Photography and Text by Terry “Travels with Terry” Zinn  [email protected]

The state of Florida has many popular and well known resort destinations, where you can find gourmet dining, beautiful ocean front vistas and upscale comfortable resort hotels. Undiscovered by many frequent Florida vacationers, is Vero Beach and the Vero Beach Hotel and Spa, which has all any tropical traveler requires.
Located on Florida’s East Coast an hour’s drive from Melbourne and about an hours and a half from Orlando, the Vero Beach community, with entertaining attractions, art and jewelry galleries is worth the travel time. (You might also consider flying into the Vero Beach Regional Airport.) Crossing the bridge over the Indian River from the mainland you might be surprised at the commercial development. Once you reach the Vero Beach Hotel and Spa, conveniently located in the middle of the action, you can be secluded on the beach as with the best of any ocean side resort. You will discover beach activities that accommodate family needs, seaside casual dining and beverages, near the outdoor pool.
The twin tower hotel hosts the indoor/outdoor Cobalt restaurant where breakfast and gourmet dinners are served. They are happy to prepare a breakfast Eggs Benedict to your tastes and the evening sea bass is a light and delicious repast. Adjacent is the Cobalt bar and lounge, where the cocktail wait staff and bar tenders are eager to prepare your Martini or other exotic cocktail, to your specific specifications. This added attention to your request is a rare commodity at many exclusive lounges. The Vero Beach Hotel and Spa prides itself on its attentive and congenial service. The happy hour specials are not to be missed, are not watered down and come at a friendly price point. You can also partake of specially priced appetizers as meet other congenial travelers looking for a relaxed yet lux atmosphere.
The Vero Beach Hotel and Spa includes the full service White Orchid Spa and salon where you could spend an entire day taking in their many services. You may find an amendable spa partner when having an expert and extensive Mani-Pedi. Your fellow Salon patrons might include a fascinating personality such as Toronto’s, Barbara Reed, who as a successful professional, also creates exotic one of a kind jewelry pieces, which she is happy to share. It’s this kind of serendipitous happening that keeps resort travelers returning to discover a happy encounter with like-minded persons.
For an evening or matinee be sure and check the schedule of the Riverside Theatre about 3 blocks from the hotel, accessible by taxi or a leisurely fifteen-minute walk. If your call for a taxi is too long a wait the front desk has a secure list of Uber drivers eager to please with prompt timing. Expert Theatre plays and elaborate musicals are presented year round, such as this Spring’s Sister Act, and next season’s Mame and Chicago. Good last minute seats are usually available.
Next door to the theater is the Vero Beach Art Museum with special exhibits and a convenient Museum café with fresh sandwiches, before or after your viewing of the esoteric museum exhibits.
With all this actively you can take many leisurely strolls along the clean and constant surf along the beach, where a stroll lets you really appreciate the beauty and power of nature. Be sure and ask at the front desk, or at the other establishments you visit for the current Inside Track Almanac, the official guide to the Treasure Coast, which is filled with attractions you can consider to entertain you in your leisure time. While you may not have heard of Vero Beach, it is highly recommended for putting on your list of Florida’s favorite resort destinations where Vero Beach Hotel and Spa can be your resort oasis. All Vero Beach’s specials can be found at: http://www.verobeachhotelandspa.com/vero-beach-hotel-deals  https://www.whiteorchidspa.info/

Mr. Terry Zinn – Travel Editor
Past President: International Food Wine and Travel Writers Association
http://realtraveladventures.com/author/zinn/
http://www.examiner.com/travel-in-oklahoma-city/terry-zinn
www.new.okveterannews.com – www.martinitravels.com

story and photo by Jason Chandler

When Pam Ross was a young girl, she always knew she wanted to be a nurse, she said. Today this registered nurse serves as the Director of Nursing at SYNERGY HomeCare.
“I wanted to help people because my passion is to help them feel better”, Ross said. “Through personal experiences of my own with my own family, I feel I have a good sense of how to do that with SYNERGY HomeCare.”
Ross started her career working in hospitals and surgery centers. She joined SYNERGY HomeCare a little over a year ago and has been a registered nurse for 24 years.
“I feel like we’re family,” she said. “I admire everyone’s loyalty and passion to help others.”
Ross said she enjoys working with Weama Kassem, the owner and Chief Executive Officer of SYNERGY HomeCare as well as with Charlotte Carey, the Administrator.
“SYNERGY HomeCare is not a home health nursing agency, but is a non-medical care provider,” Carey said. The company provides one hour to 24 hours of care for people in their place of residence, whether that is in a home, assisted or independent living community as well as in hospitals and rehab facilities.
Being non-medical, SYNERGY HomeCare does not require a doctor’s order as is the case with home health.
“We do have a Director of Nursing, Pam Ross, and an Associate Director of Nursing, Ramona Wilson on staff with us,” Carey said.
Carey said SYNERGY HomeCare looks to the in-depth experience and knowledge of different diagnosis and disease progression in both Ross and Wilson.
“Our nurses are able to impart some of that knowledge to our caregivers through their daily interactions as well as our monthly in-service training. Although we are non-medical, the knowledge and experience is important because it allows the RNs to work effectively in the capacity of a case manager to coordinate care with different agencies to accomplish a complete continuum of care for our clients,” Carey said.
“SYNERGY HomeCare helps individuals to maintain their independence for as long as safely possible,” Carey said. “It also adds a set of eyes, ears and hands for family caregivers who usually bear the responsibility for caring for an aging or disabled loved one.”
Carey said Kassem’s heart trickles down through the staff. She has attracted a team of people with similar passions which has created the company’s own synergy.
“We have a wide range of caregivers in the field,” Carey said. “We hire CNAs and CHHAs to take care of the clients in their places of residence,” Carey noted. “We do have some caregivers that are not CNA level certified, but our RNs see to it that they are supportive assistant trained. We don’t have “companion sitters”. Some other companies do and that is one of our distinctions. We’re also one of the largest providers for veterans in the state and we are quite proud of that.”
SYNERGY HomeCare has a Moore and Norman territory as well which allows them to cover north to Guthrie, south to Lexington, east to El Reno and west to Shawnee. The home office is based in Edmond, Oklahoma.
“We’re in the process of opening a new office that will serve Moore, Norman and south Oklahoma,” said Kassem.
She said her family has always been dedicated to taking care of elder members of the family. This sense of family inspires her career.
“We stay with our elders. We are the caregiver for them,” said Kassem, who was born in the United States but lived for a time in the Middle East before returning to the U.S.
She earned her Masters Degree in Business Administration at Oklahoma City University and decided to focus on her passion of caring for others at home.
“I love to take care of people, especially the elders. It’s something that’s just in my blood,” Kassem said. “Starting the franchise is one of my greatest accomplishments.”
The corporate owner in Phoenix, Peter Tourian, began the company as a caregiver 15 or so years ago. Kassem liked Peter Tourian’s message of compassionate care. “For Kassem to have been born in Arizona, then to live in the Middle East with her parents only to return to the corporate headquarter in Arizona where she was born is an amazing example of destiny. She has come full circle,” Carey said.
“The people in this company are my family,” Kassem said. “And we go for the bigger picture which is our client. They are our family. We become part of the family with each client, with each family. I fill my life with the love that they give. I love to give to people a lot. This is my truest passion.”
You can reach Pam, Charlotte, Weama, or any other members of this staff at (405) 254-3046 or Contact [email protected]

An Oklahoma hero

The Oklahoma Insurance Department is mourning the loss of Jon Hansen. The dedicated public servant died after a battle with cancer.
“Oklahoma lost a great man today,” said Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John D. Doak. “Jon spent his life serving others and doing everything in his power to make communities safer. In the wake of the Oklahoma City bombing, Jon comforted the entire country and became a symbol of our state’s strength, courage and resiliency. I was deeply honored to call him a friend. Jon will be truly missed.”
Hansen rose to the rank of Assistant Chief with the Oklahoma City Fire Department and retired after 27 years of service. He served on the Incident Management team during the 1995 Murrah building bombing. In addition to those responsibilities, he also served as the media point of contact. Hansen also helped in the aftermath of the Moore tornadoes, the World Trade Center bombing and Hurricanes Charley, Ivan and Katrina.
Most recently, Hansen served as the Executive Director of the Oklahoma Council on Firefighter Training. It was in this position that Hansen worked alongside the Oklahoma Insurance Department’s Insurance Services Office (ISO) program. Hansen helped train rural firefighters in order for their department to get a better ISO rating. An improved rating could lead to lower insurance premiums for homeowners.

Crowning jewel: St. Anthony Pavilion is set to open

by Jason Chandler, Staff Writer

St. Anthony Hospital is excited about its new four-story St. Anthony Hospital Pavilion. When it opens in late May or early June of this year, the 110,000-square-foot facility will grace Oklahoma as the hospital’s latest expansion on the Oklahoma City hospital’s midtown campus.
It consists of a new emergency room to replace the existing ER. There are two new intensive care units and an intermediate care unit.
The Pavillion represents the crowning point of the 2014 plan. In 2003, Saints made the decision to stay in midtown by investing $220 million to improving and modernizing its campus. The results have been spectacular, adding to the renaissance of downtown Oklahoma City with development and growth.
St. Anthony will have an additional helipad on top of the hospital, said Darla Wilson, RN, director of critical care services.
“One thing very nice about this is you have your emergency room on the very first floor and you have your intermediate care unit,” Wilson said. “And then the third floor is both transitional care and ICU and the fourth floor is all ICU.”
It is designed to expedite health care with the consumer in mind. She said the new addition will reach out to the community in a patient friendly manner that is designed in a way to meet the flow of patients’ needs and that of the nursing staff and physicians.
The nursing staff was instrumental in the design of the complex as well.
“What is really nice is we are increasing bed capacity for the intensive care unit,” Wilson said. “We will be at 36 beds (from 32), but we are also adding a 12-bed transitional care unit that will take ICU patients and overflow step down while waiting for placement.”
Nurses are excited to prepare for work in a brand new facility, Wilson added. She said they have known more beds were needed for patient care and Saints responded.
Every other room will have a lift for the patients to offer good support for the patients and it also makes work easier for the nursing staff when moving them. Enhancements will also benefit the families of patients.
A floor to ceiling window will help orient patients to know day from night even if they are not directly facing it.
“It gets that light into the room,” Wilson said.
Families will have more places to sit and relax in their loved one’s rooms. A longer bench designed for comfort will allow them to recline. All this is possible as the physicians and the nursing staff will be able to reach the patients when needed.
Wilson and her husband moved to Oklahoma City in 1988 and she has been employed at St. Anthony ever since then.
“It has changed so much in this area. And the hospital has changed and it’s just beautiful,” Wilson said. “I love the staff. They are a wonderful staff who care about their patients. They care that they are giving the best exceptional care. They truly have that desire.”
“I think that is what you want from your staff. That is what their heart felt desire is.”
Several things about the new ER make Courtney Myers happy as a registered nurse and, manager of the ER. It will not have two sides of an emergency room as is evident in the current ER.
“Currently we have 15 beds on one side and an additional eight beds. So trying to operate two ERs in conjunction with each other is difficult from a management perspective,” Myers said. “So now we will all be under one roof, so that’s really nice.”
Patients will enjoy a brand new and beautiful lobby. What is especially nice is there will be a private area designated for the mental health population, she said. It will be more therapeutic for the mental health patients to be in during their crisis.
“We looked nationwide at what the premier facilities were doing for mental health patients in ERs and that’s how we designed that area for them,” she said. The ER is designed to model a fishbowl, she said, for better monitoring of activity. As a result, the nurses are also excited about moving into the new building.
“We’ve all seen the healthplexes being built, so the staff is excited to move into a new building as well,” said Myers, who has been with Saints for 18 years.
“It’s amazing to me because this will be the third ER I have had some involvement with. We always had plans that we would outgrow the ER, so to see us outgrow what we thought we would outgrow is pretty amazing to me.”

by Bobby Anderson
Staff Writer

Richie Splitt’s kids attended All Saints Catholic School, just a stone’s throw away from the Norman Regional Healthplex.
He’s watched as the Norman Regional Health System has solidified itself over the past 70 years as the provider of choice for Norman and Cleveland County residents alike.
And just a couple weeks into his new role as the health system’s interim President and CEO, Splitt couldn’t be happier leading one of Oklahoma’s few remaining independent hospitals as it continues to evolve.
Norman’s second largest employer, only behind the University of Oklahoma, the Norman Regional Health System has undeniably woven itself into the fabric of Norman.
Splitt points to the health system’s employees as the reason behind its successes, growth and the community’s confidence in the level of care it provides.
“It’s our people,” Splitt said. “We can build beautiful buildings and bring in the latest technology and it matters not if we don’t have the staff who can operate it and make it function to the best of its ability and more than that relate to our patients and provide to them that reassurance and confidence and quality of care they expect.”
“It’s our people who set us apart from everybody else.”
Since May 2013, Splitt has served as the Chief Administrative Officer of the HealthPlex Hospital and Norman Regional Moore.
He has led the rebuilding efforts of the new Moore facility and established the EMSSTAT ambulance service in the community. Splitt has also been instrumental in the expansion of patient care services on the HealthPlex campus
“Richie will provide the continuity of leadership and organizational stability that Norman Regional staff and physicians require in order to continue providing exceptional care for our communities,” Authority Board Chair, Tom Clote said. “Splitt will provide strategic direction and work collaboratively with leadership, physicians and staff to ensure system initiatives continue, as well as future growth and development opportunities.”
Splitt took on the additional duties after former President and CEO David Whitaker left after 17 years.
“My main focus today is the same it was the day before any of this transpired and it’s our people,” Splitt said. “As leaders we’re called to provide a vision and a direction and reassurance and confidence and trust. I was doing that before and in this position it’s even more critical.”
The gains the health system has amassed are even more impressive considering the system operates as an independent entity and one of a shrinking number of municipal hospitals left in the state.
“I’m just one person in this process and I’m extremely humbled by this opportunity,” Splitt said. “It’s a great responsibility I’ve been given and I take that very seriously. I know as a single person I will fail without the help of the team and people around me.”
Splitt will soon engage Norman Regional staff with a series of town hall meetings.
“I’m attempting to provide information in a way they can have a better understanding about who I am and what I see for our organization through their eyes, their work and their healing hands,” Splitt said. “I would like to get affirmation … and I want to serve alongside them in the movement forward.”
Over the past 70 years, Norman Regional Health Systemhas grown to become a multi-campus system that serves healthcare needs throughout south central Oklahoma.
NRHS is operated by Norman Regional Hospital Authority, a public trust, which serves the public interests and functions as a political subdivision of the State of Oklahoma.
The acute-care facility on the Porter Avenue Campus is licensed for 324 beds and offers a full range of services.
The new HealthPlex campus at Interstate 35 and Tecumseh Road, licensed for 136 beds, features Cardiovascular Services, Spine and Orthopedic Surgery, and Women’s and Children’s Services.
On May 20, 2013 a tornado struck Moore Medical Center destroying the building. In May the new Norman Regional Moore emergency department will open to serve the emergent needs of Moore and south Oklahoma City.
Asked him if the continued confidence the hospital receives from the community ever surprises him and Splitt doesn’t miss a beat.
“I say no because I’ve been part of this community for many years of my life,” Splitt said. “I’ve known about this system for quite some time and have always admired it from afar until I joined it and became part of it.
“This is a very loyal community, a very proud community and they want what we want and that’s the best. They want the best for themselves and their loved ones and we want to provide the best possible care for them.”