by Bobby Anderson
Staff Writer

Pam Hart has spent the better part of the last three decades ensuring when children come to school a hot meal will be there waiting for them.
For many children, it’s the only meals they can count on.
And when the school doors close for the summertime that doesn’t mean the need goes away.
That’s why the director of child nutrition for Moore Public Schools and directors like her across the metro participate in the Summer Food Service program.
Hart says the Moore Public Schools program is going strong after nearly a decade.
“We felt like it was a win-win on both sides,” Hart explained. “We had some employees who needed money in the summertime and we were able to take advantage of the government program where all kids could eat for free.”
The program is simple: those 18 and under can come to designated locations and eat breakfast and lunch for free. No questions asked.
That means parents and grandparents with limited incomes can ensure their child will have at least two nutritious meals Monday through Friday.
Adults can eat as well for $3.75 per meal.
In Moore, breakfast is served from 8-9 a.m. with lunch following from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Lunch includes the options of a peanut butter and jelly or ham and cheese sandwich, a fresh fruit, fresh vegetable chips and a treat.
Juice or milk are also included.
Hart has spent the last 30 years working at Moore Public Schools. The bulk of that has been as the director of child nutrition.
She’s seen the program change and evolve.
The summer nutrition program will travel around the district, usually coinciding with a summer school program at the site.
A couple summers ago the program went out into the local parks.
The outreach was a big success, so much so that the district decided to use bond funds to invest in a food truck.
Hart said the kitchen on wheels could triple or quadruple the number of sites meals may be offered in the future.
“They’re usually pretty good at being lined up and ready to go by the time we get there,” Hart said of the park sites. “It’s convenient when they’re waiting on us.”
Last June, Moore Public Schools served 16,307 lunches and 4,422 breakfasts.
June school nutrition sites in Moore include Plaza Towers, Sky Ranch, Central Elementary and Southmoore. Park sites will include Fairmoore, Veteran’s Memorial Park, Buck Thomas Park and Central Park.
Sites will rotate in July. You can contact the district directly at 405-7030.
Around the metro
The larger districts around the metro participate in the Summer Food Service Program, a federally-funded program administered in Oklahoma by Child Nutrition Programs, Oklahoma State Department of Education.
Federal regulations require that SFSP sponsors notify local health departments of their intention to provide a food service during a specific period at specific sites and arrange for prompt and regular trash removal.
All SFSP sites must meet proper sanitation and health standards which conform to all applicable state and local laws and regulations in the storage, preparation and service of food. You can contact Oklahoma City Public Schools child nutrition at 587-0000.
Edmond Public Schools can be reached at 340-2800.
Regional Food Bank
Through the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma’s Summer Feeding Program, any child 18 and under can receive free, nutritious meals at 132 sites across central and western Oklahoma.
“One in four Oklahoma children are food insecure. As schools close for the summer, many children are left without their primary source of healthy food,” said Katie Fitzgerald, chief executive officer of the Regional Food Bank. “No one, especially children, should ever have to worry about where their next meal will come from. Our partner agencies across the state are ready to fill the summer break gap.”
Through the program, community-based partner agencies distribute freshly packed meals and snacks prepared by the Regional Food Bank to students. The program is offered at sites in 31 counties across the Regional Food Bank’s service area.
In Oklahoma County alone, meals and snacks are offered at 73 different sites. A full list of sites participating in the Summer Feeding Program and when they offer meals and snacks can be found by visiting Meals4KidsOK.org.
Volunteers are needed to help pack fresh meals in the Regional Food Bank’s production kitchen, Hope’s Kitchen, throughout the summer. Multiple shifts per day are offered Tuesday through Saturday. Volunteer by visiting rfbo.org/volunteer or calling 405-600-3160.
For Hart, the summer program has just been common sense.
“A lot of these kiddos from low-income families the meals they get from school are the only hot meal they get in some cases,” Hart said. “In a lot of cases it may be so bad that they may not have those meals available in the summertime. We’re glad to be able to support this so those kids don’t have to go without during summer.”

https://integrisok.com/locations/specialty-clinic/integris-senior-life-wellness

Research from the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation has revealed a new role for an organ instrumental in immune system function. The discovery could lead to new therapeutic approaches to a wide range of illnesses, including asthma, inflammatory bowel disease and psoriasis.
The thymus is a small organ that sits on top of the heart and generates a lifetime supply of T cells, a type of specialized white blood cell that plays a central role in immunity during childhood and puberty. The thymus exists specifically to train the immune system to recognize what is normal and what is not. When the number of T cells in the body is adequate, the thymus shrinks and all but disappears by adulthood.
OMRF scientist Xiao-Hong Sun, Ph.D., and her lab discovered that the thymus can stop the production of T cells midway and make an entirely different kind of cell in their place called innate lymphoid cells.
“This ability to stop T cell production and change to something else had never been shown,” said Sun. “This is a very basic finding, and we have much to learn about the implications, but it could point to the origin of a number of diseases.”
Innate lymphoid cells play a part in immunity, specifically to protect the body from parasitic infection. Sun said while they serve an important function, they lack the sophistication of T cells, and this could lead to negative health consequences in situations where they arrive in too large a number.
“Innate lymphoid cells are like the paramedics of the immune system. They respond to tissue damage or infections very quickly,” said Sun, who holds the Lew and Myra Ward Chair in Biomedical Research at OMRF. “They are first responders, but you still need a specialist or surgeon later on to treat the problem fully, and that’s what T cells do.”
“Dr. Sun has clearly evolved into one of the leaders in the field of studying these types of lymphocytes and is continuing to show their importance in different disease states,” said OMRF Vice President of Clinical Affairs Judith James, M.D., Ph.D. “These are important findings that will push her work and her field forward.”
Sun said this discovery could lead to a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms of multiple diseases, including asthma, inflammatory bowel disease and psoriasis. The findings, which could ultimately open doors to new treatment approaches to these conditions, were published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine.
“Many people downplay the importance of the thymus—it’s even removed in many childhood procedures, but this may lead to a shift in how medical professionals think about the organ,” Sun said. “Innate lymphoid cells are still new in scientific terms, and we have much to learn about them. Now that we know they have a significant role in an important immune organ will give us entirely new ideas to pursue.”
OMRF researchers Miranda Liangyue Qian, Ph.D., Sandra Bajana, M.D., Ph.D., Constantin Georgescu, Ph.D., Jose Alberola-Ila, M.D., Ph.D., and Jonathan Wren, Ph.D., contributed to the findings.

Every year, 800,000 new strokes are reported in the U.S.
Strokes happen all the time, and yes, it can happen to you. Approximately 20 percent of stroke victims are between the ages of 20 and 55. Knowing the signs of stroke and acting quickly can make the difference between saving a life and a tragic outcome.
Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death and the leading cause of adult disability in the U.S. Unfortunately, few people know what a stroke is and how to recognize when a stroke is happening, according to the National Stroke Association.
But what medical professionals call the “Golden Hour” when someone is having a stroke can make all the difference in the world. The reason the first hour is golden is because stroke patients have a much greater chance of surviving and avoiding long-term brain damage if they arrive at the hospital and receive treatment with a clot-busting drug called TPA within that first hour.
“Time saved is brain saved,” says Mary Pinzon, who is a stroke education nurse at INTEGRIS. “Time lost is brain lost. That’s why recognizing the signs of stroke is so important. Immediately knowing what to do when someone is having a stroke can save someone’s life and help them avoid brain damage. If you suspect someone is having a stroke, the absolute first thing to do is call 9-1-1,” she says.
According to a study from the American Heart Association, every minute in which a stroke is untreated, the average patient loses 1.9 million neurons, 13.8 billion synapses, and seven miles of axonal fibers. With each hour in which treatment fails to occur, the brain loses as many neurons as it does in almost 3.6 years of normal aging.
“Time is of the essence. I can’t stress that enough,” says Pinzon.
Pinzon’s favorite saying is “Each One, Teach One.” In that spirit, after you read this, learn the signs of stroke and what to do in those precious first minutes, pass it on. You just might save someone’s life.
What is considered a stroke?
A stroke occurs when blood flow to an area of the brain is cut off, causing brain cells to be deprived of oxygen and die. A stroke can cause life-altering, devastating changes like loss of speech, movement and memory.
“Stroke is a SUDDEN onset of symptoms when just a minute ago a person was fine,” Pinzon says. There are two major types of strokes, but each one is treated differently.
The most common type of stroke is an Ischemic Stroke, which causes a loss of oxygen to the brain due to a blockage of a vessel in the brain. Roughly 85 to 88 percent of strokes fall under this category.
“It’s so important to get treatment immediately for Ischemic Stroke because we now have a clot-buster called TPA (Tissue Plasminogen Activator). It’s an enzyme drug that can dissolve clots, and any stroke-ready hospital can administer it,” says Pinzon.
A hemorrhagic stroke is rarer but is caused when a blood vessel ruptures in the brain. High blood pressure is the number one cause of hemorrhagic strokes.
“When you arrive at the hospital, the ER will immediately order a CAT scan to see what type of stroke you are having,” Pinzon says. “That’s why you shouldn’t give someone having a stroke an aspirin. If they are having a brain bleed, it could make it worse.”
BE FAST with signs of stroke
Each year, about 185,000 people die from a stroke, but if you know the warning signs, you can help save a life. “Any one of these symptoms could indicate a stroke, which is still more reason to know the signs and why time is so important,” Pinzon says.
Pinzon says the best way to identify stroke symptoms is the acronym BE FAST.
B – Balance. A loss of balance or the sudden inability to stand or walk.
E – Eyes. A sudden loss of vision, changes in vision and blurred vision are symptoms of a stroke.
F – Face. Ask the patient to “show your teeth” and smile. A crooked smile is an indicator of stroke.
A – Arms. Ask the victim to hold up both arms with palms facing skyward. Look to see if one arm drifts down or cannot be lifted.
S – Speech. Slurred or garbled speech indicates a stroke, as does a strange giggle while talking.
T – Terrible headache. An explosive headache is the hallmark of a bleeding stroke.
Remember, time is the key to surviving a stroke. Again, call 9-1-1 first.
One other very important tip: never give a suspected stroke victim anything by mouth. Says Pinzon, “Not a sip of water. Not an aspirin. Nothing. Many stroke victims have trouble swallowing and may choke to death.”
Though stroke remains a killer, recent and ever-changing medical advances are improving survival rates every year. The right care, if done right away, can save lives and quality of life. For more information about stroke and how to recognize the signs, visit the INTEGRIS James R. Daniel Stroke Center.
To have a free stroke education training at your workplace, call Mary Pinzon, RN, CPE, M.Ed., at 405-644-6867.

www.fountainbrookliving.com

Dear Savvy Senior,

As a teacher for 20 years, I receive a pension from a school system that did not withhold Social Security taxes from my pay. After teaching, I’ve been working for a small company where I do pay Social Security taxes. Now, approaching age 65, I would like to retire and apply for my Social Security benefits. But I’ve been told that my teacher’s pension may cause me to lose some of my Social Security. Is that true?

Ready to Retire

Dear Ready,
Yes, it’s true. It’s very likely that your Social Security retirement benefits will be reduced under the terms of a government rule called the Windfall Elimination Provision (or WEP).
The WEP affects people who receive pensions from jobs in which they were not required to pay Social Security taxes Ð for example, police officers, firefighters, teachers and state and local government workers whose employers were not part of the national Social Security system. People who worked for nonprofit or religious organizations before 1984 may also be outside the system.
Many of these people, like you, are also eligible for Social Security retirement or disability benefits based on other work they did over the course of their career for which Social Security taxes were paid.
Because of your teacher’s pension, Social Security will use a special formula to calculate your retirement benefits, reducing them compared to what you’d otherwise get.
How much they’ll be reduced depends on your work history. But one rule that generally applies is that your Social Security retirement benefits cannot be cut by more than half the size of your pension. And the WEP does not apply to survivor benefits. If you’re married and die, your dependents can get a full Social Security payment, unless your spouse has earned his or her own government pension for which they didn’t pay Social Security taxes. If that’s the case, Social Security has another rule known as the Government Pension Offset (or GPO) that affects spouses or widows/widowers benefits.
Under the GPO, spousal and survivor benefits will be cut by two-thirds of the amount of their pension. And if their pension is large enough, their Social Security spousal or survivor benefits will be zero.
There are a few exceptions to these rules most of which are based on when you entered the Social Security workforce.
Why Do These Rules Exist?
According to the Social Security Administration, the reason Congress created the WEP (in 1983) and GPO (in 1977) was to create a more equitable system. People who get both a pension from non-Social Security work and benefits from Social Security-covered work get an unfair windfall due to the formula of how benefit amounts are calculated.
These rules ensure that government employees who don’t pay Social Security taxes would end up with roughly the same income as people who work in the private sector and do pay them.
For more information on the WEP visit SSA.gov/planners/retire/wep.html, where you’ll also find a link to their WEP online calculator to help you figure out how much your Social Security benefits may be reduced. And for more information on GPO, including a GPO calculator, see SSA.gov/planners/retire/gpo.html.
Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.

Storm victims with insurance will be protected after a bulletin was issued today by the Oklahoma Insurance Department. The bulletin directs all insurance companies to keep coverage in effect for storm victims for the next 30 days.
“The effects of the severe weather and flooding have made it difficult for Oklahomans to carry out every day activities, much less tend to their insurance premiums,” Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Glen Mulready said. “This is the time that storm victims need their insurance company to be on their side and why the Insurance Department is calling for a moratorium on policy cancellations.” The bulletin applies to all insurance entities, including health maintenance organizations, accident and health insurers, third party administrators, discount medical plan organizations, property and casualty insurers, surplus and excess lines insurers and county mutual insurers. It includes property and casualty insurance, life insurance, accident and health insurance, disability insurance and all lines of coverage regulated by the Oklahoma Insurance Department.
Some key points of the bulletin are:
* All coverage for storm victims shall continue under all insurance policies for the next 30 days.
* Storms victims can get a copy of their insurance policy free of charge.
* Any rate increases for policies in the affected areas filed on or after the effective date of the bulletin will be deferred.

by Vickie Jenkins
Staff Writer

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

www.CarePluisatHome.com

Ruby Pearl Doolin was born in 1916, and on June 30th she will turn 103! Ruby Moved in to Legend at Jefferson’s Garden in April of 2018; we were immediately taken with her charm, her sense of humor, her energy and her appetite! Come in to this quaint Legend Community on any day and you will find Ruby walking the building chatting up the staff and Resident’s, teaching us how to do the Charleston whenever she hears music, or rearranging furniture! Ruby was a career interior decorator at a time when everything was done by hand; she would do her own upholstery work and sew custom curtains for her clients. She eventually became part of the Pete Locke custom home design team and is credited to have decorated practically every home in Nichols Hills at some time throughout the years. Ruby is also a natural care giver and cared for her older sister who was quadriplegic; as a result of that care, love and compassion she lived to be 87 years old! It is a common sight to observe Ruby offering care and help to her friends and neighbors in the community.
By the time Ruby was 18 years old she was a beauty queen, winning a home town beauty pageant, she also sang on the radio before TV was even invented! While she was still 18 Ruby was offered a recording contract in Los Angeles which her mother vehemently turned down on her behalf. Besides having a career and taking care of her sister, Ruby would marry and raise four children, two sons who are 80 and 81 years old as well as two step children who cherish her!
When Ruby first arrived at Legend at Jefferson’s Garden we were so amazed by her vitality that we decided to ask her what her secret was? She responded, “well, I just don’t think about it”. I think we should all take that as advise from Ruby! We adore Ruby and look forward to many more years of life, love and laughter from this precious senior.
Legend at Jefferson’s Garden is located at 15401 N Pennsylvania Avenue in Edmond. Visit https://legendseniorliving.com for more information.

https://fullcircleok.org/