Sikorsky has been the world’s leading helicopter manufacturer since 1939, producing every presidential helicopter in the modern era, as well as the highly celebrated military grade Black Hawk helicopter.
INTEGRIS is now using a Sikorsky SK-76 as an integral part of the health care system’s critical air medical transport efforts.
The unique aircraft, which is the most advanced multi-role helicopter of its kind, is being housed at INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center and is owned and operated by Survival Flight.
This particular helicopter is specifically designed to transport injured and critically ill patients from hospitals across the state and region to INTEGRIS to receive specialized care. It will also be used in rescue operations and organ transplant procurements.
“The Sikorsky SK-76 is ideal for transporting the sickest of the sick patients, who demand the highest level of medical care,” says Tim Johnsen, president of INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center. Before becoming an administrator, Johnsen was a cardiac intensive care nurse and director of an air medical transport program. He was also a director of emergency services at a trauma center. He was instrumental in bringing the Sikorsky to INTEGRIS.
“At 52 feet long, it is considerably larger than the average medical helicopter, making it possible to carry not only additional medical equipment and supplies, but also entire teams of medical professionals. These highly trained individuals can then deploy life-saving therapies while en route back to INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center. It truly is a mobile intensive care unit in the sky.”
Aly El Banayosy, M.D., is executive director of critical care and circulatory support at the INTEGRIS Nazih Zuhdi Transplant Institute. He says the Sikorsky helicopter will allow more people access to sophisticated and specialized therapies like cutting edge heart pump technologies such as the LVAD and Total Artificial Heart and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, known as ECMO.
“ECMO is a last resort lifesaving technique for patients facing imminent death caused by heart or respiratory failure. In many cases it really is a person’s only hope for survival. While there are other ECMO programs in the state, INTEGRIS has the only mobile ECMO team where we physically travel to other facilities to retrieve these patients. Now thanks to the superiority of the Sikorsky helicopter, our team is able to travel farther and faster to stabilize dying patients and give them one last chance at life.”
The Sikorsky helicopter is one of the fastest medical helicopters in existence and is capable of traveling 300 miles without refueling.
Douglas Horstmanshof, M.D., is a heart failure cardiologist with the Advanced Cardiac Care program at INTEGRIS. He says maintaining the highest quality continuity of care during transport is crucial. “Patients in need of air transport are typically in a very vulnerable state. Having a helicopter like the SK-76 allows the smooth and safe transport not only of the patient, but also the team of physicians and nurses necessary to provide the best possible care during that critical time.”
The helicopter went into service on May 5. INTEGRIS is the only health care system in the region utilizing a Survival Flight Sikorsky SK-76 for air medical transport.

Mark Goeller was recently named State Forester and Director of Oklahoma Forestry Services by Secretary of Agriculture Jim Reese. Goeller has served Oklahoma Forestry Services, a Division of the Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, for the past 33 years. He has held various positions with the division, the latest being Fire Management Chief and Assistant Director since 2005.
“I am pleased to name Mark Goeller as the new State Forester and Director of Oklahoma Forestry Services,” said Secretary of Agriculture Jim Reese. “With his extensive experience and leadership abilities, Mark is the right person to take the division forward to the next level.”
In his new role, Goeller will lead the division of over 100 people who are dedicated to conserving, enhancing and protecting Oklahoma’s forests and natural resources. In addition to providing forest management advice and best practices, Oklahoma Forestry Services is the state’s lead agency for wildfire suppression. “I am proud of what we have been able to accomplish over the past years and excited about the opportunity to continue to provide valuable services to the people of Oklahoma,” said State Forester and Director of Oklahoma Forestry Services Mark Goeller.
In addition to his regular duties, Goeller also serves in leadership roles on the state, regional and national levels. He is chair of the National Wildfire Coordinating Group Risk Management Committee and serves on the S-520 Advanced Incident Management Steering Committee. He also chairs the Southern Group of State Foresters Fire Management Chiefs. Additionally, Goeller is an Operations Section Chief, having served in that capacity on a Northern Rockies Type I Incident Management Team since 2005. His incident management experience comes from wildfire and all-hazards assignments in 21 states. He also serves as chair of Oklahoma’s All-Hazards Standards, Qualifications and Training Committee for Incident Management Teams and a member of the Oklahoma Incident Management Team Advisory Committee. Goeller holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture – Forest Management from Oklahoma State University.

by Bobby Anderson, Staff Writer

Through the years, John Dunning has been a purveyor of antiques and lover of music.
Funny, how his two loves married a few years ago.
Now, Dunning runs Trolley Stop Records, 1212 N. Pennsylvania and is feeding the metro’s resurgent appetite for vinyl records.
A story in Forbes magazine noted that since 2009 the vinyl format has experienced a 290-percent increase in growth.
You’ll find CDs at Trolley Stop but they’re relegated to the back. There’s no doubt vinyl is the star of the show here.
“To me the unusual thing was back in the 80s CD’s put vinyl out of business pretty much,” he said. “But now it’s kind of flip-flopped and records are putting vinyls out. They’re not making the CDs as much and Best Buy and Wal-Mart, they’re dropping CDs.
“The interesting part is it’s the only example of a technology replacing a technology and then the replaced technology coming back and replacing it. I can’t think of any other scenario.”
“I’ve tried, stretched my brain, but can’t think of any other scenario where that’s happened.”
Dunning’s collection is massive.
“I don’t really know,” Dunning shrugs when asked how large. “People are bringing more in almost daily.”
Trolley Stop contains just a fraction of the vinyl Dunning has collected over the years. He’s got a warehouse that he keeps adding to.
It’s one of the reasons he’s now on Penn.
Dunning arrived to the Penn Theater a year ago this past April with nothing but a cement floor to greet him.
Wooden record cabinets and a stage were created.
By late July Trolley Stop was open for business and the old location at 18th and Classen was shuttered after a seven-year stay.
Since then a number of bands have graced the stage.
“I was just wanting a bigger venue and was driving around town and they had a big For Rent banner hanging,” Dunning said.
There’s a low-key vibe at the Trolley Stop.
Dunning and his wife, buy and sell. Rescue dogs litter the floor here and there, oblivious to the customers most of the time and then sauntering up for a scratch behind the ears other times.
“I just want to be a source of records for people who enjoy music,” Dunning said petting one of the dogs. “And a place to have concerts, too.”
Born in 1951, Dunning is now a visionary for a technology that appears to be sweeping the nation – again.
“It was really displaced but now it’s just booming,” Dunning said of records. “There were lots of guys that never gave it up. Then you had guys once CDs hit that gave all their records away and now they’re kicking themselves.”
And Dunning is there to sell them all back to them.
“The quality of the sound is better. The art is so much richer than a little plastic case,” he said. “You want to sit down and read the liner notes. You get a little CD case and you try to read it and within five minutes you’re tired.”
An artifact, a sampling of art and a piece of of history all come packaged with unforgettable sound.
“The young ones are hopping onboard and its fascinating them because they never grew up with it so it’s fascinating to them,” he said. “They’ve kind of embraced it. And with the power of the Internet being able to listen to old songs and look up bands and history it’s right at their fingertips.”
“Now it’s become a family affair.”
One of the big things Dunning has noticed the last few years is how families come in together. There’s the little ones, the tweens and teens, moms and dads and the grandparents.
“Kids can ask grandpa if they saw this band or that one,” Dunning said. “It’s bringing families together.”
The format almost disappeared in the early 2000s. But then it caught fire again.
Like most people, Dunning watched the Beatles on Ed Sullivan.
“That got me going,” he grinned.
Right after in 1964 Dunning went to the Municipal Auditorium and saw the Dave Clark Five.
He was hooked.
Trips to see Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Led Zeppelin and other bands most people wish they could see followed.
Dunning spent the 1970s living in a commune in Oklahoma City. Yes, he’s a hippie and proud of it. He was responsible for helping bring more live music to the metro with the construction of the Prairie Lady concert hall.
“We had new bands that were hitting and lot of the old bands,” Dunning said. “That was a lot of fun. To me that was kind of my college education, that time frame.”
Now, he’s teaching a proverbial master’s class to those falling in love with vinyl all over again.

by Bobby Anderson, Staff Writer

Norman Regional Hospital and Norman Regional HealthPlex were both awarded “A” grades in the spring 2018 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade.
Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital rating focused exclusively on hospital safety. Developed under the guidance of an expert panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses 27 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to approximately 2,500 U.S. hospitals twice per year. It is peer reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public.
The Leapfrog group began doing the Hospital Safety Grades in 2012 to help patients and families determine the safest hospitals to seek care.
Norman Regional Hospital, located at 901 N. Porter Ave., earned an “A” grade from Leapfrog for a consecutive year.
Norman Regional HealthPlex, located at 3300 HealthPlex Parkway, also earned an “A” grade, bringing up its “B” from the fall 2017 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade.
“This is the only national rating of how well hospitals protect patients from preventable harm and death, such as medical errors, infections, and injuries,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “Receiving an ‘A’ Safety Grade means a hospital is among the best in the country for preventing these terrible problems and putting their patients first, 24 hours a day.”
Richie Splitt, president and CEO of Norman Regional Health System, was proud of Norman Regional Hospital’s “A” grade in the fall, and is even more proud of the healers at Norman Regional for earning an “A” at both campuses.
“We take safety seriously. We always want to make sure our patients are safe and well taken care of,” Splitt said. “Earning an “A” at both campuses is meaningful recognition of our continuous efforts to reduce medical errors, injuries and infections.”
Earlier this year, they health system was named one of America’s best for Bariatric Surgery and Stroke by the Women’s Choice Award, America’s trusted referral source for the best in healthcare.
The award signifies that Norman Regional is in the top 9 percent for bariatric surgery and top 8 percent for stroke centers of 4,812 U.S. hospitals and stroke centers reviewed.
“This is the second year in a row for Norman Regional Health System to be a Women’s Choice Award recipient for both bariatric surgery and stroke. We are incredibly proud of our healers for their hard work and dedication to patient care, safety and satisfaction,” Splitt said..
Norman Regional is one of 422 award recipients representing the hospitals that have met the highest standards for bariatric surgery across the U.S.
“As the FDA approves more bariatric procedures and treatment options increase, the Women’s Choice Award is helping women make educated, confident decisions about where they should go to get the very best care,” said Delia Passi, founder and CEO of the Women’s Choice Award. “There are many women who struggle with their weight, especially as they age. For some, diet and exercise alone aren’t enough and they need to turn to bariatric procedures to reduce their weight for their overall good health.”

Highlight: Lindsay Roberts

by Betty Thompson

CALERA—Some people are born with an innate desire to help others. That is certainly true of Lindsay Roberts.
Growing up 10 miles north of the Oklahoma-Texas state line in Calera on her family farm, Roberts was heavily involved in agriculture from a very young age. And she loved it.
“It completely defined my life,” said Roberts, “Agriculture should define your life; It feeds you three times a day.”
Like many who grow up in the industry, Roberts became involved in the youth organizations 4-H and FFA. She began showing sheep at age three as a Cloverbud. As soon as she turned nine, she immersed herself in everything 4-H had to offer, showing, public speaking, shooting sports, and so much more. When she entered the 8th grade, she joined FFA and took advantage of the many opportunities it had to offer as well.
“I love both organizations,” Roberts said, “I think they are valuable resources.”
Roberts reflected on many life lessons she obtained in those organizations.
“I have a wonderful mom and grandma at home who taught me lots of things, but I learned how to set a table properly, how tip a waiter or waitress and how to put on pantyhose through FFA,” Roberts laughed.
She continued her FFA membership even into the collegiate chapter. Today she volunteers with both organizations wherever she can, one of those ways is by serving as the sheep superintendent for the Bryan County Junior Livestock show.
Roberts said many of the same volunteers who were here when she was showing as a kid are still in the barns volunteering today. She is the youngest of the livestock show volunteers, and the only woman.
“I love to help these kids with their projects,” Roberts said. “If they need something, or can’t afford something, I want to help. It’s my way of giving back to all those who helped my parents raise me.”
After Roberts graduated from Calera High School, she studied at Agricultural Economics at Murray State and went on to finish the degree at Old Dominion University in Virginia.
In the winter of 2004 Roberts was home on Christmas break from school and over at a friend’s house. As fate would have it, there was a young man there who was home on leave from the Navy. Dustin Roberts was deployed shortly after she met him, and the two began dating through letters and emails.
Shortly after, they got married, and three days later, Dustin deployed again for 18 months. They have been happily married for 13 years now.
The two have settled near where Roberts was raised, allowing her to help with her family’s fertilizer plant in Durant.
She is putting her economics degree to good use as the accountant for the family business, and also helps with other duties such as assisting with and loading bulk fertilizer, ensuring customer orders are filled and invoiced, and managing the office.
Her dad and grandparents have owned the business since 1995, and most of their employees have been there for over 15 years, so Roberts said they are all like family.
“I love working with my family every day,” Roberts said. “Not many people get to do that. It sure is rewarding at the end of the day.”
While working full time at the fertilizer plant, Roberts is also working on her Certified Public Accountant licensing at Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant.
“A lot of federal and state agencies recommend using a CPA that specializes in agricultural accounting,” Roberts explained. “That’s a service I hope to provide in our community.”
Roberts said there are not many CPAs who concentrate on agricultural accounting, so there is a great need in a highly agricultural area.
Her desire to help those in her community does not stop with 4-H, FFA and accounting. She has become the main point of contact for Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) issues in her area.
Roberts said the law enacted by the FDA took many producers, retailers and veterinarians by surprise.
“I worked with local vets and a local math teacher to work out an education program to help the vets and those of us on the retail side as far as what their options were,” Roberts said.
She even got her husband Dustin, who is the Representative for House District 21, to work on a legislative approach. She took time to meet with Congressmen and ranchers from various states, and as a result, she became a valuable resource to many in the community on how to stay compliant with the law.
She carries her helping nature into her home as well. In addition to the Roberts’ two rescue dogs and cat, they also have two rescue ducks.
Roberts said she was attending a birthday party for a toddler when she rescued the two baby ducks from being trampled by the toddlers.
“They weren’t being handled gently, so I just went over and scooped them up,” Roberts laughed. “I turned my green house into a full-blown aviary—they live the life of luxury.”
The rescue ducks, Petey and Petunia, are certainly not the only ones in southern Oklahoma who have benefited from Roberts’ generosity and desire to help.

What is your biggest pet peeve? Heritage Assisted Living

When people use the words done and finished wrong. Cookies are done. People are finished.

Kimberly Brenner

I wish I would have known ahead of time what I didn’t know before.

Ken ‘Pops’

My pet peeve is noise.

Mary Brunnert

Too much noise.

Bea Johnson

The GTO Education Foundation and Galleria Furniture are proud to announce CELEBRATE OKLAHOMA – ITS PRODUCTS & ITS CHILDREN on June 24, 2018.
The event will run from 10:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. at Galleria Furniture, 3700 W. I-40 Service Road, Okla. City, Oklahoma.
The event has two purposes: showcase Oklahoma made products and businesses, and raise funds and collect school supplies for school children across the state.
To date over 75 Made in Oklahoma vendors have reserved over 100 booth spaces to showcase their products and promote their business. To have a booth at the event, vendors have been asked to donate school supplies in lieu of booth space rental. A wide variety of Oklahoma Made products will be offered to the public.
Over 10,000 three ring binders received from one of GTO’s donors, will be distributed to 350 Oklahoma school teachers for their students at the event. Additional school supplies collected during the event will be distributed the second week of July.
There will also be a Classic Car Exhibition by 405 Classic Cars. The exhibition will feature over 15 classic cars, sure to catch the eye of all classic car enthusiasts.
Free hot dogs and the trimming have been provided by two Oklahoma based companies and will be available all day. Additionally, several food vendors will be offering a wide variety of delicious food items.
Admission to the event is a mere donation of school supplies.
Anyone donating supplies on the day of the event will be put in a drawing for one of 54 prizes, which will be drawn for at 5:00 P.M. on the day of June 24. Guests do not have to be present to win. Prizes include: 5 piece bedroom set, a queen mattress set, a recliner, 2 sets of malouf pillows, and 50 special made in Oklahoma hand crafted items.
Two things Mr. Gary Owens and his family are passionate about is Made in Oklahoma products and Oklahoma school children.
Celebrate Oklahoma highlights these two passions.
The GTO Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded by Galleria Furniture store owner Mr. Gary Owens and his family in 2015. The mission of the GTO Foundation is very simple: To assist Oklahoma school children with the supplies and tools necessary to be successful in the classroom.
GTO posted a face book post recently asking teachers what they needed for their students for the upcoming year and the post received 1,100 requests from teachers all across Oklahoma. GTO’s goal is to assist as many of these teachers as possible. For individuals or businesses who would like to donate school supplies but can’t make it to the event, we have partnered with Blu Source, a school supply company out of Guthrie, Oklahoma, and they have provided a web site dedicated to purchasing supplies for GTO donations. The web address is: https://gtofoundation.bluschoolsupplies.com/
Over the past two years GTO has provided over 15,000 three ring binders to Oklahoma school students and has provided over 3,000 books to schools for children that might not have a book at home to read. Several special events have been held in the past to showcase Oklahoma teachers.
Please join us as we CELEBRATE OKLAHOMA – ITS PRODUCTS & ITS CHILDREN.
For additional information contact Marsha at 405-942-9222, ext 144, email the GTO Foundation at: gtoedfoundinc1@outlook.com, or visit our face book page: The GTO Foundation.

By Darlene Franklin

On the eve of Prince Harry’s marriage to Meghan Markle, I remember watching Diana Spencer marry Prince Charles when my children were small. A generation later, Americans remain fascinated with royal weddings. Although our country rejected a sovereign king at its birth, we still love pomp and circumstance.
According to the New York Post#, we remain fascinated by royalty because embody national unity in a unique way. (Presidents are rather polarizing figures).
Perhaps that’s why enjoying nature’s majesty leads us to the unifying force of nature’s God.
Consider the experience of Katherine Lee Bates.
In 1893, the young Wellesley professor taught a summer course in Colorado Springs. She joined a faculty trip to the top of Pikes Peak. Inspired by the panoramas, she wrote a heartfelt poem. Visitors today can read her words on a plaque atop the mountain that rises more than two miles into the sky:
O beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain, for purple mountains majesties above the fruited plain! America, America, God shed grace on thee.
Almost a hundred years later, I traveled to Colorado for the first time. I kept looking for the mountains. At the top of one final rise, they filled the horizon. Mountains, mountains, everywhere I looked, from north to south. Tall, rugged, in shades of slate blue and purple—breathtaking.
God’s majesty stampeded through my heart for the first time since I left New England for college, The soaring peaks increased my awareness of God’s other-ness as creator and king. I loved it so much that I stayed in Colorado for two decades.
As a child, I loved summer storms. Lightning flashed and waves crushed against the rocks with destructive force, but they didn’t scare me at all. In the pounding, echoing, hissing squall, I heard echoes of God’s voice and responded to His roll call.
Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory in the heavens.
In similar ways, music’s harmonies lift my heart to God. Two hundred seventy-five years have passed since Messiah, George Friedric Handel’s masterpiece, was first performed on Easter Sunday, 1742.Legend has it that King George II attended the premiere. He was so impressed by the Hallelujah Chorus that he remained standing for the duration of the song. Everyone around him also stood, as required by royal protocol. That’s the reason why audiences today stand during the performance. An earthly king recognized The King, and so must we.
I’ve had the privilege of performing all two and a half hours of the Messiah. When I’ve been at my lowest points, I lose myself in a music, whether classical or contemporary, that lifts God up. Worship His majesty.
While not nearly as melodic, a child’s first cry also showcases God. Nothing captures the pinnacle of creation, the one creature made in His image, as perfectly as a newborn child. So tiny, so helpless—so perfect. All parts work as God designed, made to live with God in eternity although it will take a second birth to make that happen.
As the proverb says, a child is God’s approval that the world should go on. God gave Abraham and Sarah a son after he had lived for a century. The Lord gave me a grandchild when my daughter died. My first great-grandchild this year brought happiness as old age approaches.
Lately I’ve discovered that the silence of old age adds a high-pitched bell, hardly heard, to the choir. A church holds regular services every Sunday and Wednesday at the nursing home where I live. Many of our most faithful members struggle to speak. One lady of German descent claps when the preacher’s family joins in the singing. Her evident delight brings to mind the verses from Psalm 8 that speak of “the praises of children and infants.”
Or how about my friend, who writes down her prayer requests because we struggle to understand her stroke-riddled speech? Or the ones who come in reclining chairs, their warm smiles saying it all? Sweet praise rises from the lady who reads out loud from her Bible, so soft-spoken we can’t hear her words. Their whispered, nonsensical, missing voices reach the highest heaven. I offer a pianist’s hands as a humble accompaniment to their purer worship.
God’s majesty confronts me, demanding an answer. I respond in worship.

Photography and Text by Terry “Travels with Terry” Zinn t4z@aol.com

Last month I gave you an over view of the sights in Westchester county, just north of New York City. Now let’s go up the Hudson River Valley to discover the variety of venues in Albany, New York.
I think it was in the fifth grade when I first heard about Albany, New York, as we were studying all the capitols of all of the US cities. It was a bit of a mystery this state capitol so far north of New York City, yet so important to the state’s history and in current affairs. Decades later I discovered Albany in a personal way with a weekend excursion.
Most striking about Albany is the site, inside and out, of this historic capitol building itself with took thirty years to complete. It stands on a hill and overlooks the city, and the nearby Empire State Plaza with its monolithic office buildings and the unusual egg shaped theater complex. The plaza complete with reflecting pool and with ice skating in the winter, is popular for public events. On one end is the State capitol building and on the opposite side the New York State History Museum (www.nysm.nysed.gov). . The extensive museum houses several sections, including homage to the Civil War ( with a life mask of Abraham Lincoln), and more recently artifacts from the World Trade Center disaster. Be sure and visit the observation deck of the 42 storied Corning Tower.
State Street which could be called Albany’s’ main street, runs down from the capitol, pointing toward the Hudson River. Near the base of the street stands, 74State Street Hotel (www.74State.com), which was my pleasant home base and my oasis for my discoveries. 74 State offers several breakfast menu items, and my guests and I enjoyed their Eggs Benedict more than once. This Ascent Hotel Collection provides wireless internet, room service in the morning and evenings and supplies free coffee in the lobby from 6 am to 10 am. The fitness center is open 24 hours. The property also has the Bistro/Bar venue on the second floor, with an expansive picture window overlooking busy STATE street. While the hotel is upscale it features recycled New York State wood and granite.
Just down the hill a bit is the upscale Jacks Oyster House (www.jacksoysterhouse.com) where without a doubt I had the best meal of my visit. As a steak person I tested their expertise and they passed with high marks, as they did for the Martini. My other companions had a variety of entrées including oysters on the half shell and a Lobster tale prepared with gourmet expertise. The service was as exceptional as you would have expected at a fine old world restaurant, and it was a near shame we had to leave to catch a theatrical presentation in Schenectady, NY at the Proctor Theater, which was a treat.
Be sure your discovery of Albany includes a visit to Speak Easy 518 (www.Speakeasy518.com) where you will have unique cocktail tastes accentuated by a variety of herbs and vintage concoctions. You are admonished: “The bar is open to anyone, but not for everyone. In order to maintain our peaceful, secretive existence beneath the city we require the respect of the following house rules which include: Please dress sharply and speak easy. Mind your manners.” Live jazz may be there on your night, and while they offer a variety of wines and beers the experience is in tasting the Prohibition Era Cocktails or the New World Concoctions. You might try the Midnight in the Italian Alps, of Braulio Amaro, Cardamaro Amaro, JFB Sorrel Liqueur, with Flamed Orange Zest, or the Papa Doble made with ADC Quackenbush House Rum, Maraschino Liqueur, and Fresh Grapefruit Juice. Many of the flavors are earthy and perhaps so usual you may have to develop a taste over several visits. To keep the ambiance low, no photography is permitted.
Other recommend dining venues include: Albany Pump Station (www.evansale.com), A Better Bite Deli (www.abetterbitealbany.com), Jake Moon Cafe (www.jakemoon.net) and the popular New World Bistro Bar (www.newworldbistrobar.com).
Albany has more to offer than space allows- but be sure to include the Albany Heritage Center (www.albany.org/visitors-center), the Albany Institute of History and Art (www.albanyinstitute.org), and weather permitting a visit to John Boyd Thacher State Park (www.nysparks.com/parks.com), and Goolds Orchards and Brookview Station Winery (www.goold.com). If you are lucky you might get to view a replica of Henry Hudson’s “Half Moon” Ship, which is the symbol of Albany.
Upcoming dates of interest and for more information: www.albany.com

Mr. Terry Zinn – Travel Editor
Past President: International Food Wine and Travel Writers Association
http://realtraveladventures.com/author/zin

Volunteers reach out in Moore

by Bobby Anderson, Staff Writer

Dave Evans’ Thursday evening prayer floats down the hallway at Moore Faith Clinic.
Heads bowed in a circle for those who have gathered on this warm, late-May evening are taking a moment to remember why they’re here.
For Cristen Hartman, R.N., there’s no doubt.
“It was just meant to be,” says Hartman, who has been with the clinic since the beginning.
By day, Hartman works at the Oklahoma State Department of Health. She’s worked med-surg, oncology and ER in her career.
But on Thursday nights, she and scores of others volunteer their time at the free clinic.
“It was a perfect fit. Me and my family have always been into service and what are things we can do for the community,” Hartman says of her volunteer status. “Me and my husband grew up in Moore and met at Moore High School. Moore has always been our place.”
Three years ago Evans, a pastor at Moore’s Highland Baptist Church, and others had an idea.
Through his 25 years of ministry, he’s tended to his fair share of disaster relief in Moore. His kids grew up in in the city and have eight grand kids.
Five still go to Moore schools.
“I’ve done a lot of relief with other churches and ministry,” he said.
Through outreach Evans and other pastors identified a gaping need in their community.
“If you don’t have health insurance – and this is not a political statement it’s just a statement of fact – or if you’re underinsured … and you’ve got a (large) deductible it’s of no value,” Evans said. “Two years ago the average ER visit was $1,900. People can’t do that. Then it snowballs and their family is in crisis.”
Time and again Evans has seen injuries create financial hardship, leading to stress and strain on families and marriages.
So what could be done?
“The Lord said to me ‘Why don’t you do something about it,’” Evans said. “We prayed about it for a few months and everybody said let’s go for it.”
The clinic is housed in the Serve Moore Community Renewal Center, 224 S. Chestnut Ave.
Each Thursday from 5:30-8 p.m. Moore Faith Clinic opens its doors.
Once a month a women’s clinic is offered.
Last year, the clinic served 900 patients and handed out approximately $1 million in medication.
“All free,” Evans said. “It’s kind of a big deal that’s not very well known. This is the only totally free clinic in Cleveland County.”
Hartman’s church made an announcement one Sunday that caught her ear. Nurses were needed to get this idea off the ground.
“It’s a huge difference,” said Hartman, who coordinates the nurses. “I think you just don’t really know the magnitude of who really needs you. You don’t really see the magnitude of those that don’t have care that I totally take for granted.”
Evans sees it.
“I think a lot of families are in crisis or would be in a much bigger crisis if they didn’t have health care or access to medicine and the ability to treat something treatable,” Evans said. “So many people have diabetes or strep throat or high blood pressure or whatever. Those things left untreated are bad.”
“We can do it. We can help people, coach them and encourage them.”
Nurses and physicians treat. Pharmacists dispense medication. Pastors and volunteers tend to spiritual needs.
Case workers are available to plug patients into long-term assistance.
Upwards of 20 patients with appointments come through the doors each week with a handful of those just showing up with nowhere to turn.
It indeed takes a village to make the clinic run.
“We don’t want to burn anybody out. Cristen is here every week and she doesn’t have to be,” Evans said. “She’s here because she wants to make sure we have continuity of care and we’re doing things the same way consistently.”
“We can always use nurses,” Hartman continued. “A lot of times we’ll have nurses that are really gung-ho and say they’ll come every Thursday. No, please don’t because it’s not going to work for most people. Volunteering even though it’s one night a week is a huge commitment so we do see a lot of turnover.”
Moore Faith Clinic operates extremely lean.
The annual budget runs around $16,000 which Evans says largely goes to wholesale pharmaceutical purchases.
Medication samples from companies are accepted for the group’s regulated pharmacy.
To make an appointment you can call 405-759-0853 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
You can also contact Evans or Hartman at the same number to find out about volunteering.