2006 Champions of Health links and resources

Champion of Oklahoma Health
Project CHILD’s I Died. Who’s Next?
Choctaw Nation Health Services Authority - Talihina
As part of the Choctaw Nation’s Project CHILD (Children’s Health Interventions and Lifestyle Development) initiative, a program called I Died. Who’s Next? delivers a message with impact – the fact that alcohol-related vehicle crashes are the nation’s No. 1 killer of teens.

 In 2006, the two-day educational event was presented to 8,000 students in 14 schools throughout southeastern Oklahoma. The program uses role-playing exercises and partnerships with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, school districts and local police, fire, ambulance and funeral services to recreate realistic vehicle crash scenes to illustrate the tragic results of driving under the influence of alcohol.

Following the simulation, students gather for an assembly in which students hear from their own classmates about the emotionally-charged issue of drinking and driving.

I Died. Who’s Next? was selected as the Champion of Oklahoma Health from more than 120 award nominations.

Link:   Choctaw Nation Health Services Authority
Oklahoma Highway Patrol

 

Champion of Children's Health
Preventive Lifestyles for Active Youth (PLAY),
Comanche County Memorial Hospital Foundation - Lawton
Comanche County Memorial Hospital is addressing the childhood obesity epidemic through a school-based extended day program to promote physical activity in children. This collaborative program for children kindergarten-6th grade teaches children in a safe and nurturing environment that being healthy is fun! Designed with measurable pre- and post- program physical fitness assessments utilizing similar control and interventional groups, the results provided baseline and comparative data which proved the program was successful in improving the overall physical fitness of the children in the PLAY program.

Link:   Comanche County Memorial Hospital

Champion of the Uninsured
Health for Friends - Norman
For over two decades, Health for Friends Community Medical Clinic has helped serve the medical, dental and pharmacy needs of uninsured, low-income families in Norman, Okla. With the help of volunteer medical professionals, Health for Friends works to combat the issue of high medical costs and access to health care by providing medical services to those who need it most. Indirectly Health for Friends helps reduce the burden on the public health system by providing consistent health care to those who cannot afford to visit a doctor and otherwise would seek primary care at the local emergency room.

Champion of Public Health
Arthur G.Wallace, Jr., DO, MPH - Tulsa
Dr. Arthur Wallace filled a need by starting the state’s first Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) after Operation Desert Storm in 1991. Dr. Wallace serves as unit commander and supervisory medical officer. OK-1 DMAT, one of the first in the US, officially began with about 35 volunteers – doctors, nurses, medical technicians – who could be called upon at any moment to travel with their own equipment to help others in need. Dr. Wallace worked, with outside financial assistance, to find donated medical equipment, a warehouse and large trucks for the team, as well as qualified volunteers willing to work without compensation for their time or labor. Since then, he and his team have responded to disasters such as the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing; the Sept. 11, 2001, World Trade Center attack in New York City; and Hurricane Katrina, which devastated areas of the Gulf Coast in 2005.

Link:   OK-1 DMAT

Public Service Health Champions (co-winners)
Sen. Mike Morgan  - Stillwater
Oklahoma State Senator and President Pro Tempore Mike Morgan has worked to address trauma and emergency health care issues by supporting three key legislative initiatives. Morgan supported legislation providing nearly $20 million annually for the Trauma Reimbursement Fund to compensate health care providers for uninsured patients. He also has advocated liability protection of the Medical Reserve Corps, a volunteer group of health care professionals who support public health needs. Morgan also led the charge to fund the creation of the Oklahoma Institute for Disaster and Emergency Medicine, which establishes an emergency medicine residency training program and provides education for current health care providers involved in trauma care and disaster medicine.

Link:   Sen. Mike Morgan
Medical Reserve Corps
OK Institute for Disaster and Emergency Medicine

Public Service Health Champions (co-winners)
Rep. Doug Cox,MD - Grove
Elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives in 2004, Cox is the first doctor in the state legislature in more than 20 years.

As Delaware County’s “Humanitarian of the Year,” Cox serves as a role model to his community. As an elected official, Cox has authored health care legislation and was a key supporter of the state’s Medicaid reform initiative passed earlier this year. The bill moves away from a “one size fits all” approach to Medicaid, allowing patients to take control of their individual health care and increases the number of doctors available to them by raising pay for those who treat Medicaid patients. As a physician, Cox works at Grove Integris Hospital and at family clinics in the area.

Link:   Rep. Doug Cox,MD
Grove Integris Hospital

Professional Health Care Champion
W. Michael Woods, MD - Ramona
Dr. Michael Woods teaches the value of rural medical care to young doctors practicing in sparsely populated Oklahoma communities.

He is a team doctor on Friday football nights for many rural schools in northeastern Oklahoma. His vision for the teaching and training of resident physicians has resulted in introducing technology and overcoming the difficulty in obtaining access to quality medical care in rural areas.  

Minority Health Champion
African American Faith Community for AIDS Prevention (AAFCAP) - Oklahoma City}
A coalition of 15 faith leaders and congregations has successfully worked to increase awareness of HIV/AIDS in Oklahoma City’s black community. The organization has developed and implemented effective educational programs for over five years, forming a national training manual and annual training program for pastors and faith leaders across the country, as well as an informational Web site, www.aafcap.org.

AAFCAP serves as a certified partner of the Balm in Gilead, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-funded African American AIDS organization in New York City. Through extensive educational training, the group has provided referrals and counseling for hundreds of persons affected by HIV and AIDS. The coalition has reached clients and other congregations by reducing the social stigma associated with HIV/AIDS.

Link:   Balm in Gilead
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
African American Faith Community for AIDS Prevention

 

Health and Medical Media Champion
Nicole Nascenzi, Tulsa World reporter - Tulsa
Nicole Nascenzi’s leadership and dedication to superior health reporting have significantly changed the face of HIV/AIDS coverage in Oklahoma. Through countless news stories and a four-part series in the Tulsa World, Nascenzi has made a tremendous impact on HIV prevention and care efforts statewide. Agencies highlighted saw an influx of new clients and supporters, while sympathy grew for a disease that often fights for empathy and understanding. Outside the newsroom, she was the top individual fundraiser for the Tulsa AIDS Walk in 2005.

Link:   Tulsa World
Tulsa AIDS Walk

 
Education and Awareness Champion
HeartLine’s Healthy Education for Life Program (HELP) - Oklahoma City
HeartLine’s Healthy Education for Life Program (HELP) is an aggressive suicide prevention effort that seeks to educate youth and parents about the warning signs of depression and self-harm and provides them with resources to help. HeartLine’s HELP initiative is part of the Oklahoma State Plan for Youth Suicide Prevention. HELP provides training of school and community facilitators; awareness training for youth, faculty and staff in schools, churches and the general community; public awareness efforts and increased promotion of HeartLine’s 24-hour CareLine and national suicide-related hotlines and other resource information.

Link:   HeartLine
OK State Plan for Youth Suicide Prevention

 

Champion of Senior Health
Dentists for the Disabled and Elderly in Need of Treatment, Inc. (D-DENT) - Oklahoma City
The value of good dental care for the elderly and disabled is demonstrated by a group of volunteer dentists who are addressing the health care needs of an underserved population. This innovative organization mobilizes a statewide network of dentists who volunteer their time to serve Oklahoma’s most fragile citizens, while never charging clients for services or lab costs. D-DENT also provides bilingual case management and a comprehensive educational outreach program. These programs provide continuous care to the disabled and elderly of Oklahoma and are an invaluable resource within the community.

Link:   D-DENT

Corporate Health Champion
The Oklahoman - Oklahoma City
To engage its employees in healthy activities, the Oklahoma Publishing Company began the Health Passport program, with a goal to encourage and enable employees to develop and maintain healthy lifestyles. Employees earn significant awards by engaging in a variety of healthy behaviors and activities. A comprehensive health and welfare benefits package includes incentive programs, an on-site health club with fitness classes, on-campus walking/biking trails, a non-smoking environment and annual health fairs to help employees lower their health care costs.

Link:   The Oklahoman