Q. My husband and I are both self employed and have Obamacare (aka The Affordable Care Act,ACA). Even though we make a good income, it fluctuates but we do not qualify for any subsidies. Our premium has jumped to over $1000 per month with a deductible of $6500!! There is nothing affordable about raising our premium 76%. Our stress level has also jumped 76%. What is happening to hard working people whose incomes do not jump even close to 76%.
Janet and Kyle

A. Oklahoma has only one health care provider, Blue Cross and Blue Shield (BCBS). All the other insurance carriers have left Obamacare. When losses exceed premiums, the only options are to stop doing business with this group of Oklahomans or raise premiums.
According to John Doak, Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner, since the 2014 implementation of the ACA, BCBS combined losses are more than $300 million. So they can exit this group of people, leaving them with no coverage or they can skyrocket the premiums.
Subsidies sound great but not everyone qualifies for them. It sounds like you and your husband fall into the group of people that will have to find a way to make more money on your own. As if you didn’t have enough stress, now this.
Oklahoma is an unhealthy state. According to Business Insider, Dec 2013, Oklahoma ranks #7 on the 10 Unhealthiest States List. Obesity rates are high in our state. The amount of public funding available for health care has dropped 40% in the past two years. Addiction rates are high.
Options for those on Obamacare are limited but the following are: suggestions:
1. Check to see if you qualify for any subsidies.
2. Don’t have insurance and pay the penalty at tax time.
3. Spend less – can you modify your budget?
4. Work more – not good for mental health/physical health
5. Lower stress by staying as healthy as possible
*exercise–get out and move your body *nutrition–choose healthy options, avoid impulse eating *laugh — there are funny moments — seize them *sleep — most people are sleep deprived.
Maybe you can motivate the unhealthy Oklahomans to put down their fork and put their walking shoes on. This is a serious issue with a serious consequence and a domino affect that could be disastrous.

The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) announced the first two deaths caused by the flu in the state. Both deaths occurred in patients who were over the age of 65. There have been 105 influenza-associated hospitalizations reported statewide.
The number of flu cases is relatively high for this time of year, and public health officials are concerned there will be a high risk of spreading the flu during the holiday season. The highest number of flu-related hospitalizations has occurred among those who are older than 50 years of age, as well as children younger than 5, which are both groups at greater risk of experiencing severe illness and complications due to flu.
The OSDH reminds the public that there are still several months left in the flu season. The single best way to protect against flu and its consequences is to get the flu vaccine. Many local county health departments, pharmacies and health care providers have vaccine and health officials urge everyone 6 months of age and older to get the vaccine to protect themselves and those around them from influenza, especially babies too young to receive a vaccination. It takes about two weeks after getting a flu shot for a person’s immune system to respond and provide defenses against influenza viruses.
Those who already have the flu can spread it to others even before they feel sick. One may have the flu if they have some or all of these symptoms: Fever, Cough, Sore throat, Runny or stuffy nose, Body aches, Headache, Chill, Fatigue
It is important for those experiencing flu-like symptoms to consult with a health care provider as soon as possible. Antiviral drugs may be prescribed to treat the flu. These drugs work better for treatment when started within 48 hours of noticing symptoms. Influenza antiviral drugs may also be indicated as a prevention measure to protect those who have just been exposed to someone diagnosed with influenza and are especially vulnerable.
Certain people are at greater risk of serious flu-related complications. Young children, elderly persons, pregnant women and people with some long-term medical conditions are reminded to contact their health care provider as soon as they develop flu symptoms.
OSDH recommends staying home for at least 24 hours after a fever is gone. Avoid going to work, school, social events and public gatherings as well as traveling and shopping. The fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine, such as acetaminophen before returning to a regular routine. To prevent the spread of the flu, the public is reminded to cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue and wash hands often.
For more information about influenza and activity updates, visit the Ok Flu View at flu.health.ok.gov.

INTEGRIS Health and its employees have once again donated turkeys from their annual Turkey Toss to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma. This year, 865 turkeys were donated and distributed to fellow Oklahomans who have inconsistent access to nutritious food.
“We consider ourselves blessed to work for an organization that values our employees and is willing to reward them in this special way,” said Bruce Lawrence, president and CEO of INTEGRIS Health. “Donations made to the Regional Food Bank allows INTEGRIS to live our mission by supporting our community through giving to those in need this holiday season.”
INTEGRIS Health traditionally hands out turkeys to their employees in November as a way of ‘giving thanks’ for their hard work and dedication throughout the year. Many employees ‘pay it forward’ by donating their turkey to the Regional Food Bank.
“Having a meal to share is often out of reach for many of our Oklahoma neighbors,” said Katie Fitzgerald, chief executive officer of the Regional Food Bank. “There are too many of our neighbors – people you may even know – who are quietly living with hunger. Thanks to INTEGRIS Health and all of their wonderful employees, hundreds of families will now enjoy a nutritious holiday meal together.”
This year alone, INTEGRIS, and its employees, donated 25,850 pounds of food through its Turkey Toss and Gov. Mary Fallin’s Feeding Oklahoma Drive. In total, 7,626 turkeys have been donated to the Regional Food Bank since INTEGRIS Health began the partnership in 2010. The majority of Oklahomans served by the Regional Food Bank are chronically hungry children, seniors living on limited incomes and hardworking families struggling to make ends meet.
It’s not too late to make a difference this holiday season. Thanks to a generous matching challenge from APMEX.com, the Cresap Family Foundation and Chesapeake Energy Corporation, every gift we receive through Jan. 15 will be matched, dollar for dollar – up to $600,000 – for a total impact of $1.2 million. To make a donation call 405-600-3136 or visit regionalfoodbank.org/donate.

story and photo by Bobby Anderson, Staff Writer

For 44 years now Norma Cartwright has showed up to work each and every school day to teach kids.
She’s never given a test, a quiz or even homework.
But tying on an apron at five in the morning, Cartwright gives every student what they need to succeed as Oklahoma City Public Schools’ longest-tenured cafeteria employee.
“I don’t know. I like to cook,” she said of what’s kept her in the kitchen all these years. “I like baking. I started out in the bakery department and it’s all I’ve ever done.”
In the early days she baked from scratch. Sandwich bread, hot dog and hamburger buns, cookies, cakes and cinnamon rolls all were made by Cartwight’s loving hands.
Things got a little easier through the years as the district moved to more prepared items. But she’s always put the same amount of heart into whatever she’s doing.
And as her career winds down she says it warms her heart to see the district offer free meals to every student in the district for the first time.
“I thought it was great,” she said. “When I was going to school, lunch hour was my favorite. I always looked forward to it. Now the kids can come in for breakfast or lunch and eat what they want off the menu and enjoy their meal. No stress, they can just eat.”
Breakfast at Roosevelt means preparing some 500 meals. Lunch balloons to over 700.
Carol Jones is Cartwright’s cafeteria supervisor. She’s amazed at the increasing numbers of meals coming out of the kitchen.
“It’s awesome and we don’t have to hound the kids for money and call and hound the parents,” she said. “It’s one of the best things (the district) has ever done.”
From the first day of school, cafeteria managers reported an increase in the number of meals served.
Gwen Thompson has been in the kitchen with Cartwright for 21 years.
“We love her,” Thompson said. “(And the free lunches) have been a blessing. I’ve always wanted that.”
Cartwright raised three kids and sent all of them through Oklahoma City Public Schools.
She stayed home until the youngest entered junior high.
A school schedule meshed perfectly with a family schedule.
Years later, she’s still in school even though her kids have kids of their own.
“I have never met any woman I haven’t liked all these years,” she said. “I’ve made a lot of good friends and I enjoyed working with them. Almost all of them had children like I did.”
Schools across the district report serving more meals.
Teresa Gipson works at Shidler Elementary located on the corner of SE 15th and S Byers.
She entered the district in 1982 at West Nichols Hills and moved into the kitchen 12 years ago.
“I like working with kids,” Gipson said. “(Working in the cafeteria) is still taking care of children. You’re feeding them and the most important thing for a child to eat is breakfast.”
On more than a few occasions Gipson and her fellow co-workers have gone into their purses to get money to pay for student lunches.
“I know we’re not supposed to do that but …,” Gipson said. “It’s not their fault and sometimes the parents just don’t have the money to pay for it. (Free meals) is a good idea – a good idea.”
“Every kid should get to eat.” Gipson explained that once a student’s lunch account balance reached a certain number a note would be sent home to the parents. The child could receive only a few more lunch trays before they were unable to choose what they wanted to eat.
From there, a sack lunch with a peanut butter jelly sandwich, a fruit and a milk would be their only option.
“(At Hawthorne Elementary) there was this one girl who had to get a sandwich. I could tell she was embarrassed. She took it but threw it away and I noticed she sat there for a while and then got up and walked off,” Gipson said. “I could tell that was really embarrassing.”
Kevin Ponce has spent his entire career in child nutrition. Oklahoma City’s school nutrition services director says the district could break even if not see a return on its investment through the USDA’s reimbursement program.
“Hopefully, universal feeding will go nationwide where we get away from keeping kids in categories,” said Ponce, who noted 53 of Oklahoma City’s 74 schools offered free meals prior to this year. “It’s great for the kids and great for the district. We support education so anything to get the kids ready for the classroom is a huge thing.”
Cartwright has six grandchildren – all within the OKC metro. She says she plans on spending at least one more year with the district.
She’s still got a lot of free meals to prepare.

By: Jessie Motsinger, Iris Memory Care

As Thanksgiving approaches, we want to pause in gratitude for our seniors and express how much we value their place in our lives. For seniors, especially those individuals coping with Alzheimer’s and dementia, feeling important to the people they love can be vital for health and quality of life. Every moment matters, and the little things can make all the difference. Here are a few ways you can be proactive about showing your loved ones that you see and care about them! (These can be modified depending on your loved one’s mobility and interests.)

Take them out to lunch, or cook their favorite meal. Sharing favorite foods and treats can spark memories, creating opportunities for chats about treasured moments.

Make a scrapbook with them (or for them), and include letters, photos and other special mementos. This is a wonderful opportunity to research and learn more about your loved one, their friends and family, and their work, hobbies, and accomplishments.

Ask them to tell you a story (and be a patient listener!). One of the best ways to learn about our history is to listen to someone who has lived it. Having a loved one be genuinely interested in you feels so meaningful!

Go on a field trip – visit places that are familiar and have fond memories (childhood home, ice cream shop, an outdoor park, or a favorite store). Familiar sights, sounds, and smells often trigger cherished memories and help even the quietest individual share!

Take a family photo, frame it, and have family members sign the frame. Dusting off those old family memories sitting in a box or photo album shows your loved one that the moment in the photo has meaning to you.

Get crafty and make homemade decorations for their room. Putting forth time and effort on a loved one’s behalf to make their surroundings cheerier has the two-fold benefit of making them feel valued while also bringing a little life to their space!

Encourage them to participate in classes or activities at a local senior center or senior living community (and then join them). Staying active and engaged has been shown to increase longevity and quality of life. Let your loved one know about different activities in the community and offer to give them a ride or help arrange transportation. Show interest in what they are up to!

How can you tailor these ideas to meet your loved one’s specific health needs? For an expert opinion, please contact a personalized consultant from Iris Memory Care at (405)-330-2222.
11

7 Ways to Show Appreciation to Your Loved One
By: Jessie Motsinger, Iris Memory Care

As Thanksgiving approaches, we want to pause in gratitude for our seniors and express how much we value their place in our lives. For seniors, especially those individuals coping with Alzheimer’s and dementia, feeling important to the people they love can be vital for health and quality of life. Every moment matters, and the little things can make all the difference. Here are a few ways you can be proactive about showing your loved ones that you see and care about them! (These can be modified depending on your loved one’s mobility and interests.)

Take them out to lunch, or cook their favorite meal. Sharing favorite foods and treats can spark memories, creating opportunities for chats about treasured moments.

The residents at Iris Memory Care love when our home is filled with the smell of fresh cookies or warm bread.

Make a scrapbook with them (or for them), and include letters, photos and other special mementos. This is a wonderful opportunity to research and learn more about your loved one, their friends and family, and their work, hobbies, and accomplishments.

Philip’s favorite part of scrapbooking is preparing the pages for the pictures.

Ask them to tell you a story (and be a patient listener!). One of the best ways to learn about our history is to listen to someone who has lived it. Having a loved one be genuinely interested in you feels so meaningful!

Thanking Harry for his decades of military service. He has some stories!

Go on a field trip – visit places that are familiar and have fond memories (childhood home, ice cream shop, an outdoor park, or a favorite store). Familiar sights, sounds, and smells often trigger cherished memories and help even the quietest individual share!

Philip, an avid reader, loved visiting the library with Sylvia.

Take a family photo, frame it, and have family members sign the frame. Dusting off those old family memories sitting in a box or photo album shows your loved one that the moment in the photo has meaning to you.

At Iris Memory Care, our families make sure their loved ones’ memory boxes by their door are filled with pictures and mementos with wonderful memories.

Get crafty and make homemade decorations for their room. Putting forth time and effort on a loved one’s behalf to make their surroundings cheerier has the two-fold benefit of making them feel valued while also bringing a little life to their space!

Diane painting clay ornaments to decorate her room for fall.

Encourage them to participate in classes or activities at a local senior center or senior living community (and then join them). Staying active and engaged has been shown to increase longevity and quality of life. Let your loved one know about different activities in the community and offer to give them a ride or help arrange transportation. Show interest in what they are up to!

Doris enjoying the sunshine while she draws.

How can you tailor these ideas to meet your loved one’s specific health needs? For an expert opinion, please contact a personalized consultant from Iris Memory Care at (405)-330-2222.
11

story and photos by Bobby Anderson, Staff Writer

A few years back, Kim Peterson faced the classic mid-life crisis.
Bad marriage, bad health, altogether bad outlook on life.
So she truly had reached a crossroads.
Option one was to continue down the path she knew for what she already had.
Option two was make some radical changes and roll the dice and see what happens down the road.
Peterson quite literally sprinted down that road and hasn’t looked back, finishing the Boston Marathon earlier this year and securing a new lease on life.
“(Running) has improved my health, my mood and every part of my life,” Peterson said. “I have more patience, more tolerance. I feel better and when you feel better you interact with others better. You see the world more optimistically. I can turn any negative into a positive.”
That’s a plus for anyone but particular someone in her line of work.
Peterson is a licensed alcohol drug counselor with a mental health endorsement who has worked for AllianceHealth Midwest more than five years.
She’s the longest-tenured mental health counselor in the building.
Searching and hoping for change she began running.
She started with 5k runs for the first couple years.
Her sister, who worked for 7-11, called to ask if she wanted to run in the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon.
The options were 5K, 10K and half marathon.
“Being a smart aleck I said ‘I’ll do the half marathon if you will,’” she said. “She signed us up so I had to start training.”
Peterson had no idea how to train for a distance of 13.1 kilometers, which translates to slightly more than eight miles.
She just ran it. And she’ll be the first to tell you she botched it.
“I hit the wall,” she said. “I didn’t get anything to eat or drink and that is an amazing experience. I think it might be worse than a heart attack. I finished and I remember laying on the asphalt … I was crying and I thought I was going to die.”
She had depleted pretty much every electrolyte in her body.
And she almost depleted her will to ever run again.
It took her a couple months for her mistake to really set in.
She thought maybe she could prepare differently.
So she decided to try another run.
“Then I got addicted to them,” said Peterson, who was an All-State runner at Western Heights growing up. “I started getting pretty decent then I ran a full marathon.”
Coalgate was the site of her first marathon.
The mud-covered course was laid out over a mustang ranch.
She’ll never forget the herds of wild mustangs that ran beside her. For nearly two hours she was as free as they were.
She’s been hooked on the adrenaline ever since.
Earlier this year she tackled the vaunted Boston Marathon.
The trip resulted in a personal record time.
“Probably one of the things that stood out to me was the amount of Olympians that were there … it was just amazing,” she said.
Running hasn’t been the only change she made.
She decided to enter a bikini contest.
“I just get craziness in my head,” Peterson laughed. “I want to practice what I preach to patients. I always tell them not to limit themselves. If you want to set your mind to do something do it. Every day things happen that I don’t believe. I never would have believed I could have run a half marathon.
“You couldn’t have told me I would put on a bikini and get on a stage and I got a fourth-place trophy.”
Now Peterson is a fit, fabulous and fetching woman in charge of her life who inspires others every single day.
She’s become the official health mascot among hospital employees. Everyone wants to know what she’s eating for lunch that day or what she’s going to do after work.
It’s no strange occurrence for Peterson to get up and run eight miles. She averages 30 miles a week. Her next goal is to run first place in her age-group at next April’s Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon.
“Anybody in the hospital who wants to get on a health kick, whoever wants to do it I’m more than willing to help them,” said Peterson, who is also a certified equine therapist.
And Peterson is living proof that sometimes a crossroads in life can be the opportunity for something amazing.

stroy and photo by Bobby Anderson, staff Writer

Given the option, few people would turn down a good, home-cooked meal.
But sometimes circumstances just don’t make it possible.
That’s why Cynthia St. Peter decided to create Mealfull to give everyone – even those who can’t afford it – the opportunity to have comfort food.
“Even though I’ve turned 63 I have an entrepreneurial spirit,” the company founder said. “When I get bored I create something.”
After retiring from a 40-year music ministry career, St. Peter found she still had a passion to create.
“Food – it’s a win-win for everyone,” St. Peter said. “Feeding people is just a basic need. Whether they’re homeless and they can’t afford it we’re going to give it to them. If they’re shut-ins and can’t get out of the house we’ll get it to them.
“And if they’re millennials and they just wished something was on their porch when they got home it’s going to be there.”
Mealfull operates out of Earth Elements Kitchen in the historic Farmer’s Market District in Oklahoma City.
All food is locally-sourced, farm-to-table..
Breads are baked fresh at 4:30 a.m. by St. Peter’s chef, who then prepares that day’s offerings.
“My heart is in three special places,” she said when asked what the business looks like.
ON THE GO
With 15 years as a single parent, St. Peter knows first-hand there is a need for quality food for busy people.
“It would have been great if there was a food delivery service that actually cooked it, it was delicious and they brought it to you,” she laughed.
Busy people get up early and work late. There’s really no desire to shop then come home to cook.
All too often the drive-thru is the default first-choice for busy people.
“We stop at a fast-food place and pack on 40 pounds,” said St. Peter, who admitted even when she worked as a chef she would go through the drive-thru at the end of the day.
Today’s millennials encounter a job market like no other in history. St. Peter sees her own daughter’s embedded in the rat race, with little time to slow down between work and family.
Mealfull can have hot selections waiting for them on their front porch or can go inside and stow them away in the fridge.
STAYING IN
Another facet of the business is providing meals to seniors in their homes.
“They don’t feed themselves. They have the money but they make friends with the pizza guy so that’s what they order every night,” she said.
“Wonderful, comfort food” is how St. Peter describes her menu, which rotates weekly. And it’s not just a drop-off solution.
Another option Mealfull offers is going into a client’s home and cooking the meals on-site.
“I have a real passion for Meals on Wheels but it makes me sick they don’t have the time to visit,” she said. “It’s drop off and go.”
That allows for hot food and good company – something many seniors are starved for.
ZERO WASTE
At the end of the day, MealFull coordinates with local social workers. St. Peter prides herself on a zero waste policy.
“We deliver the food to the homeless at their under-the-bridge camp,” St. Peter. “We have so much waste in the food business. If we were a restaurant we would have to throw it away. But we’re not … so we can do whatever we want to do with our food at the end of the day.
“That’s a very exciting part of what we’re doing.”
For the past 10 years, families have hired St. Peter to go into their loved one’s homes to cook for them.
“Families would hire me because their parents wouldn’t eat,” she said. “They wouldn’t cook for themselves because they couldn’t. They wouldn’t eat because they would think they weren’t hungry – especially those with dementia.
“I would serve them and they would woof it down. It was just taking care of our brothers and sisters.”
St. Peter quickly became a part of the family, going into the home and serving not only as a provider of sustenance but a source of peace of mind for the children who worried about how their mother or father was doing living alone.
HOLIDAY DINNER
Mealfull is also offering the option of ordering an entire holiday dinner for as few as two to as many as 12. Feasts include slow-roasted turkey breast, sliced spiral ham and a cornucopia of sides and desserts.
Delivery is offered at no extra charge.
Orders are now being accepted through Nov. 17 or while supplies last.
Got to mealfull.com for more information or call 405-568-6684.