their mission is to enrich people’s lives.
This is where you will meet Debi K. Sims, RN, BSN, BF-CMT, and Touchmark’s Memory Care Manager where she has been working for the last four years. Debi has been a nurse for a total of 23 years and loves every minute of it. “I can’t imagine doing anything else,” she said.
Growing up in the bay area of California, she moved here with her parents in the mid 60’s and has lived here ever since. Attending nursing school, she received her BSN at East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma. “My first job as a nurse was at Rolling Hills Psychiatric center in Ada, OK. I worked with adolescent boys. I still have a lot of friends from those days and it remains one of my favorite jobs. I never would have seen myself as a nurse manager if Brian McCoun hadn’t pushed me in that direction. Now, I can’t image doing anything else,” she commented. Unless, I had followed my childhood dream of being an artist,” she said with a laugh. “Doesn’t everyone want to grow up and be an artist?” she asked.
There are several special people from Debi’s life that influenced her to be a nurse. “That would be my mother, Patsy Marie Penrod, and her patient-my sister, Kellie Marie and my friend, Tom Hunt, RN at Bellevue.”
Debi explains how she became a nurse a little later in life. “My decision to be a nurse came because of a divorce. I had three children to raise and nursing was a way of life for me. I watched my mother take care of my dying sister for years. My mother is my nursing inspiration. My gifts have always been encouragement and teaching and both of those worked out well in the field of nursing,” Debi commented.
Asking Debi what qualities make a good nurse, she replied, “Compassion is good, but a nurse has to be tough, gritty and stand in the gap for the patients or residents that they serve. Many times, you will be the one voice.”
What is your biggest reward as a nurse? “Being a nurse is a daily blessing. I have peace knowing that my hands have worthy work to do and that my life is invested in something that makes a difference in people’s lives; in the patients, families, coworkers and my immediate family,” Debi replied.
What is your biggest challenge? “Protecting my time. I have to balance a demanding schedule and obligations with my chief priorities in life; God, family and career,” she said.
Asking Debi if she had any mentors while she was in school, she said, “Dr. G. Black was my greatest mentor. The first day of class at 34 years old, I sat on the front row of his Zoology class and tears silently streamed down my face as I listened to him discuss the building blocks of all living things. I slowly gathered my books and walked out of the science hall and sat under a tree in absolute shock. I couldn’t do this, I was in over my head, I heard a voice above and looked up and it was Dr. Black.”
“Here, read this chapter that I copied from an old text book, know the material and you will be fine, he said. Then he slowly walked away. I read it and after a few weeks with a big grin on his face he let me know that I had been setting the curve in his class. Sometimes, your whole life can be traced back to one person who encouraged you.”
Debi’s hobbies include her first love of traveling. I also enjoy writing, poetry and scrapbooking. “I love spending time with my greatest blessings of all; my three children: Jillian, April and Hunter, and my two grandsons, Luke and John. Not to forget my faithful dog, Lexi, my long haired mini dachshund.”
As far as encouraging words go, Debi has a poster in her office that has traveled with her from her DON days at Epworth Villa, “The poster is Rosie the Riveter. ‘We can do it!’ Cause we can! As a nurse manager, we are just a part of the team. We never lose sight of the team. No one is more important from the other.”
Summing up her life in one word: “That word is: CHALLENGING.
TOUCHMARK AT COFFEE CREEK is located at 2801 Shortgrass Rd in Edmond. Call (405) 259-4102 or visit www.touchmark.com for more information.

www.CarePluisatHome.com

HELP WANTED!

WORK FROM HOME!
Advertising Sales

Senior News and Living and Oklahoma’s Nursing Times is looking for and Advertising Sales Executives. This salary/commission positon. Job Description: Immediate opening. We Are seeking an Advertising Sales executive to continue our growth in both the monthly Senior News and Living and our weekly Oklahoma’s Nursing Times (registered and licensed practical nurses). These are two very uniques niche publications with a strong readership and advertising following. View publications at www.okveterannews.com and www.oknursingtimes.com . Full and part time options available. Call Steve at 405-631-5100 ext 4 for more info or email steven.eldridge@okveterannews.com. EOE