Oklahoma Law Enforcement Memorial, Inc., the non-profit 501c-3 organization that oversees the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Memorial, started a project two years ago to have wreaths placed during the Christmas holiday season on all graves of Oklahoma’s fallen law enforcement officers. During the research to locate the graves of Oklahoma’s fallen officers it was found that the final resting place of just over one hundred of the over eight hundred fallen officers was unknown.
Most of the unknown burial sites are those of Deputy U.S. Marshals, their posses or guards, or tribal law enforcement officers who died before Oklahoma statehood. Over forty percent of all the Deputy U.S. Marshals who have died in the line of duty in the United States died in what is now the state of Oklahoma and are honored on the state’s law enforcement memorial.
The memorial organization ordered a new granite stone, and it was recently placed just south of the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Memorial plaza. This beautiful new granite stone is in honor of all the fallen officers whose final resting place is unknown.
A wreath will be placed at the new stone in mid-December during the annual Wreaths for the Fallen ceremony.
The Oklahoma Law Enforcement Memorial is the oldest state memorial honoring its fallen officers in the United States and was dedicated May 15, 1969. The non-profit memorial organization is totally funded by donations.
The memorial is located on the west grounds of the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety Headquarters, 3600 M. L. King Avenue in Oklahoma City.
For more information on these officers or the other over eight hundred officers who have died in the line of duty in Oklahoma go to the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Memorial website at www.oklemem.com.

Visit the Henry and Anna Overholser Mansion this October for the History and Haunts after-hours tour! These evening tours of the historic home will take place October 2, October 9 and October 15. All tours will begin at 7 p.m. with a brief introduction in the carriage house followed by a tour of the mansion in its nighttime splendor. Guests will learn the history of the home and its former occupants, and discover why some say they are still roaming the halls! The tour will allow time for guests to explore the historic home on their own. Tickets are $20 per person and are now available for purchase on the Preservation Oklahoma website, www.preservationok.org/shop. The History and Haunts tours will be limited to 25 guests per night, masks are required and tickets are nonrefundable.
Preservation Oklahoma, Incorporated, is the state’s only private, nonprofit membership organization that is dedicated to promoting, supporting and coordinating historic preservation activities throughout the state. Preservation Oklahoma’s mission is to promote preservation statewide. Founded in 1992, Preservation Oklahoma is a statewide partner with the National Trust for Historic Preservation and works on joint projects with the Oklahoma Historical Society, State Historic Preservation Office. More information can be found at www.preservationok.org. The Overholser Mansion is an affiliate of the Oklahoma Historical Society. The mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society is to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma and its people. Founded in 1893 by members of the Territorial Press Association, the OHS maintains museums, historic sites and affiliates across the state. Through its research archives, exhibits, educational programs and publications the OHS chronicles the rich history of Oklahoma. For more information about the OHS, please visit www.okhistory.org.

story and photo by James Coburn, Staff Writer

Seniors wanting to live their lives in community can be confident in the lifestyle options available at Epworth Villa, a retirement community in Oklahoma City.
“If you stop and think about it, the pandemic has highlighted for us the importance of community,” said Epworth Villa CEO and president Ron Kelly.
The pandemic has interrupted the daily life of Americans in many ways. People have not been able to be as close to one another as in the past. Epworth Villa has met the challenge by preserving community when COVID moved through virtually every segment of society.
Epworth did a lot of shutting things down last year during the height of the pandemic. It joined everyone else in trying to understand how to minimize the risks of COVID-19. Testing and screening protocols were implemented for best practices.
Oklahoma is experiencing a resurgence with the Delta variant as scientists unravel the mystery of the disease with vaccinations available to keep the virus at bay. Kelly said Epworth has done fairly well in minimizing the impact. It’s important to be transparent, he said. (story continues below)

“Did we have cases? Yes, we did. We had a few folks that passed away actually that were in our upper levels of care,” he said. “It was very sad for us — but from what I saw — what others experienced, that was well above what others were experiencing.”
Some people enjoyed the neighborly aspects of greeting friends from their balconies and other measures during a time when the public didn’t feel very safe being indoors together.
“There was a friendship tree that came out of that in our cottage area where we have independent homes,” Kelly said.
People in the neighborhood would come to a large shade tree to gather at a safe distance in front of one of those homes. That spirit has continued at Epworth.
To this day, people still want to receive the daily community videos that Kelly produces for residents. Kelly now distributes the videos three days a week. He provides updates on the Delta variant and the possible impact it may or may not bring to daily life. Guidance from the CDC is presented in the videos as to whether a change of protocols should be updated to offer the best protection for the residents.
“So, I think people have really appreciated staying informed with what’s going on,” he said. “They’ve taken advantage of every opportunity to keep community going. That has been huge in terms of the thriving of our residents and our staff.”
Another area of improvement is creating more options for enriching life at home. Dining venues reopened when Epworth felt confident it was safe.
About 99 percent of Epworth residents have been vaccinated, Kelly said. There have been adjustments, but the community has been able to adapt and thrive since February.
Epworth’s nursing staff is one to admire. They have shown a lot of courage, Kelly continued. Folks were happy to be able to adapt to wearing protective equipment. There was greater risk for both staff and residents early in the pandemic.
“We had some staff that tested positive. I’m sure when that happens it rattles you, but they were courageous. Our director of nursing (Mia Owen) led the way. She showed the staff herself. She put on the equipment — did it herself. She went into areas where we had a COVID-positive resident,” Kelly explained. “She showed them and demonstrated that for them. That was the kind of leadership we needed. We needed our director of nursing when there was uncertainty. That courage and that leadership is why I call those folks heroes.”
Epworth offers residents the options and amenities of a seamless living environment on its spacious campus.
There are three levels of living including independent living with apartments and cottages. There is assisted living care with a memory care component. Health services at Epworth provides a short-term rehab for people transitioning from a hospital to home. Skilled inpatient and outpatient care is provided.
“We offer that to the broader community outside of Epworth as well,” he said.
Epworth at Home is a hospice and home health care to serve the campus and the community at large.
“What I love about it is not only how the staff has served the residents that live here, but how the residents serve one another,” Kelly said. “That’s the kind of community I see.”
Friends encourage one another when they see progress resulting from health care.
“That really uplifts people, not only in those times of need, but in general,” Kelly said.
For more information visit: https://epworthvilla.org or 14901 N. Pennsylvania Avenue in Oklahoma City.

Story by Darl DeVault contributing editor

Renowned Oklahoma Osage sculptor Shan Gray died in September at age 65, but his legacy as the most prolific artist of the Oklahoma Centennial Commemoration will live on in the state with his iconic bronze masterpieces of public art.
Gray was hitting his stride as a prolific figurative portrait sculptor when Oklahoma planned its Centennial Commemoration for 2007— a statewide, multiyear celebration of the state’s 100th birthday. Commemoration organizers Lee Allan Smith and Blake Wade drafted Gray into sculpting multiple, larger-than-life public art projects, which became a legacy to his talent.
“Gray’s sculpture of the Shannon Miller statue in Edmond is truly the Oklahoma standard for excellence,” said Joel Randell, Gray’s sculpting protege. Gray’s Warren Spahn statues and award put his contribution to Oklahoma art at the level of Paul Moore’s Centennial Land Run Monument masterpiece and Harold Holden’s legacy, Randell added, and his Billy Vessels and James Garner bronze sculptures in Norman illustrate some of the state’s best of the human form in motion. (story continues below)

Completing eight bronze sculpting projects for the 2007 celebration, Gray was the most prolific of the individually commissioned Oklahoma Centennial artists. He collaborated with John Free Jr. in the casting of his heroic statues at Free’s Bronze Horse Foundry in Pawhuska.
The largest of Gray’s public art creations is the Cleveland County Veterans Memorial near the southwest corner of Reaves Park in Norman. A striking and complex memorial, the work accentuates the clean lines of an obelisk topped by an oversized eagle landing with an American flag.
The statue of the University of Oklahoma’s first Heisman Trophy winner, Billy Vessels, is displayed in Heisman Park just east of Jenkins Avenue and the football stadium. Also in Norman, his bronze likeness of famous Norman son and movie star James Garner enhances the downtown area on East Main Street at the railroad tracks.
“For all of these works,” Gray said at the dedication of the Garner statue, “I was striving to accurately capture the detail and dynamics of the spirit or movement in the human figures in the unmoving bronze to carry off the illusion of bringing the monument to life. I have always said my sculpting style is rooted in the classical tradition.”
A cluster of Gray’s efforts is outside the Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in downtown Oklahoma City, including the nine-foot-tall bronze depiction of Warren Spahn in his famous high-kicking windup. Spending his final decades in Tulsa, Spahn is the winningest lefty pitcher in major league history. Gray’s busts of other Oklahomans—New York Yankee pitcher Allie “Super Chief” Reynolds and St. Louis Cardinal Pepper Martin—are near the third-base gate at the ballpark.
Gray’s works include a tribute to the three former Miss Americas who attended Oklahoma City University. At the southeastern entrance to the OCU campus, Jane Jayroe, Susan Powell and Shawntel Smith beam in their pageant evening gowns.
The Nazih Zuhdi Transplant Institute on the campus of Baptist Integris Hospital displays a bust of its namesake medical inventor and heart surgeon. The sculpture is on the ground floor of the main hospital building.
In Edmond’s Shannon Miller Park, Gray’s bronze sculpture honors the seven-time Olympic medalist from Edmond. The 19-foot bronze was the largest statue of a woman athlete in America at its completion.
In Edmond’s J.L. Mitch Park, Gray erected a bronze Girl Scout statue titled ‘95 Years and Planting.’ It depicts a small girl planting a tree in the park.

By Nick Thomas

If you were a child growing up during the 1960s and a fan of sci-fi television of the day, the nostalgic value of shows like “Lost in Space” can’t be overstated. Cast members Bill Mumy and Angela Cartwright recognize the connection many seniors may have to the series and have updated and expanded their 2015 “Lost (and Found) in Space” book into a new volume, released September 14 (see www.NCPBooks.com).
“The new book is now 350 pages and contains over 900 photographs,” said Bill Mumy, who played plucky junior astronaut Will Robinson in the series, from his home in Los Angeles. “The original was largely a scrapbook with a few captions, but this one contains a lot more stories about the show as well as the intertwining lives of Angela and me who have remained friends for over 50 years. Much of the credit for the expanded book goes to (the late producer, director, and screenwriter) Kevin Burns.”
Angela Cartwright (the show’s genial and imaginative space-teen Penny Robinson) says Burns called her after acquiring the CBS photo archives of the show.
“We were planning to update the book with maybe 50 additional pages, but it ended up so much more with all these never-before-seen photos,” she explained from her Los Angeles art studio. “Bill and I got on the phone and began writing down all the personal memories the photos brought back.”
“I was 10 when the show began,” recalled Bill. “Angela and I were at school together for 4 years, we went through puberty together, we became each other’s first loves, traveled the world together, and went on to have our own families. So it’s both a book on ‘Lost in Space’ and our long friendship.”
Why the show, and science fiction in general, remains so popular with audiences is no mystery to Mumy. “Sci-fi is just a canvass for the imagination. And because our show had children, kids watching could relate to those characters and go along on the space adventures with us each week.”
After the 3-season show ended in 1968, Mumy and Cartwright continued to act including cameos in the new Netflix “Lost in Space” series. But both have enjoyed successful careers beyond the screen in other artistic areas. Mumy is a respected musician and singer/songwriter (see www.billmumy.com) while Cartwright is a noted photographer and painter (see www.angelacartwrightstudio.com). However, the pair never distanced themselves from the iconic sci-fi series.
“The props, the cast, the stories – I loved every minute working on the show,” recalled Bill. “We’ve been living through a hard time on this planet lately, so a little nostalgia can take you back to a happy time. ‘Lost in Space’ even inspired people to go into the space program.”
“When we visited NASA to watch the Discovery liftoff, an experience I’ll never forget, that’s what technicians told us,” added Angela. “We just made this little show but it really captured the imagination of the youth of the day. Now, people in their 50s and 60s have introduced it to their children and grandchildren. In 30 or 40 years when we’re all no longer around, there will probably be new generations still watching it with fond memories. So we’re grateful for the fans and hope the book brings back a snippet of their childhood.”
And as the stars have aged, so have their fans. “That’s a special connection we have with them,” noted Angela. “They’ve even been very forgiving about my white hair!”
“We’ve told our story and told it honestly,” said Bill. “‘Lost in Space’ just makes people happy.”
Nick Thomas teaches at Auburn University at Montgomery, Ala., and has written features, columns, and interviews for numerous magazines and newspapers. See www.getnickt.org.

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

While we are still feeling travel is an uncertainty, I have found my arm chair reminiscences of past travels a comfort and a possibility for the future. A trip to relive and see Nashville through the eyes of Disney Travel is a pleasant escape.
Many seniors find that a packaged tour offers the best in time and treasure management. A package tour is pre designed to offer the ease of small group travel and the expert knowledge of the highlights of a particular itinerary. Package tours take the worry out of exploration, as the operators know the area offered and the fastest way to experience the survey of an area. For first time visitors, it gives an over view of the best of the area, and if the traveler finds that time at an attraction is not enough, it is a good reference point for a follow up visit. As you can tell, I find an expert package tour is a convenient holiday experience.
Adventures By Disney is a group tour offering. Disney does it right, whether it’s movies, theme parks or group tours. I experienced Nashville the Disney way, with many insider and backstage visits not available to other tours and certainly not by solo travelers. Several years ago I visited Nashville, but with my tour with Adventures By Disney, I have a complete Nashville experience with many Disney extras that are memorable, educational and fun. Every day our energized and informative tour guides, Kelley and Paola, offered extras and surprises that got us spoiled as we visited from venue to venue. Just when you thought the venue or day was complete we’d hear our guides say, “And then there’s more!”
The Hermitage, located near Nashville, was the home of President Andrew Jackson. Adventures By Disney arranged for Andrew and his wife to greet our bus, and welcome us at the traditional entry to the homestead, which is not offered for other visitors. We had an after-hours visit, complete with a guided grounds and house tour, and then there was more. We had a period dance instruction with Andrew and his wife joining in, as others in the group enjoyed wine and vintage Andrew Jackson bourbon. And then there was more. We had a hands on instruction in simple biscuit making by expert, Maryann Byrd, and then enjoyed our creations baked just for us at a catered sit down dinner in an a joining air conditioned venue. Walking back in the dark to the bus we were all more than satisfied as our departure was enhanced with a spectacle of fireflies.
Nashville has added notoriety with the popular ABC television drama of the same name. Disney enhanced our Nashville adventure with a bus tour of filming locations, and a very special private concert luncheon at the famed Blue Bird Cafe. The essence of Nashville’s established and rising performers was exhibited by the intimate hour long plus performances by Leslie Satcher and Walker Hayes. We were all moved by the stories they told that inspired the creation of the songs they sang for us. This example of sincerity and the universal experiences of life, is the real Nashville sound. The clear and rhythmic songs were true examples of craft being raised to the level of performance art. Beyond the flash and country glamour of Nashville, the Blue Bird Cafe experience reaffirms the essence of America’s indigenous music.
A visit to Music City would not be complete without a tour of the historical Ryman auditorium and of course Disney gave us a special private tour and a chance to stand on that stage which was inhabited by the founders of country music. We entered through the stage door entrance in an alley adjacent to a bar/lounge famous as a haunt of music pioneers. And while the Ryman is a must, the new Grand Ole Opry venue is as impressive when you are able to visit the famous back stage dressing rooms, and wall of fame. But there was more!
We had a pre-show dinner in the broadcast studio where many Nashville shows were filmed which included the sound stage where the popular Hee Haw show was once produced. A catered sit down meal with wine was only briefly interrupted when instruction in line dancing was included. And to top off all of this VIP experience, we had VIP seating at that nights Grand Ole Opry show, with a special treat for me, hearing a couple of songs by Vince Gill, a fellow Oklahoman.
The more continued with hands on poster making at Hatch Show Print, a mock station ID recording at the legendary WSM 650 AM radio station, admission to the expansive Country Music Hall of Fame, and a private visit to Music Row’s RCA Studio B recording studio where Elvis along with other legendary artists, recorded their songs beginning in 1957. We were entertained with insider stories, and with many rehearsals under our belts, we recorded our own group singing a well-known Elvis favorite, and was later presented with our own special CD of our performance.
All along our days of adventures all admission charges were taken care of by our hosts as were most meal times. We ate at Merchants’ Restaurant where we customized our own BBQ sauce, and had breakfast at popular Puckett’s Grocery. There was even a little free time for us to explore downtown Nashville sights on our own. I took this opportunity to reserve my spot for lunch at the Southern Steak and Oyster restaurant, and then took a stroll up to the historic Hermitage Hotel and the Capitol Grille, where I took in a beverage and tales of this famous watering hole.
If you couldn’t tell I was impressed with the services and thoughtfulness of the Adventures By Disney experience. Some tours are for adults only while most welcome the whole family. Documents and itineraries are sent to you well in advance of your departure and should you have added questions they are easily answered by phone from your personal travel concierge. Besides state-side destinations, the company offers tours overseas and cruises as well. Tempt your travel lust by exploring: https://www.adventuresbydisney.com.

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

Story by James Coburn, Staff Writer

Cori Roney helps patients live their lives as happy as they can be.
Her career as a registered nurse comforts lives as the director of nursing at St. Ann’s Skilled Nursing & Therapy, located in Oklahoma City.
There are many opportunities to learn about a myriad of modalities in patient care at St. Ann’s.
“One is their personalities, just like you get to know about your friends — what they like and what they dislike. Their ups and downs, what helps them relax. So even if I’m having a bad day, you still have your family here and they can bring you out of it. It ups your spirits because they are here.”
Her grandfather was in a nursing home. So, she empathizes with families on their journey into long-term care. It helps her to take pride in her work knowing families can take comfort in knowing their loved one is safe and secure when living at home is no longer the best option in care.
Roney began her career as a licensed practical nurse after graduating from the Western Technology Center in Burns Flat. She later graduated from Oklahoma City Community College with a nursing degree. She started in home health and progressed into wound care. Her RN license brought her to a totally skilled facility. She worked at a hospital but wanted to get to know her patients better so she ventured into a skilled rehab facility where she could see patients improve with smiles on their faces when returning home.
Teamwork is a story of success at St. Ann’s Skilled Nursing & Therapy. She accepted her new career challenge at St. Ann’s in January of 2020. A lot of the staff were new last year when the COVID pandemic emerged throughout Oklahoma. Roney is grateful to work where nurses radiate a caring spirit about the residents.
How St. Ann’s nursing staff responded to the pandemic touched Roney’s heart with grace. Families have been very supportive throughout all of life’s challenges. They are like family, too. Life is more of a celebration at St. Ann’s.
“We have birthdays, and our staff will go buy them birthday presents of what patients like. They enjoy seeing them happy,” she said. “Our nurses are really compassionate, and you can’t teach compassion. It’s a natural personality trait. It’s easy to train somebody their skills, but not to have compassion.”
Roney recalls a patient who had COVID. She had spent a month hospitalized and it was touch-and-go regarding her survival. The woman returned to St. Ann’s and is stronger than ever. Seeing someone’s health overcome dark struggles is one of the reasons to be a nurse, Roney said,
“Something that has changed my life, my perspective while being at this facility is the support that we have gotten from our families in the community during the hard times,” she continued.
The past year represents one thread of a career that flourished while helping others. As a child she would watch TV shows about medicine. The nurses portrayed seemed so awesome. She earned her CNA license when in high school. It was a natural fit for a teenager who enjoyed making other people feel better.
“I just like taking care of people. If I can make their day better, I feel like I’ve done my job,” she explained.
She has a lot of praise for certified nurse aides. They are the hardest workers, Roney said.
Having been a CNA deepened her understanding of the dignity of life. Being a nurse means more than taking care of a patient, she said. Patients are people with individualized needs.
“Some people prefer to have their hair fixed, smell good and to wear nice clothes,” she said. “That’s their preference and it is a dignity. Most of the geriatrics, when they grew up, they dressed to impress all the time.
That has helped me as a nurse when looking at the smaller things.”
Small things like wearing glasses, how residents rest in bed matter to them. And Roney said if she didn’t start out as a CNA that she might have missed that.
About 50 percent of CNAs become nurses at St. Ann’s, Roney said. But some of them don’t.
“They love what they do. That’s their calling.”
St. Ann’s offers a nursing scholarship through the Bridges program. Each employee also has an educational fund with options that Bridges will pay for.
“That’s what I feel like is really good about this facility is we’re home-grown and we like to grow people.”
For more information visit: www.stannsok.com.

by James Coburn – staff writer

Laughter is great therapy. Epworth at Home Hospice has discovered a way to brighten up the days of hospice patients receiving palliative care, said Hope Knight, a registered nurse with the Epworth at Home Hospice team in Oklahoma City.
Seniors receiving hospice care or home health care from Epworth at Home will often find humor and a glimpse of nostalgia by therapeutic cardboard cut-outs of classic movie stars. Carol Burnett, John Wayne, Audrey Hepburn, and Elvis Presley have made steady appearances. A cut-out of actor Will Smith will soon join the collection of stars.
Patients get a ray of sunshine, something that makes them smile, Knight said. Hospice is a ministry, said Knight, who has been a nurse for 30 years and a hospice nurse for nearly six years. Her history includes emergency room and intensive care nursing.
“We’ll place it in a common area of their room. We will just see smiles and maybe they will point at them. We don’t know what’s going on in their head a lot of times, but we can see some joy in their faces,” Knight said.
The idea clicked in the mind of Community Liaison Shelley Stutchman just before an open house in May. She had been storing the cardboard inspirations in her office and wondered what to do with them. (story continues below)

“Even though John, Elvis, Carol, and Audrey were only cardboard, we could imagine them smiling as our guests took selfies with their favorites of the group,” Stutchman said.
Her role includes visiting with patients in the skilled nursing unit. She said there have been a few home health and hospice patients who have chosen hospice care. She will inform them about hospice and home health options when applicable.
One day she greeted a woman who was feeling a little depressed about her health. She looked at Stutchman and said she gets always feels more courageous and stronger after watching a John Wayne movie.
“How about I have John Wayne come visit you?” Stutchman said.
The woman thought Stutchman was joking, knowing the actor had died in 1979. Stutchman said she needed an hour to prepare her surprise.
“The patient just laughed and went to the therapy gym,” she said. “I attached a personalized note to the John Wayne cutout and snuck it into the patient’s room while she was in therapy. When the patient came back, she lit up like a Christmas Tree.”
The woman came from a hospital after having a leg amputation and felt blue. But soon she was texting photos to family and friends and laughed about how Duke Wayne startled a nurse who came in her room that night. Wayne was standing at the head of her bed holding a gun at his side. Her life was falling apart, but the therapy cut-out changed her attitude.
Knight said hospice families love taking pictures of the cut-outs with their loved ones. People smile as she carries Elvis, Carol, Audrey, or John Wayne down the hall. Ladies will prepare for a visit by Elvis in the rehab unit. They will fix their hair and put on their lipstick, so they will look nice for their photo with Elvis.
“It motivates them therapy-wise to take care of themselves,” Stutchman said.
Another patient said one of the ladies told her she had the personality of Carol Burnett. When the cut-out was brought for an overnight visit to the woman’s room, it became a source of laughter during her visit with her son. They began talking about the old Carol Burnett shows they saw together when her son ways a little boy. Mother and son talked for almost two hours — something they had never done before.
“She said she was forever grateful for the Carol Burnett therapy cardboard,” Stutchman said.
Family members appreciate being able to share joy during their loved one’s hospice care, Knight said.
“It brings back good memories. We’re all about memories in hospice,” she said. “That’s all we’ve got when people pass.”
Even hospice patients living with dementia will interact with the therapeutic cut-outs. Older memories are more intact with dementia. And, even if a hospice patient does not have dementia, they will oftentimes pull back into their younger selves, Knight said.
“They will pull away from the world as they are transitioning from this life to the next. And so many times they just don’t want to talk with people — they don’t want to interact because they’re pulling back and readying their spirit for when they pass on,” Knight said.
Many nurses in general don’t deal well with people passing away because they want to make them better, Knight said.
“But then, there are some of us that say sometimes we don’t make them better, so let’s make this transition the best it can be. Let’s help them have the best life possible in as many days that they have.”
For more information visit: www.epworthathome.org or call (405) 767-9033.

COVID-19 Oklahoma Test Results

*Includes 22 hospitalizations in pediatric beds.
**Focus, Rehabilitation and Tribal Facilities numbers are not assigned to a specific region as their patient populations reside across the state. Information provided through survey of Oklahoma hospitals as reported to HHS as of the time of this report. Response rate affects data. Facilities may update previously reported information as necessary.
Data Source: Acute Disease Service, Oklahoma State Department of Health. *As of 2021-09-28 at 7:00 a.m.

story and photo by Bobby Anderson, Staff Writer

Jerry Almufleh still remembers getting out of school in the afternoons and heading to the dialysis center to sit with his grandmother while she received dialysis.
There would be good days and there would be bad days while Almufleh watched his loved one go through renal failure.
And he always wished there was something more he could do to make things easier.
“Doing that, sometimes three days a week, I got intrigued. I wanted to learn more and I built relationships with the nurses and the doctors,” he said.
Eventually, that curiosity would be rewarded at age 19 with a job on the dialysis unit. Positions in long-term care, home healthcare and hospice would follow, but his driving focus was always helping make life easier for those battling health issues.
That’s why he and his wife, Alison, started SilverLeaf, a cannabis and CBD dispensary that takes a person-centered approach to making everyday life better.
The passage of State Question 788 in 2018 paved the way for medical marijuana in Oklahoma.
For more than two years Oklahomans have turned to the licensed and regulated industry for treatment of a variety of conditions.
But while new stores seemingly pop up every week, none have taken an approach like SilverLeaf. (story continues below)

“I would love to see this model flourish because we hear the testimonials. Not only the medicine, because we know what we’re looking for but just the experience overall,” Jerry said. “Really all it is is to treat people like they’re humans, empathize, sympathize with them, listen to them and always do your very best. That’s where we’re getting a lot of the trust.”
Customers coming to SilverLeaf are greeted by their first name. It’s just the tip of the iceberg as Jerry and his wife take the time to find out exactly what their client needs are.
“I get to help them in a more natural way,” said Alison who previously worked in admissions in long-term care. “Working in long-term care you see the downgrade, someone come in and decline. But being there every day they become part of your family.”
“Now when I get to be with the patients they walk in and they’re happier.”
Cannabis enjoys the distinction as one of the oldest cultivated crops in the world, dating back several thousand years.
But the discovery of its vast medicinal purposes has only occurred in the last half-century.
“It’s hard to believe that just the last 60 years we got it right,” Alison said. “We’re finally figuring it out.”
SilverLeaf operates more like a clinic than a store.
Having spent the better part of their lives working with seniors, both Jerry and Alison know the importance of establishing trust especially when it comes to helping customers who are struggling with chronic issues.
Jerry estimates more than 60 percent of his time is spent in teaching.
“The education is understanding the background of whatever diseases they’re battling, understanding the side effects and the pros and cons,” said Jerry, who frequently provides presentations to independent and assisted living facilities. “This is not what they were taught back in the day. The main message we want to get out is there is a more natural, safer way.”
In the realm of constant pain or anxiety, there’s little argument now that cannabinoids provide safe, natural symptom relief.
“(Constant pain) shouldn’t have to be that way. What quality of life is that,” Jerry asked. “We have a passion for seniors. I feel seniors should live their life to the fullest to the last day. They shouldn’t have to succumb to sedation and seclusion.”
Silverleaf Dispensary specializes in senior care and dosing. It is very important that you know the correct delivery methods and dosage to consume, that’s why Silverleaf is a Certified Cannacian and can walk you through the process of obtaining optimal health through CBD and Cannabis.
The working relationship between Almufleh and physicians often results in customers being able to decrease dosages or even go off of pharmaceutical medications entirely.
In some instances, evening prescription medications designed to sedate patients for the purpose of sleep can be replaced by quality CBD products.
“We understand we may be ahead of our time in terms of (medical marijuana),” Jerry said. “It’s now that we’re starting to see those poles shift. We have a whole demographic counting on us.”
“There needs to be an atmosphere and a place where people can come down and truly get what they need instead of being rushed through dispensaries like cattle,” he said. “We feel like we needed to develop that place and here we are.”
For more information visit: https://silverleaf-ok.com or go by and say hello at 5300 North Meridian Avenue Suite 12 in Oklahoma City.