Mercy has earned the 2022 Excellence in Patient Experience Award as the top large health system in the country for patient experience, a distinction made by NRC Health, a leader in building personalized health care solutions and data-driven insights.
NRC Health’s 2022 Excellence in Patient Experience Award recognizes health systems and hospitals that have demonstrated their commitment to improving patients’ care experiences.
“This award is all about the patient experience and that is central to everything we do,” said Dr. John Mohart, president of Mercy communities, who leads operations for all Mercy hospitals. “Our medical team always puts health and safety first, but the patient experience goes far beyond clinical care. Whether it’s our food service team, housekeepers or volunteers, it takes every Mercy co-worker to make patients a priority and give them the best experience possible.”
Award winners are selected based on the real-time “would recommend” ratings from patients. One winner is honored in each of the following eight categories of facilities: small, medium and large health systems; small, medium and large hospitals; pediatric facilities; and medical groups. Mercy was selected as the top large health system based on patient feedback collected from April 1, 2021, through March 31, 2022, amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“It is incredibly gratifying to be able to honor another esteemed group of organizations this year who deliver exceptional patient care day in and day out,” said Helen Hrdy, chief growth officer at NRC Health. “Human understanding is at the core of what we do, and to see it come to life is rewarding beyond words. Congratulations to Mercy for this recognition. Their work is inspiring!”
A complete list of winners is available at nrchealth.com/awards/excellence-in-patient-experience-award/. The NRC award follows the recently announced collaboration between Mercy and Mayo Clinic to transform patient care and find diseases earlier and the recently announced availability of an innovative blood test at Mercy to detect more than 50 types of cancer in early stages.
“This honor from NRC Health means every aspect of a patient’s care at Mercy is important, beginning when they schedule an appointment and through the follow-up care long after the clinic, virtual or hospital visit,” said Dr. Jeff Ciaramita, Mercy’s chief physician executive.

Sometimes your guardian angel appears in the form of an off-duty nurse. At least that is what Pamela Satchell believes after an INTEGRIS Health Miami Hospital nurse saved her life.
Shyanne Brandon, B.S.N., RN, was recently honored by INTEGRIS Health Miami Hospital Chief Executive Jonas Rabel for the life-saving measures she performed while attending as a guest at an employee appreciation event hosted by the Miami Nation’s Prairie Sun and Prairie Moon Casinos.
“Day in and day out, our caregivers report to work knowing that patients and their families are counting on us,” said Rabel. “Shyanne’s quick response to a medical crisis outside the walls of our hospital is a true example of heroism and her dedication to caring for our community, no matter where she might be.”
As food and beverage manager of the casinos, Satchell was assigned the task of checking-in employees and handing out t-shirts. After several hours in the hot July sun, she decided to go for a swim to cool off, and that is when things went awry.
“The only memory I have is going down the slide, landing in the water and then feeling like I was pulled under,” Satchell said. “I came up and told the lifeguard I needed help. That is really all that I can remember.”
Brandon witnessed the near-drowning and, without hesitation, began administering medical aid, which included checking for a pulse, rolling Satchell to her side, expelling water and continuing life-saving measures until emergency medical services arrived to transport Satchell to the hospital.
“As I helped pull Pam out of the water, I did a quick scene check and realized I was the only one around that could help,” said Brandon. “My training with INTEGRIS Health prepared me, and God truly overcame me with a sense of calm and clarity. I could hear all these people around me scared and worried, but I stayed calm. I can only say God truly was with me at that moment.”
Satchell spent two days in the hospital but is expected to make a full recovery. Weeks later, she was reunited with Brandon on the day hospital leadership presented her with an award for her off-duty heroism.
“Shyanne will always be my personal angel,” she added. “What a blessing to have someone like her at the right place and time.”
For more information about INTEGRIS Health visit: https://integrisok.com/

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

As seniors we have grown up and through the space race with its many accomplishments, many made by Oklahoma Astronauts. Once such celebrated Oklahoma astronaut is Lt. General Thomas P. Stafford. The Stafford Air Space Museum is a destination not to be missed if in or near Weatherford, Oklahoma. It is next to Interstate 40, at 3000 Logan Road.
You are greeted even before entering the museum with the Pathway of Honor exhibit. Here you can buy a customized brick around the foundation of the Apollo boilerplate exhibit in front of the museum. A 4 x 8 inch brick with two lines of text is $70, or the larger 12 x 12 inch brick with the option of a Company Logo with text, for $225.00. Your named brick will be in the company of astronaut legends of Neil Armstrong, Gene Cernan, and Jim Lovell among others. For further information and to contact the Pathway of Honor and museum call 580-772-5871.
The museum was named a Smithsonian Affiliate in 2011 as it houses over an acre of exhibits representing the evolution of aviation and space flight. They have worked closely with the Smithsonian Institution, NASA and the U.S. Air Force Museum assembling one of the best collection of aerospace artifacts in the central United States.
While there are some artifacts that are samples or replicas, many are the actual item used in space. This includes Stafford’s 1969 flown Apollo 10 pressure suit, space shuttle main engine, the mission control console, a disarmed Mark 6 nuclear warhead and an F-86 “Sabre” Fighter.
Besides American artifacts are Soviet examples like the Soviet Mig-21 “fishbed” fighter, one of the most produced jet fighter aircraft in history as the front-line fighter during the Cold War. There is also the actual V-2 Rocket Engine, as the only remaining actual V-2 rocket engine left in existence which was developed by Nazi Germany during World War II.
Replicas are also on display including: the Bell X-1 rocket plane that punched through the sound barrier in 1947, Hubble space telescope in 1/15 scale, and the full scale replica of the Gemini Spacecraft flown by Stafford in the Gemini 6 and 9 missions.
Stafford was born in 1930 and raised in Weatherford, graduating from Weatherford High then on to the U.S. Naval Academy in 1951. In 1962 he was selected in the second group of NASA astronauts and would go on to fly four space missions. In 1979 after retiring from the Air Force, he has flown nearly 130 types of aircraft and helicopters and logged near 508 hours in space. Today Stafford maintains a home in Oklahoma City and one in Florida near the Kennedy Space Center.
When in Weatherford a lunch or dinner at Benchwarmer Brown’s Sports Grill, at 108 East Main, is a delicious choice. A sports type bar/restaurant with video screens, offers several menu items, including a juicy Chicken strip entre. Other offerings are fresh burgers, hand breaded onion rings, other sandwiches, and brick oven pizza. At just over a year old, Benchwarmer fills a dining option welcomed in Weatherford.
If your road trip is not rushed an overnight at the clean and comfortable Days Inn might be your economic destination. Complete with a warm do it your self-breakfast area, pool and plenty of parking, it fills the needs of the average traveler. It is an easy off and on from the Interstate and less than a mile to downtown, at 1019 East Main.
And while this far “out of town” you are nearer to Colony Oklahoma and its Galley of the Plains Indian, where I have an exhibition of Indian Photographs, in an historic building adorned outside with colorful Indian murals. The highway South is close to the Weatherford exit off I-40.
Why spend time and money consuming trip to the Washington DC’s Space Museum – although it is amazing – when you can conveniently get an in-depth sample at the Stafford Air and Space Museum in Weatherford, Oklahoma? More information at www.staffordmuseum.org.

Mr. Terry Zinn – Travel Editor
Past President: International Food Wine and Travel Writers Association
3110 N.W. 15 Street – Oklahoma City, OK 73107
https://realtraveladventures.com/?s=terry+zinn
https://realtraveladventures.com/?s=zinn
http://new.okveterannews.com/?s=TERRY+ZINN
www.martinitravels.com

CENTENARIANS OF OKLAHOMA was proud to honor Oklahoma City resident, Dellora Manske, on the occasion of her 100th birthday, and induct her into the Centenarians of Oklahoma Hall of Fame. Dellora is a retired school teacher who continued her vocation by volunteering to help students with their school work. Dellora has these words of wisdom for younger people: “Work diligently, be honest and truthful.” “Study hard to learn new things and follow the Golden Rule”!
There are believed to be 400-500 centenarians living in Oklahoma. On average, there are about 300 living centenarians in Oklahoma that we have honored. Additionally, there are about 50 other centenarians that we are attempting to locate, recognize, and honor.
To date almost 3000, centenarians have been honored in the state. All of the historical records of these people are in Tulsa, currently in the offices of Centenarians of Oklahoma. Once a Centenarian passes, their records are filed at the Oklahoma Historical Society in Oklahoma City.
The work performed through the Centenarians of Oklahoma could not happen without generous supporters like you and the organization operates by volunteers and donations while providing this special honor to our “Golden Okies”.

“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” – Mark Twain. If you ask Joyce Clark about her life’s purpose, she lights up with enthusiasm and gratitude for a career well spent. Until recently, Clark was the CEO and owner of Achievis Senior Living Associates. She has been a trailblazer in Oklahoma’s senior living sector. Clark developed and opened six assisted and memory care communities in the state. All of them have thrived and made significant profits for their owners. “Most importantly,” said Clark, “each of the homes have blessed people with great care, helping hand services, and rewarding jobs.” During the past 26 years, Joyce has traveled the nation assisting long-term care providers with strategic planning, feasibility analysis, marketing, budgeting, and other consulting. “If I should die today, I would go knowing my work improved the lives of thousands of people,” said Clark.
Last year Joyce left her company behind and took the reins at Saint Ann Retirement Center. She is the Executive Director of the independent and assisted living campus and its attached convent. It is the perfect spot for someone who has spent two decades guiding senior living owners and operators to success. “I have always admired Saint Ann Retirement Center and viewed it as a premiere option for assisted and independent living,” said Clark. “It is the most fun and friendly place I have ever been.”
Saint Ann Retirement Center is a ministry of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. Catholics love Saint Ann for its daily Mass and related amenities but people of all faiths are welcome and happy with the center’s many attractions. Amenities include savory meals, 24-hour concierge, paid utilities, free wifi and basic cable television, chauffer rides to appointments and shopping, full-time Chaplin, and more. Life enrichment calendars are packed with things to do ranging from art, choir, parties, interesting speakers, and games to concerts, dancing, and exercise classes. Additional levels of care were just added to the assisted living service menu. Around the clock staff are available there to assist with personal care and medication administration.
“People often tell us they are surprised Saint Ann does not charge an expensive buy-in fee to live here,” said Clark. “Residents pay a simple all-inclusive monthly rent.” “It’s affordable and only a month-to-month commitment.”
This year is Saint Ann’s 20th anniversary, which has been celebrated with a fair, talent showcase, volleyball tournament and luau, big band dance, reception, and an anniversary Mass with Archbishop Coakley and Archbishop Beltran. On November 12, Saint Ann is planning a craft show and Fall festival for residents and the public.
Saint Ann’s location on Britton Road between Rockwell and Council appeals to people from all regions of the state. A nursing home with the same name is conveniently located next door but is not owned or operated by the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City.
Joyce Clark added: “I have dedicated my professional life to creating facilities that focus on the well-being of their residents, families, and employees.” “Saint Ann Retirement Center exemplifies that philosophy and I am so fortunate to be a part of this exceptional ministry.”
For more information about Saint Ann Retirement Center, visit https://www.saintannretirementcenter.com/

By Nick Thomas

Not even a pandemic could slow down Kent McCord’s desire to interact with admirers, even if only through virtual fan conventions.
“I’ve done several of these online over the last two years and always enjoy talking with fans,” said McCord, who turns 80 in September, from his Los Angeles home.
Best known as one half of the crime-fighting police duo on “Adam-12,” McCord’s Hollywood career can be traced to college days in early 1961 when a fellow student invited him to participate in a friendly game of touch football. The two teams were captained by Ricky Nelson and Elvis Presley!
The informal match led to a friendship with Nelson that sparked McCord’s five-decade-long film and television career including a recurring role in “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet” and most notably co-starring alongside Martin Milner (1931-2015) in “Adam-12” (see www.kentmccord.com).
“I got a 5-year role playing Rick’s fraternity brother in Ozzie and Harriet,” noted McCord, who still recalls his only line – “Rick who?” – during a 1962 episode (‘Rick, the Host’). It was his first on-screen speaking part.
The popular series was produced by patriarch Ozzie Nelson, who also wrote and directed many episodes. “Ozzie could have picked anyone for the role and I’m sure he chose me because I was Rick’s friend,” he said. “But those two little words I first spoke changed my life.”
Initially, that included uncredited roles in five Elvis Presley movies, followed by more substantial parts in film and television, and eventually meeting “Dragnet” creator Jack Webb who brought McCord in to play Officer Jim Reed in several episodes of the revival series “Dragnet 1967” and subsequently “Adam-12.”
“The charm of ‘Adam-12’ was its simplicity,” said McCord. “Just two cops in a black-and-white patrolling the streets of Los Angeles. The moral of the stories was simply – crime doesn’t pay.”
McCord recalls meeting Milner, some 10 years his senior and already a seasoned actor, in the Universal parking lot as the pair waited for a ride to shoot the pilot on location.
“Marty was yawning and told me how he couldn’t sleep the night before beginning a new show,” recalled McCord. “I’d had a restless evening too, so hearing that from a veteran actor was very reassuring. From that moment on our relationship was cemented.”
While his “Adam-12” role brought recognition from audiences around the world, he and Milner also inspired young viewers as well as police organizations that used episodes as training videos.
“To this day I get police officers telling me they became cops because of ‘Adam-12,’” said McCord. “Others remember how kids approached them differently before and after the show aired. Its positive impact meant a lot to Marty and me.”
Nick Thomas teaches at Auburn University at Montgomery, in Alabama, and has written features, columns, and interviews for numerous magazines and newspapers. See www.getnickt.org.

Story and photos by Darl Devault, Contributing Editor

Fifty years ago, John Carpenter, 67, was attending his last year of high school and most major rock’n’roll concerts available in Oklahoma as an immense fan of live performances, going on to attend more than 1,000.
From Midwest City High School, he went on to Oscar Rose Junior College on a wrestling scholarship. He continued attending many major concerts at the zenith of what many consider the most productive era of rock’n’roll music.
Soon arena shows and music videos changed the way young people were entertained, as live performances were enhanced with showmanship.
For Carpenter, it was about the music. Those five years, 1970-1975, were some of the most iconic in rock’n’roll history, including the release of the most famous song ever recorded in the rock’n’roll genre, Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven,” selling 37 million copies since 1971.
In 1970 Carpenter bought his first copy of “Rolling Stone Magazine” as a MCHS sophomore. “It had articles about Bob Dylan, the Beatles, and the Rolling Stones that gave me a window to a world that I was missing, and I loved it,” Carpenter said. “I sent my money off for a year’s subscription, which cost $8, and I soon learned about all these new artists and groups, including one from California, the Grateful Dead.”
Not that he’s competitive about it, but local music historians could easily describe Carpenter’s status as one of the most dedicated rock’n’roll fans of the last 50 years. He has averaged 20 (yes, 20) concerts a year. Married in 1979, he and his wife Jo often attend shows together.
The list of the concerts he has witnessed is so long it is easier to list the four that got away. He missed seeing Jimi Hendrix in May of 1970 because he was 15 and could not find a ride to Norman that Friday night. He missed the first two Led Zeppelin concerts because of no car and no ride and says he is still puzzled about how he missed seeing Led Zeppelin in 1977.
And then there were Oklahoma State Fairgrounds Arena concerts that came with a bonus, like first seeing the Eagles in 1972 as an opening. “I recognized the song they were performing as a new hit on the radio, “Take It Easy!” The single had been out a little over a month,” Carpenter said in a recent interview. “I watched the “new group” in action. I think it was Don Henley who was wearing an OU football jersey. I was just over two weeks out of high school, but I could tell these guys were really good. Their 50-minute set ended way too fast for us before British sensation Jethro Tull took the stage.”
Carpenter can relive that special night through the magic of YouTube. “Someone in the crowd taped the Eagles’ portion of the concert that night and recently posted it on YouTube,” Carpenter said. “Listening to it 50 years later, it is like I am back at the beginning of all that major concert going.”
He made the trip to a Rolling Stones concert on June 24th in Ft. Worth, where he saw his favorite group on their Rolling Stones American Tour 1972, which also included Canada. He says he could get tickets only because that tour was so successful the Stones added a second show.
But in Oklahoma City, later in 1972, he became a diehard fan of his favorite all-time supergroup. “The Grateful Dead were to play at the Civic Center, probably the best acoustics in Oklahoma,” Carpenter said. “When a second concert was added for November 15th, we got outstanding tickets near the front of the concert hall.”
His third world-class concert of the year swept him away. “The Grateful Dead with Jerry Garcia took the stage without fanfare, and we were off. They played two long sets that night, with the standout for me being the almost half-hour jam on their classic “Playing in the Band,” Carpenter said. “During that show, with such great acoustics, I became a Deadhead for life.”
Hundreds of concerts, hundreds of artists later, in 2022, Carpenter still thinks about the Grateful Dead, especially since he saw them play at the Oklahoma City Fairgrounds Arena again almost a year after that eventful night. “As the years went by, I continued to follow the Grateful Dead and watched them become an icon in American popular culture,” Carpenter said.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in Sociology at Oklahoma State University and became a distinguished Probation and Parole officer. He capped his 24-year career as the Sentencing Guideline Specialist for the Western District of Oklahoma. He has been retirement privileged since 2011 and has become a well-known yoga and spin teacher in the Oklahoma City area.
Today he will share with you all the complications of modern ticketing where you can think that you’re buying a ticket at one price only to find that the price is two or three times higher when it’s time to pay. Still, the genuinely dedicated will put up with that because, as Carpenter will tell you, nothing beats hearing the live performance version of talented artists’ songs.
When he thinks about what keepsake is his favorite from all those concerts, he thinks about Garcia. Never one to follow the band from city to city as some fans did, he says he is devoted. “Although he died in 1995 of a heart attack, their records and music continue to sell,” Carpenter said. “Jerry (Garcia) remains as popular as ever and is even revered by younger generations of music fans who never had the privilege as I did of seeing him in concert. I am grateful to rock’n’roll music to have experienced this phenomenon myself.”
Speaking with Carpenter about Oklahoma being the crossroads of America and touring musicians, he not only gives you answers but opens your eyes to more questions, more ideas, more perspectives and more wonder about Oklahoma’s place in rock’n’roll history. When you hear Carpenter speak with a high school friend his age, another strong concertgoer, Barbie Garrison, you realize his nearly encyclopedic knowledge of rock’n’roll history.
“My Facebook friends asked me about specific artists I have seen, so I wrote narratives about what was going on in my life when I went to specific concerts and what kind of performance it was,” Carpenter said. “This recent writing has sparked my realization of how profoundly concert going has affected my life.”
“Concert going helped me create a whole different circle of friends and provided at times a much-needed release from the stress of being a college athlete and on throughout my life working with offenders on parole or probation,” Carpenter said. “Being a fresh diversion each time, many concerts were so startlingly creative, with high-quality musicians and their voices and their harmonizing and the brilliance of their words and poems set to music. Rock and Roll music will never die.”

Oklahoma City’s Cattle Baron’s Ball celebrates 20 years of saving lives with a night of food, fun and fundraising – Friday September 23rd at the National Western Heritage Museum. This year’s event is being led by dedicated volunteer, Mary Blankenship Pointer, Vice President at Frontier State Bank.
Cattle Baron’s Ball is the signature philanthropy gala of the American Cancer Society.
This year’s western-themed “party with a purpose” features A-List entertainer and OKC local, Ty England. As well as games, food and beverage, live and silent auctions.
All proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society and the Chad Richison Hope Lodge Oklahoma.
The Chad Richison Hope Lodge is a centrally located home-away-from-home for patients and their families opening this fall. It offers cancer patients and their caregivers free lodging while they travel to receive life-saving care from any of the area’s premier medical centers.
The $16.5 million facility is named in recognition of ACS’s capstone donor, Paycom Founder and CEO, Chad Richison. Mr. Richison is also this year’s Cattle Baron’s Ball honoree and will be recognized the night of the event.
Richison donated $5 million to fund Oklahoma’s first Hope Lodge. “This is a personal cause for many, including myself, and helps ensure anyone traveling for treatment will have one less item to worry about,” said Richison.
Cancer is the second-leading cause of death in Oklahoma. Each day, 49 Oklahomans are diagnosed with cancer. The American Cancer Society is working every day to free the worldfrom the pain and suffering of cancer through research, prevention, patient services, and advocacy.
To learn more or donate visit www.cattlebaronsballokc.org. For more information, please contact Rachel Stratton at 281-352-6471. Engage with @ACSOklahoma and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

https://www.belmontcove.com/

Agency Expands Compassionate Allowances List

Kilolo Kijakazi, Acting Commissioner of Social Security, recently announced 12 new Compassionate Allowances conditions: Angioimmunoblastic T-cell Lymphoma, Blastic Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell Neoplasm, Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker Disease, Microvillus Inclusion Disease – Child, Mowat-Wilson Syndrome, Myelodysplastic Syndrome with Excess Blasts, NUT Carcinoma, Pfeiffer Syndrome – Types II and III, Pontocerebellar Hypoplasia, Posterior Cortical Atrophy, Renal Amyloidosis – AL Type, and Sarcomatoid Mesothelioma.
The Compassionate Allowances program quickly identifies claims where the applicant’s condition or disease clearly meets Social Security’s statutory standard for disability. Due to the severe nature of many of these conditions, these claims are often allowed based on medical confirmation of the diagnosis alone. To date, more than 800,000 people with severe disabilities have been approved through this accelerated, policy-compliant disability process, which has grown to a total of 266 conditions.
“The Social Security Administration is committed to reducing barriers and ensuring people who are eligible for benefits receive them,” said Acting Commissioner Kijakazi. “Our Compassionate Allowances program allows us to strengthen that commitment by accelerating the disability application process for people with the most severe disabilities.”
When a person applies for disability benefits, Social Security must obtain medical records in order to make an accurate determination. The agency incorporates leading technology to identify potential Compassionate Allowances cases and make quick decisions. Social Security’s Health IT brings the speed and efficiency of electronic medical records to the disability determination process. With electronic records transmission, Social Security can quickly obtain a claimant’s medical information, review it, and make a fast determination.
For more information about the program, including a list of all Compassionate Allowances conditions, please visit www.socialsecurity.gov/compassionateallowances.
To learn more about Social Security’s Health IT program, please visit www.socialsecurity.gov/hit.
People may apply online for disability benefits by visiting www.socialsecurity.gov.
To create a my Social Security account, please visit www.socialsecurity.gov/myaccount.

Story and photo Van Mitchell, Contributing Writer

An estimated 20 million Americans are living with chronic pain due to neuropathy

At Nerve Renewal Neuropathy Clinic located at 3705 NW 63rd Street, Suite 101 in Oklahoma City, they help Oklahomans renew their quality of life through proven nerve pain treatments that provide safe and effective relief.
Clinic hours are 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
“At Nerve Renewal, we are on a mission to help Oklahomans renew their quality of life through established nerve pain treatments that provide safe and effective relief,” said Tim Bales, owner of Nerve Renewal Neuropathy Clinic. “Our prominent clients are seniors. They have some sort of pain, mainly neuropathy, and they are looking for some kind of relief from that pain or more feeling in their extremities.”
Peripheral Neuropathy is a disorder of the peripheral nerves, which connect the spinal cord to the muscles, skin, and internal organs in our bodies.
Neuropathy usually affects the hands and feet, and causes weakness, numbness, tingling and pain.
Patients may also report burning sensations, leg cramps, loss of balance, muscle weakness, and sensitivity to touch.
Neuropathy may come and go, progress over time, or even become severe and debilitating. Left untreated, it can lead to the loss of fingers, toes, and even limbs.
Each year, over 86,000 Americans undergo amputations as a result of uncontrolled neuropathy. However, if diagnosed early, peripheral neuropathy can often be treated.
Bales said while there is no cure for neuropathy, over 80 percent of patients report a significant reduction in pain after treatments. They can also enjoy better sleep due to reduced pain and recover more quickly from knee and hip surgery.
“Rather than masking your pain with medication, that can cause very undesirable side effects, as well as creating a long-term dependence on them, our staff of medical professionals will address the symptoms of neuropathy at the source with a non-invasive, drug-free form of therapy that combines injections of pharmaceutical-grade nutrient blend with electroanalgesia to provide relief from your symptoms,” he said. “Usually, treatments take between 16 and 24 treatments. Those vitamin injections really help the healing.”
Neuropathy has many different causes. The most common metabolic cause are patients with diabetes. Nearly 60 percent of all patients with diabetes develop neuropathy. This can commonly present as pain, numbness, swelling, burning, tingling, sleepless nights, balance issues.
Other causes of neuropathy include: chemotherapy, alcoholism, drugs/prescription medications; battlefield toxins, industrial toxins, vitamin deficiencies, acute physical trauma, and post-surgical pain.
Traditional neuropathy treatments, such as surgery and strong pain medications, can have a severe impact on patients’ long-term health.
Bales said Nerve Renewal Neuropathy Clinic takes a different approach, using established Electroanalgesia (EA) treatments to reduce pain without the drawbacks of invasive procedures or addictive medications.
EA works by delivering exact dosages of electrical stimulation to peripheral nerves. These high frequencies can decrease the ability of the affected nerves to transmit pain, which brings relief and healing. There is no opioid drowsiness, addiction concerns, or side effects.
“This non-evasive, drug-free form of technology is one of the oldest and most documented forms of medical science,” said Glenn Cope, Chief Operating Officer with Nerve Renewal Neuropathy Clinic. “Patients don’t feel trapped by pain. They are able to move and get exercise, leading to healthier outcomes for all other medical treatments.”
Cope said controlled research studies have shown that most patients find long-term relief from neuropathy after receiving Nerve Renewal Neuropathy Clinic’s specific treatment.
Bales said once the initial treatment is completed, patients then return every two weeks for follow-up care.
“Once you get to that threshold, there is maintenance,” he said. “You come back every two weeks, and it (helps) keep you where you are.”
Bales said their customers have requested adding Friday openings to their clinic hours, and he said that is something they are considering.
Cope said they are opening several other Nerve Renewal Neuropathy Clinics throughout the Oklahoma City metropolitan area.
“They (patients) aren’t crazy about driving a long way so we are building additional locations so it will be easier for them to get to places in town closer to them,” Cope said. “We are doing southwest Oklahoma City, just south of Oklahoma City Community College, Midwest City and Norman.”
Bales said the treatments are covered by most insurances.
“These established treatments are covered by Medicare, Medicaid, VA, and most medical insurance companies, so you can focus on enjoying life again,” he said.
For more information about Nerve Renewal Neuropathy Clinic call (405) 495-9270 or visit www.nerverenewalnow.com.