by Marise Boehs, staff writer

“While traditional stretching methods attempt to make you more “flexible,” we work to adjust the stretch reflex, gradually increasing your active range of motion,” explained Christian Hanly, General Manager of the Stretch Zone, Chatenay Square location.

Stretch Zone’s isolation of individual muscles breaks up tissue glue, unwrapping the stranglehold on posture and valuable energy. Proper stretching slows down the aging process. Improved posture, circulation, and range of motion can be achieved at the stretch studio.
Different from stretching at home, practitioner-assisted stretching is a personalized routine performed by trained practitioners. Using our patented strapping system and proprietary tables to position, stabilize, and isolate muscles, our certified staff delivers a life-changing stretch experience to help you move efficiently and effortlessly. Simply put, we do all the work, you get all the benefits.
Thanks to the modern sedentary lifestyle, starting our 30s we begin losing flexibility at an average rate of 1% a year. Strains and micro-stresses on muscles compounded over time can glue them together. This “glue,” or scar tissue, tightens the surrounding tissue and restrains how we are able to move. Over time, the snowballing loss of flexibility ages us. Stretch Zone’s isolation of individual muscles within a muscle group breaks up the glue, unwrapping the stranglehold on our posture and valuable energy. Proper stretching slows down the aging process. We can feel younger by improving posture, circulation, and increasing range of motion.
Due to sedentary lifestyles and overworked, stressed muscles, we develop residual tension in resting muscle, or “tonus.” When we flex a muscle, we create excessive tonus in the muscle. A certain amount of resting muscle tonus is necessary to keep form and posture. But when we have excessive resting tonus, it becomes harder to move. Many people walk around with stiff muscles, and it’s not from the gym. Working with an experienced practitioner at one of the Stretch Zone studios can reestablish a more ideal resting muscle tone, relieving stiffness and soreness through active stretching.
“Our goal isn’t to make you more “flexible” or “elastic,” it is to increase your active range of motion, so that you can move further without feeling a stretch by reeducating the nerve-muscle reflex, allowing you to move easier” Hanly said.
Call today to schedule a free demo.
Chatenay Square, 10600 South Pennsylvania Avenue Suite 5, 405-445-6700 North Penn, 5629 North Pennsylvania Ave, 405-242-3428
OPENING IN MAY
309 S. Bryant, Edmond

Visit us at our locations or online here:

https://www.stretchzone.com/locations/gaillardia-ok https://www.stretchzone.com/locations/chatenay-square-ok
https://www.stretchzone.com/locations/east-edmond-ok

SIDEBAR:
Pro-Athletes and Stretch Zone
Stretch Zone has enjoyed helping many pro-athletes reach their athletic best – in the NFL, NBA, MLB, & ATP. This includes sports celebrities from the U.S. Open Champion, the NFL’s Most Valuable Player, and even the IBF Light Heavyweight Champion of the world.
Athletes can improve spatial awareness, increase reaction time, and improve range of motion. Stretch Zone works with the nervous system to achieve lasting flexibility gains and has helped a variety of people from all backgrounds and ages, including pro athletes and celebrities, reach their athletic best. Practitioner-assisted stretching shouldn’t only be applied as a warmup or cool down exercise.
Athletes who are introduced to practitioner-assisted stretching learn their body’s limitations and increase spatial awareness. Increased spatial awareness allows you to better assess the state of your muscles and injuries, and also provides a sense of control and confidence, ultimately determining peak performance.

“Having embraced stretching as a vital part of my fitness regimen, Stretch Zone’s method proved to be the missing piece in my journey. It took my understanding of the benefits to a whole new level,” said Brees. “Stretch Zone showcased the transformative potential of their patented system. What truly captivated me was its universal applicability, tailored to meet the diverse needs of a variety of individuals.” Drew Brees, former NFL quarterback, as published in Franchising Magazine USA

By Marilyn Olson, Executive Director, VillagesOKC

During the 3,691 days that my mother lived with us, there were hundreds of really good days, a few bummers, two or three frightening days and a lot of just ordinary days. Sandwiched in between were some that stood out because they made us laugh until we cried. Today, we laugh all the more when the story is retold. It was one of those that made us say, “You can’t make this stuff up; you gotta laugh.”
It was near the year-end holidays. My friend had given me an “Alexa” for Christmas. (You know, that’s the electronic voice-activated gadget everyone was buying in 2009.) After opening, she was eager to tell me all of its amazing features. She wanted me to know all about how it helps her keep a grocery list, tells the weather for the day, and even orders on Amazon. She was so eager to set it up and show me that she asked my Amazon password and placed a “pretend” order, before submitting – or so I thought.
That next week a small Amazon Prime package arrived; it was a slender bottle of lotion. Although I do not use Avon, I decided to put it away because Mother always is looking for hand cream and it would make a good gift for Mother’s Day. And besides, I hate returning things.
Five months after my friend had made the erroneous Avon order, I presented Mother with the gift of hand cream. Since she already had bottles of lotion open, she put it aside waiting until fall to begin to use it in preparation for a doctor’s visit. It had a delightful fragrance. “I can always use another bottle of lotion,” she said.
The monthly appointment with the doctor was uneventful, and afterwards, we went to Braum’s as usual to celebrate having a good checkup. The doctor applauded that she was walking regularly outdoors even though the days were getting cooler. “Great for Vitamin D,” the doctor said.
We were very busy preparing for Thanksgiving when all the family would be there. Mother said, “I’m really concerned about what is happening to my hands, neck and face. I wonder if you’d call Dr. Craven and see if the nurse can work me in for an appointment.”
When I investigated, Mother was worried about her skin’s yellowish tinge on both hands. Looking more closely, the faint yellowish pallor was even more apparent in the daylight. Mother was a worrier and thought she was jaundiced. And even though I didn’t let her know, I had concerns too. (She stayed very aware of her healthcare lab reports and watched her kidney numbers meticulously.) But it didn’t make sense because there were NO other symptoms.
After two more days of “apparent jaundice” but no other symptoms, I began to seriously investigate yet trying not to worry her.
“Mother, what bottle of lotion have you been using?”
“That one,” she said as she pointed to the bottle on the nightstand.
I picked it up to read the fragrance. It was the Avon bottle I had presented on Mother’s Day. For the first time I read the label aloud, and we both burst out laughing.
“Oh, my goodness! Mother, this is tanning lotion, Avon’s Golden Tanning Lotion. You aren’t jaundiced, you just have a golden tan. Guess I’ll cancel that doctor’s appointment and buy a swimsuit fit for a 98-year-old instead.”
We couldn’t wait to tell the family. And we all laughed until the tears came.

The Chisholm Trail Museum in Kingfisher celebrated its 60th anniversary on April 22. To celebrate this milestone, a new campaign dedicated to expanding and renovating the museum launched on May 1.
This project will allow the museum to rebrand as The Chisholm and refocus its mission to provide a more sustainable future while ensuring that Oklahoma’s farming and ranching history, from its early roots to contemporary issues, are shared. Farming and ranching have long played a role in shaping the lives of Oklahomans and our state. This campaign will allow the museum to combine the old with the new.
“At The Chisholm, we will strive to engage, educate, and enrich our community and those who explore it by making the unique stories of Oklahoma’s past relevant to today’s visitors,” reported Jason Harris, executive director of the museum. “We sit at the crossroads of Oklahoma’s wheat belt and along the Chisholm Trail. Our location makes us an ideal place to share exhibits on indigenous agriculture and herd management, the cattle drive era, agriculture mechanization and modernization, conservation efforts, ranch rodeo, agriculture and the environment, and more.”
The museum’s new exhibits will focus on the individuals, families, and industries that have shaped Oklahoma agribusiness through the decades.
More than $1.5 million has been allocated for The Chisholm out of $46 million in Legacy Capital Financing funds given to the Oklahoma Historical Society by the legislature to make improvements across the state to more than 20 sites. The museum plans to raise additional private funds through 2026, with work beginning at the complex this summer. This campaign will enable the museum to completely renovate the museum building and its mechanical systems, preserve historic structures in the heritage village, complete extensive preservation work on the territorial governor’s mansion, and allow for better visitor experiences and care of its collections. The design includes creating new educational and community meeting spaces, modernizing collections storage for artifact care, providing improved ADA accessibility, installing new exhibits throughout the museum complex, and more.
“It is about more than just our buildings,” Harris said. “It is about transforming the museum to appeal to many of our state’s citizens and visitors while helping the OHS meet its institutional goals. Our objective is to provide our community with an invaluable resource while stimulating tourism in the region.”
With more than three-quarters of the state as farmland, agribusiness is big business in Oklahoma. Today, Oklahoma is home to more than 77,000 farms and ranches, ranks second in the U.S. in cattle production, fourth in the number of farms, and shapes agribusiness across the nation through education training.
The Chisholm Trail Museum is located at 605 Zellers Ave. in Kingfisher. Call 405-375-5176 for more information or visit thechisholm.org.
The Chisholm is an affiliate of the Oklahoma Historical Society. For more information about the OHS, please visit https://www.okhistory.org/.

For the first time in 50 years, Mercy will welcome new life and care for women in a new women’s center on the campus of Mercy Hospital Oklahoma City. The Love Family Women’s Center opened April 7, offering a host of new services for families and women of all ages.
Nearly half, or $43 million, of the $98 million project was funded by philanthropy, including a $10 million donation from the Tom and Judy Love family, making Mercy’s decade-long dream a reality.
The hospital’s labor and delivery and postpartum services have been at capacity for years, limiting Mercy’s ability to serve more patients. The Love Family Women’s Center has 15 large labor and delivery rooms, seven antepartum rooms, 47 postpartum rooms and three cesarean section rooms with pre- and post-operative recovery rooms. The additional space allows Mercy to increase from 4,000 to 6,000 births annually.
An obstetrics emergency department staffed by obstetricians who can address urgent pregnancy-related concerns will be open 24/7. This ER is the first of its kind in Oklahoma City.
“Pregnancy is such a vulnerable time for women. We know those sudden onset symptoms can be scary, and patients want to be seen quickly to be sure mom and baby are okay,” said Dr. Tori O’Daniel, obstetrician hospitalist and chair of obstetrics and gynecology Mercy Hospital Oklahoma City. “Our obstetrics ER will be there to provide immediate access for patients who are at least 20 weeks pregnant or up to six weeks postpartum. Patients are seen by obstetrician hospitalists who are physician experts in pregnancy, giving them peace of mind.”
The state’s first hospital-based low intervention birth unit is also located on the first floor of the Love Family Women’s Center. This unique space has four large labor and delivery suites, each with a queen-size bed and labor tub. Care for mom and baby will be led by a Mercy certified nurse midwife in a space designed to give families a natural, home-like experience just steps away from a higher level of care in the event of an emergency.
The center connects to the hospital via a sky bridge. This allows moms of babies needing a higher level of care to have quick, direct elevator access to Mercy’s neonatal intensive care unit on the fifth floor.
“The work we do is truly sacred, and the Love Family Women’s Center is such a special place to serve families,” said Laura Beck, Mercy’s executive director of nursing for women and infant services. “Our physicians and nurses helped design this building based on what is best for patients. Our teams have been working to develop programs and processes to best serve families and provide a safe, warm, welcoming and comfortable experience they’ll feel when they walk in the door.”
The center also houses outpatient services for women including appointments with lactation experts and a midwifery clinic where Mercy’s certified nurse midwives will provide care from pre-conception to early pregnancy, prenatal health, delivery and beyond.
An outpatient pelvic floor therapy department staffed by highly trained female physical therapists is also located on the first floor. The clinic has a therapy gym and four private consultation rooms to serve women of all ages and stages experiencing pelvic pain, urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, chronic constipation and more.
The center, the result of the largest fundraising campaign in Mercy’s history, has been made possible by a long list of generous donors who funded nearly half of the project. In addition to the lead donation from the Love family, campaign co-chairs Judy Love and Cathy Keating led the way in raising more than $33 million additional dollars for a donation total of $43.5 million.
“This campaign was led by women, for generations of women to come and there could be no better campaign co-chairs than Judy Love and Cathy Keating,” said Lori Cummins, vice president of Mercy Health Foundation communities. “They took this project head on just three months before a worldwide pandemic brought economic uncertainty, but it didn’t stop the enormous outpouring of support from our community and beyond. We could not be more grateful.”

By Nick Thomas

Born and raised in West Virginia, David Selby’s extensive film, television, and stage career included prominent roles in two very different TV shows in different generations: ABC’s gothic soap opera “Dark Shadows” in the 60s and the prime-time soap “Falcon Crest” on CBS in the 80s.
“My mother (Sarah) loved that I was an actor,” said Selby from Los Angeles, but she had no background in the entertainment world. Her upbringing in a coal mining town was a tough one, being responsible for raising her brothers and sisters.
“She managed to graduate from high school and met my father who was raised on a farm,” recalled Selby. “Mom continued to work hard at various jobs including the local Montgomery Wards, in a bakeshop, and her last job was as a bookkeeper in an office supply place. But she never liked to talk about herself – at all. Her focus was always on the family. She was also a meticulous housekeeper and did not like messes.”
Tidying, says Selby, is a trait he inherited and for which his family has always ribbed him for his constant dusting, washing, and sweeping. “Sarah is among us!” he says his wife, Chip, will lovingly announce.
To honor his late mother and her influence on his life, Selby wrote “They Don’t Call Me Sarah for Nothing,” a short but compelling monologue he composed for Smartphone Theatre, a live stream digital performance platform presented via Zoom and created during the early pandemic months to showcase original productions. Selby’s reading streamed live in March 2022 and can be viewed on YouTube (https://youtu.be/cm7mFA_VF6c).
“I would act like my mother unconsciously,” he said. “The kids would say ‘grandma says that’ or my wife would say ‘you sound like your mother.’ So, I wrote ‘They Don’t Call Me Sarah for Nothing’ because it was cathartic for me to talk about her and realize, my God, how much she meant to me.”
Despite their loving relationship, young David found her constant working difficult to understand. Nevertheless, he recalled, “she always somehow managed to look like a million dollars! Even taking out the trash or going to the grocery store in our little community, she was always cautious about looking her best.”
As he grew older and with no initial interest in acting, Selby planned to enroll in West Virginia University but needed tuition funds. “So, I went to Atlantic City in the summer and worked at a restaurant, then returned with a pocket full of money to pay for my first half-year’s tuition. I lived at home so I could walk to class as a freshman, but didn’t really know what I was going to do.”
That’s when an adviser for students whose names started with an ‘S’ spotted Selby standing in the enrollment line for classes. “He said, ‘you look like you could be in theater’ and it turned out he was a theater instructor,” Selby remembered. “He talked me into it and, lo and behold, I began doing plays at the university right away.”
After completing his degree, Selby moved to Illinois where he completed a Ph.D. in the arts, but not before moving to the East Coast and accepting his first TV role.
“I didn’t finish my Ph.D. until after I was in New York doing ‘Dark Shadows’ – in fact, I copied my dissertation at the office where we shot the show,” he recalled. His wife even took a job as an editor and then as a college English teacher so David could pursue his acting career (see http://www.davidselby.com).
But what did his mom really think about his acting career?
“She watched every show I did, from the plays at university and summer stock to ‘Dark Shadows,’ ‘Falcon Crest’ and everything else,” he says. “Aside from my wife, my mother was my biggest fan. I loved her dearly.”

Nick Thomas teaches at Auburn University at Montgomery, in Alabama, and has written features, columns, and interviews for numerous magazines and newspapers. See https://www.getnickt.org.

The Metropolitan Library System is thrilled to announce the launch of its Strategic Plan Survey, inviting community members to shape the future of libraries across Oklahoma County.
“By participating in this survey, individuals have the opportunity to directly influence the evolution of their local libraries, ensuring they remain vibrant and responsive to the diverse communities they serve,” said Larry White, CEO of the Metropolitan Library System.
The Strategic Plan Survey aims to gather valuable insights from guests to better understand their preferences and needs regarding programs, services, materials, technology and future library locations.
“We hope to build four new libraries in the next decade, and we need to know where to put them,” said White. “We believe that involving our community in the planning process is crucial to building libraries that truly meet their needs.”
The survey, available in English, Spanish and Vietnamese, is available at metrolibrary.org/survey. Participants who complete the survey are eligible for a prize drawing, with ten Amazon Fire tablets and ten insulated tumblers up for grabs. The survey is open until May 10.
The grand opening for the new Almonte Library, located at 2727 SW 59th, is scheduled for May 15 at 10 a.m.

The 2024 Oklahoma Senior Follies is being reimagined this year! There will be lots of glitz and glamor as well as some new faces on stage. We will be opening with OKC Chorus (Sweet Adelines). Our variety show will also include Tarpley Tappers, Barbara DeMaio (opera star), our gorgeous beauties, and Mark and Patti Mellow as our Dynamic Duo! This year the beauties will not only be announced but will also participate by singing and dancing in the background in some of the numbers.
Gina Bramlett and Michael Pone are our Co-directors this year. Dr. Matthew Jones is our talented music director. They will be working their magic to make this a show to remember for the entire family!
The show will be at UCO Mitchell Hall on Saturday, June 8th at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, June 9th at 3:00 p.m. Ticket prices are $30.00 each or $25.00 each for a group of ten or more. Tickets are available on our website at www.oklahomaseniorfollies.com by clicking on purchase tickets, or by calling the box office at 405-974-3375.

Edmond Mobile Meals is proud to announce its 50th anniversary of serving the Edmond community this month.
Established in 1974, Edmond Mobile Meals delivered its first six meals on April 22. Seven local churches donated $25 each and provided volunteer support to help the program get started. Since that first day, the nonprofit organization has delivered over 1.2 million meals to the homebound elderly and disabled residents in Edmond. Today, Edmond Mobile Meals delivers an average of 275 meals each weekday, 120 weekend meals, and an average of 50 meals for the Edmond Senior Center’s congregate lunch. Over 400 dedicated volunteers assist in preparing and packaging meals each weekday and delivering meals across 100 square miles of Edmond. A program record of over 73,000 meals were delivered last year.
Edmond Mobile Meals is the only organization that provides daily nourishing meals and wellness checks to the homebound residents of the community. The organization provides these services regardless of an individual’s ability to pay for the service. Clients are accepted into the program based only on need.
“Our primary mission is to make sure that no senior in Edmond ever goes hungry or feels forgotten,” said Executive Director, Cristi Twenter. To prepare for the anticipated increase in need for home-delivered meals for seniors, the organization in partnership with the City of Edmond is in the midst of an infrastructure expansion that will result in triple the capacity of meals that can be prepared each day. Twenter continues, “The aging population is surging and will double in the next decade. We are determined to make sure Edmond Mobile Meals is ready to meet the needs of Edmond’s seniors now and in the future.”
“We provide more than just a meal,” Twenter says. “The friendly volunteers who deliver our meals may be the only human contact some clients have each day. We know that social isolation and loneliness are extremely detrimental for homebound individuals. Real friendships are developed between our volunteers and clients. These relationships have a dramatically positive impact on our clients’ health and allows them to remain living independently in their own homes for as long as possible.”
In honor of this milestone anniversary, Edmond Mobile Meals asks for support of their endowment fund held at the Oklahoma City Community Foundation. Any gift made to this campaign will receive permanent recognition on a Legacy Wall that will be featured in the organization’s renovated building. Twenter says, “When you donate to our endowment fund, you are giving a gift to our future. Your contribution today will give back to Edmond’s most vulnerable residents forever. It is a wonderful opportunity to honor loved ones, current or former clients, or volunteers.” To donate in celebration Edmond Mobile Meals 50th Anniversary, visit https://edmondmobilemeals.org/donate, or mail a check payable to the Oklahoma City Community Foundation with “fbo Edmond Mobile Meals” on the memo line. The address is 1000 N. Broadway Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 73102.

Planned gifts can also be made to the Edmond Mobile Meals endowment fund. Commonly, these are donated through a will or trust. For more information about planned giving to Edmond Mobile Meals, please contact Cristi Twenter at cristi@edmondmobilemeals.org.

by Bobby Anderson, RN – staff writer

A new hospital is emerging on the Oklahoma City skyline.
The six-story Integris Health Heart Hospital is moving towards its June completion date and hiring is continuing.
The 209,000-square-foot building will include 64 ICU beds, multiple cardiac catheterization labs, cardiovascular operating rooms, hybrid operating rooms, electrophysiology heart labs, and convenient cardiac diagnostic testing areas. It sits on the campus of Integris Baptist.
An onsite coffee shop that features a full menu of breakfast, lunch and, craft coffee in partnership with locally owned Ends of the Earth (EOTE) Coffee Company will also be included.
“We have long been known as the only hospital in Oklahoma to offer a full spectrum of advanced cardiac care from diagnosis to heart transplantation, and the new heart hospital will allow us to continue to offer the best heart care available anywhere in the world,” says Jeffrey Sparling, M.D., an interventional cardiologist and president of Integris Health Cardiovascular Physicians. “This tower is proof of our commitment to improve the heart health of Oklahomans now and for many generations to come.”
Integris Health is actively recruiting for a variety of positions.
Kelsey Behm, BSN, RN, CCRN, MBA is the director of nursing for the Integris Heart Hospital.
She came to Integris in 2012 and worked as a nurse tech before starting her nursing career in the transplant ICU. ECMO and cardiothoracic ICU roles followed.
“This has been a long time coming. We are so excited,” she said. “We are very quickly approaching the opening date but this heart hospital and critical care tower will be part of Baptist Medical Center. What we are able to do is expand cardiac care and services that we offer.
“What’s really awesome is we will be moving all of our cardiac diagnostics, procedural and, surgery areas into this new state-of-the-art building as well as our cardiothoracic intensive care unit and have additional critical care beds and an abdominal transplant ICU.”
If it sounds like a lot of moving parts, there are.
Behm said more than a year of planning has gone into the move.
“So many different teams of people, departments, different disciplines,” Behm said. “It really is bringing a lot together. We have a team of people that on a weekly basis track progress and make sure the project is running on plan.”
Even though construction is ongoing, frontline caregivers were able to tour the facility in early February.
“They’ve been excited but to actually see it, feel it and walk through it they were all really proud and excited for the new building,” Behm said. “What we have now, the infrastructure has its challenges. Walking into this new (building) with big rooms and windows … they were just really excited. They have a lot of pride in it. It was really a great day.”
A larger facility means more staff positions. Behm said positions are available up and down the service line.
“We are actively recruiting to grow our team. Anything from pre-op, surgical admitting, PACU that’s all going to be dedicated to cardiac, we are building those teams from the ground up.”
Cath lab, CVOR, cardiothoracic ICU, abdominal transplant and, critical care teams are also being built.

Like with homeowners insurance, the cost of car insurance has steadily increased over the past few years. We at the Oklahoma Insurance Department (OID) understand the frustration Oklahomans experience when they see higher coverage costs. Remember some factors that determine premiums, such as your age and location, cannot be changed. However, there are still things you can do to lower the amount on your insurance bill. This month, I want to share some tips and information on how you can save money on car insurance.
Shop around.
This is the biggest advice I can give anyone unhappy with their current coverage or looking for coverage. It can be time-consuming, but it can save you hundreds of dollars annually. Get multiple quotes from different insurance companies to see who can offer the coverage you need at the right price. Also, keep in mind that you do not have to do this by yourself. Talk to an independent agent who can get you multiple estimates and review coverage options with you. It’s important always to research companies and see what quality of service they provide and to see if they have an extensive history of complaints because cheaper coverage might come with higher costs in other areas.
Adjust your coverage to meet your needs.
I want to preface this by saying your coverage should meet your needs. In Oklahoma, you must by law carry bodily injury liability and property damage liability coverage, but that doesn’t mean you don’t need additional coverage. It’s better to have more coverage than to be underinsured. Go through your policy with your agent to see what you need and what you can reduce or change. If you have no claims and don’t drive much, increasing your deductible can save you hundreds a year. If your vehicle is older and your premium is a considerable portion of its value, check to see if you still need to maintain collision and comprehensive coverages, and consider moving to liability-only coverage.
Check out discounts.
Contact your insurance company to see which discounts are available to you. Small discounts can add up and make a difference with your premium. The discounts vary from company to company, but you might be eligible for discounts for safe driving, low mileage, paperless billing, or having anti-theft devices, to name a few. Some companies offer good student discounts, which are helpful if you have a teen driver on your policy, and military discounts for active duty or retired service members. Bundling your auto policy with your homeowners or renters policy can also help you save.
Maintain a good driving record.
Accidents and tickets for careless or reckless driving will cause your insurance premiums to increase, but having a clear driving history can go a long way in helping to reduce costs. In Oklahoma, insurance companies can look at the past three years of your driving record to help determine premiums. Some companies offer discounts for taking defensive driving courses. Similarly, if you’re a cautious driver, many insurance companies have telematics programs where they track your driving via a small device in your car, which can result in lower costs.
Determine if minor damage is worth filing a claim.
If you are involved in an accident with another driver, you must submit a collision report and begin the process of filing a claim. However, if you have minor damage that doesn’t involve another vehicle or driver, like scrapes or dings, it may be in your best interest not to file a claim if you can weather it from a financial standpoint. Still, we recommend getting an estimate before deciding to file a claim for minor damage because, in some cases, what might seem minor could be more extensive or expensive, especially as automakers outfit vehicles with the latest technology.
Car insurance costs have increased over the past several years, but that doesn’t mean you can’t save money. Being an informed shopper and taking an active role in your insurance needs can help reduce your costs by hundreds of dollars. Don’t forget that OID is here to help. If you have any questions about car insurance, contact us at 800-522-0071 or online at oid.ok.gov. Additionally, I recommend checking out our Insurance Basics and Auto Insurance Common Myths pages for helpful information.