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2007 'Champions of Health' award winners announced

Jack C. Montgomery Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Muskogee has been named 2007 Champion of Oklahoma Health, the highest honor of the Champions of Health awards. This fourth-annual awards program recognizes outstanding organizations and individuals dedicated to improving the health of Oklahomans.

The center’s new inpatient rehabilitation unit and prosthetic services program are being recognized for their commitment to help veterans, including those who have served in Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom, achieve their highest level of functional independence and improve quality of life.

The 20-bed unit provides needed services to veterans who would otherwise drive 135 miles to the nearest VA medical center in Oklahoma City. Patients are now able to secure these resources in the same location as they receive their primary care, without incurring travel costs or seeking the same services in the private sector at their own expense.

The prosthetics service has completed nearly 11,800 patient visits and served 7,600 patients since October 2006. The Jack C. Montgomery Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center was selected as the overall winner from more than 130 Champions of Health award nominations.

The “Champion of Oklahoma Health” award will be accepted at the 2007 Champions of Health Awards, 6 p.m., Monday, Oct. 8, at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. The event features 2006 Miss America Jennifer Berry as master of ceremonies and former U.S. Congressman J.C. Watts as keynote speaker.

Tickets to the Champions of Health awards banquet may be purchased for $25 each. Event sponsorships benefit the Oklahoma Caring Foundation’s children’s health initiatives. For more information about sponsorships or to purchase tickets for the awards banquet, visit http://www.championsofhealth.org/ or call 1-866-876-4376. MasterCard and VISA payments are accepted.

The Champions of Health awards program was created in 2004 by five partner organizations—Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma, the Oklahoma State Department of Health, the Oklahoma Hospital Association, the Oklahoma Osteopathic Association and the Oklahoma State Medical Association.

As Champion of Oklahoma Health, the Jack C. Montgomery Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center receives a grant of $2,500 to award to the Oklahoma health improvement organization or project of its choice. Twelve other Champions selected from 10 categories also will be honored and each awarded a $1,000 contribution to their organization or program:

Champion of the Uninsured (tie - two winners)
Mobile Dental Care Program, Oklahoma City - Created by Oklahoma Dental Foundation (ODF) in 2006, The Mobile Dental Care program allows volunteer dentists to treat low-income and uninsured children and adults statewide. The ODF Mobile Dental Care program treated more than 380 individuals in 2006 by holding “block parties” in public housing complexes and traveling to treat individuals in rural communities including Woodward, Guymon, Laverne and Tishomingo. Seventy-three percent of the patients the Mobile Dental Care Program served in 2006 were uninsured.

Health Alliance for the Uninsured and R. Murali Krishna, MD, Oklahoma City - In collaboration with physicians, hospitals and community partners, the Health Alliance for the Uninsured recently launched a pilot project in three Oklahoma City metro-area free clinics to improve access to health care for the uninsured. The project will address the need for a successful free clinic system in Oklahoma County to provide the uninsured a “medical home” and consistent and timely access to quality health care. The free clinic system will provide routine, preventive and non-emergency care through a family physician.
 
Education and Awareness Champion - Project S.P.I. T. (Stop, Prevent, and Intervene with Tobacco Use), Antlers - Project S.P.I.T. is a Communities of Excellence program working to reduce the burden of suffering, disease and death caused by tobacco. Working with school districts, cities, employers and the general public, Project S.P.I.T. and local Turning Point Coalitions educate youth, lawmakers and specific populations in southeastern Oklahoma. The goal of Project S.P.I.T. is to change the attitudes and social norms of tobacco use.

Champion of Children’s Health - Farm-to-School Initiative, Poteau - The Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture and the Oklahoma Food Policy Council collaborated for five years to establish a state farm-to-school program that would positively impact the health of Oklahoma’s youth. Through their efforts, school cafeterias in more than 400 schools in 35 school districts across the state now serve high quality, fresh produce purchased from local farms. The program also teaches students about food, nutrition, gardening and cooking. Children are encouraged to get excited about healthy food, and change their eating habits for the better.

Champion of Public Health (tie - two winners)
Tulsa Community College Advanced Placement LPN-RN Program, Tulsa -The TCC nursing program partnered with the Tulsa Hospital Council and local vocational technical schools to develop and implement an innovative avenue for working LPNs to pursue their goal of becoming registered nurse. Through this successful collaborative partnership, the TCC Nursing LPN-RN Nursing Advanced Placement (NAP) program was created. Since its inception in Spring 2005, the NAP program has provided individualized career and academic counseling to over 350 LPNs. Fourty-nine LPNs have completed the program, and 98 percent of these graduates have become registered nurses. This fall, 32 LPNs are entering the NAP program and will likely enter the Oklahoma workforce as RNs in 2008.

Oklahoma State University Center for Rural Health, Tulsa - Improving the health and well-being of rural Oklahomans, more than half of the state’s population, is the focus of the OSU Center for Rural Health. The center achieves positive results through osteopathic student education and residency training, research, program applications, advocacy and alliances with other organizations that share the same goals. The center uniquely impacts osteopathic physicians and their rural practices, providing support services and strengthening the broader health care delivery systems in the rural communities where they practice. Physicians are prepared for the unique challenges of rural medicine, ensuring that quality physicians are available in rural towns to take care of residents.

Minority Health Champion - Community Health Connection, Inc. / La Conexión Medica, Tulsa - A federally qualified health center located in Tulsa, La Conexión Medica provides affordable, accessible quality health care to all individuals, regardless of ability to pay. Sixty-nine percent of the patients served are Spanish-speaking Latinos. The health center provides primary health care and mental health care on-site, and through a public/private partnership with Regional Medical Lab, provides complete laboratory services to patients at a discounted rate.

Professional Health Care Champion - Ron Saizow, MD and Steve Meixel, MD - Bedlam Longitudinal Clinic, Tulsa - Doctors Ron Saizow and Steve Meixel are teaching OU-Tulsa medical students how to build a working health care system for the twenty-first century based on a team approach that includes nursing, pharmacy and social work professionals, providing care based on patients’ needs and priorities. Saizow and Meixel teach medical students the importance of providing patients what they need and expect, while forming quality relationships to create lasting improvements to patient health.

Public Service Health Champion - Insurance Commissioner Kim Holland, Oklahoma City - An outspoken advocate on the national level for Oklahoma seniors, Holland’s testimony before the United States Congress led to legislation designed to safeguard seniors from deceptive marketing tactics by some Medicare Advantage health plans. Holland hosted two insurance summits attended by health care providers, insurance industry representatives, legislators, business leaders and the public health community to address the high cost of health care. Holland’s CHAT initiative (Choosing Healthplans All Together) also is hosting sessions in 31 communities across the state, asking citizens what basic benefits they want in their health plans.

Champion of Senior Health - LIFE Senior Services, Tulsa - LIFE Senior Services Medicare Prescription Assistance Coalition was created to assist Oklahoma’s low-income seniors and disabled adults with Medicare Part D application and enrollment. LIFE has created the most comprehensive response to issues surrounding Medicare Part D in Oklahoma, reaching more than 23,000 Medicare beneficiaries to date. Through the assistance of more than 400 volunteers and service providers, LIFE provides outreach, information, community education, one-on-one and clinic-based screenings and resource materials to individuals across the state. In addition, LIFE has provided more than 440 educational programs serving 14,056 Oklahomans statewide.

Health and Medical Media Champion - The Journal Record, Oklahoma City - Featuring a weekly section devoted to the health care industry, including a platform for industry voices, The Journal Record has shown unflinching dedication in keeping the community informed of health care issues at all levels, including legislative, consumer and the health care industry. Additionally, The Journal Record produces an annual guide to health care resources in Oklahoma, which is distributed throughout the state free-of-charge.

Corporate Health Champion - Oklahoma State Department of Health Employee Wellness Program, Oklahoma City - The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) Wellness Program is an outstanding example of the state’s largest public health agency leading the way to better health. The program has expanded from a small number of lunchtime programs to a major comprehensive commitment to improve the health and well-being of every state employee. Regular smoking cessation programs, CPR classes, stair climbers club, aerobics and yoga classes, massage therapy, weight loss programs, and an on-site farmers’ market are offered to employees. Additional efforts include weekly walks with Oklahoma Secretary and Commissioner of Health Dr. Mike Crutcher, and annual participation in the National Employee Health and Fitness Day. Due to these efforts, other state agencies have identified the OSDH as a model to replicate in their own employee wellness programs.