The 12th annual Champions of Health Awards took place on Tuesday, September 29, 2015 at the Cox Business Center in Tulsa. Six winners were honored for their efforts to improve the health of Oklahomans. The evening featured 2News Tulsa anchor Elizabeth "Libby" Beaubien as emcee, special guest speaker Governor Mary Fallin and keynote speaker Johnny Bench.
2015 Winners
Dr. Rodney L. Huey Memorial Champion of Oklahoma Health
Winner: Family & Children's Services – Women in Recovery
Oklahoma leads the nation in female incarceration. The practice of imprisoning many non-violent women is devastating to women and children. In response, Family & Children’s Services, a leading nonprofit behavioral health and family service provider, established Women In Recovery (WIR). WIR is a holistic and intensive alternative health and treatment center for women with addictions, mental and physical health needs. WIR was designed as a unique public-private partnership that utilizes a broad array of community partners to address the complex needs of justice-involved women and their children. Improved behavioral and physical health, recovery from addiction and self-sufficiency has resulted in 91% of graduates avoiding incarceration.
Champion of Children’s Health
Winner: Suzanne Nance Cyrus, Action Based Learning
Suzanne Cyrus, a public educator for 29 years, a National Board Certified Physical Educator and Health & Wellness Facilitator at Jenks Public Schools, has been instrumental in establishing Action Based Learning (ABL) programs throughout her school district and state. She believes in and promotes the body of science supporting increased physical activity throughout the school day to increase academic success and emotional well-being. Suzanne’s instructional modeling and coaching have been instrumental in expanding ABL to each Jenks school site as well as across the state.
Finalist: Cabrini Wellness Ministry
Finalist: Global Gardens
Champion of Senior Health
Winner: Eastern Oklahoma Donated Dental Services, Inc.
In April of 2003, a Tulsa County Dental task force discovered an extreme shortage of “no fee” dental care for elderly (65+) Tulsans with physical, mental and financial challenges. With the determination of five individuals, Eastern Oklahoma Donated Dental Services was established in 2004 to resolve this dental dilemma. The program has grown from 125 participating dentists in that year to over 330 today. Over 10,000 Oklahomans have been treated with complete dental care, and EODDS is now the largest program of its kind in the United States. (Per Mike 7/1 add this sentence)
In 2013 and 2014 our voluntary dentists donated have done over $8.5 million in donated dental care, which providing complete restorative dental care to 4,193 people in eastern Oklahoma.
Finalist: Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Healthy Aging
Champion of the Uninsured
Winner: Oklahoma Project Woman, Inc.
Oklahoma Project Woman (OPW) is dedicated to providing access to breast healthcare for the uninsured by providing free mammograms, biopsies and surgeries facilitating the early diagnosis of breast cancer and decreasing the mortality rate for uninsured Oklahomans. Studies published in the journal Cancer show patients with no insurance tend to be diagnosed with more advanced stages of breast cancer. A lack of insurance has been linked with less access to preventive care, less timely receipt of care, and a lower likelihood of receiving needed treatment. Breast cancer is treatable when caught early. But, early detection requires access to screening and follow-up with timely and appropriate evaluation of symptoms. OPW makes this possible and navigates each step for the patient.
Finalist: Hospice of Green Country
Community Health Champion
Winner: Dentists for the Disabled and Elderly in Need of Treatment (D-DENT)
D-DENT’s mission is to improve the oral health of low-income, uninsured veterans, elderly and developmentally disabled Oklahomans by providing free preventive dental education and comprehensive dental care through a network of volunteer dentists. The D-DENT volunteers provide these life altering and life-saving dental procedures in the comfort of each volunteer's private dental clinic, which means that the reach of this program extends to all 77 counties of our State. Additionally, complete oral restoration is provided free of charge. For the past 29 years, over 600 volunteer dentists statewide have provided over $10 million dollars of dental care through D-DENT at no cost to the patient.
Finalist: HeartLine, Inc.
Corporate Health Champion
Winner: Oklahoma State University
Oklahoma State University, America ’s Healthiest Campus®, is a leader in university wellness. OSU defines wellness broadly. It is being the best we can be – the most engaged, most productive, most successful, and the most confident. It is who we are – more than what we do, much more than diet and exercise. We strive to harmonize the physical, emotional, social, spiritual and professional dimensions of wellness. A multifocal, multi-level approach is required for success, so we synergize personal, interpersonal, organizational, environmental, and policy behavior change strategies. We are transforming health for our students and our employees.
Finalist: Nabholz Construction Corporation