Ardmore – Oklahoma is the epicenter of the nation’s opioid epidemic. In Carter County alone, 40 people died of unintentional prescription opioid overdose from 2013 to 2017, according to the Oklahoma State Department of Health.
An estimated 1,900 Oklahomans have died from opioid abuse. The estimated cost to address the epidemic in Oklahoma is $17 billion dollars. Area and state addiction experts, local law enforcement, Oklahoma Mental Health and Substance Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration are partnering with the nationally recognized OSU Center for Health Sciences Center for Wellness & Recovery to address an Opioid Epidemic Response to the alarming overuse of opioid painkillers.
Ardmore is one of four Oklahoma communities selected for the seven-day event as part of a $1.4 million dollar grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Oklahoma State Department of Health designed to combat the misuse of opioid painkillers.
The highlight of the event will be an interactive town hall meeting on Friday night, August 16, featuring panelists Mendy Spohn, the Regional Director for Oklahoma State Department of Health County Health Departments including Carter, Johnston, Love, Marshall, Stephens, Pontotoc and Jefferson Counties; Drug Enforcement Administration Assistant Special Agent in Charge John P. Scott; Stephanie Morcom, Outreach Coordinator for Ambrosia Treatment Center and Jackie Shipp, Oklahoma State Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Senior Director.
The event will provide community resource booths such as addiction-related health screenings, and children’s art and education centers that will be open daily along with workshops focused on understanding the opioid epidemic; alternative pain treatments; red flags of addiction; the co-dependency of opioid use, tobacco and mental illness; parenting children of addiction and much more.
“The purpose of the Opioid Epidemic Response is to provide an educational community event that brings together a broad spectrum of community members, health care providers, addiction experts and civic and business leaders to learn about this crisis and how to fight it,” said Julie Croff, Ph.D., M.P.H, executive director of, OSU Center for Wellness & Recovery.
The Opioid Epidemic Response runs from August 12 to 18 at the Ardmore Convention Center, 2401 N. Rockford Road in Ardmore. There will be free food and door prizes for the first attendees. For a schedule of events and to register for the free community event – visit health.okstate.edu/cwr.
The OSU Center for Wellness & Recovery provides comprehensive care for those suffering from addiction while advancing treatment through education, research and policy.
On October 31st, members of WHS FCCLA dressed up in Halloween costumes and went to the elementary school to talk to the students about how to be safe on Halloween night.
FCCLA members split into groups and visited all the classes in the elementary school and talked to the children about safety while trick or treating. They also asked the children Halloween jokes and riddles and passed out pieces of candy.
The children and teachers thoroughly enjoyed FCCLA’s visit.
Waurika FCCLA offers Halloween safety instructions to students.
The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) is pleased to announce that Duncan Regional Hospital, Jefferson County Hospital, Jefferson County Rural Clinics and Solutions Clinics have earned 2019 CHIME HealthCare’s Most Wired recognition as a certified level 7. The Most Wired program conducts an annual survey to assess how effectively healthcare organizations apply core and advanced technologies into their clinical and business programs to improve health and care in their communities.
“Healthcare organizations across the globe are continually striving to raise the standard of care, pushing themselves and their peers to do better,” said CHIME President and CEO Russ Branzell. “We designed Most Wired to identify and share those leading practices so everyone can benefit. It is an honor to be among those that perform at the highest levels, knowing that the excellence they achieve will impact patients for years to come.”
“We are very excited to be on the Most Wired list this year. Duncan Regional Hospital, Jefferson County Hospital, as well as all our regional Jefferson County Rural Health Clinics and our Solutions Clinics have worked hard these past few years to increase the use of technology in our system that directly helps patients. We could not be happier with being named to this list and consider it a great accomplishment as we continually strive to provide the best care possible in southwest Oklahoma,” said Roger L. Neal, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Duncan Regional Hospital Inc.
A total of 16,168 organizations were represented in the 2019 Most Wired program, which this year included three separate surveys: domestic, ambulatory and international. The surveys assessed the adoption, integration and impact of technologies in healthcare organizations at all stages of development, from early development to industry leading. Each participating organization received a customized benchmarking report, an overall score and scores for individual levels in eight segments: infrastructure; security; business/disaster recovery; administrative/supply chain; analytics/data management; interoperability/population health; patient engagement; and clinical quality/safety. Participants can use the report and scores to identify strengths and opportunities for improvement.
This is the second year that CHIME has conducted the survey and overseen the program. Last year CHIME made numerous improvements to the survey, governance and scoring methodology. This year CHIME added an ambulatory survey in addition to the domestic survey, expanded international outreach and incorporated an improved system that allows participating organizations to better benchmark their level of adoption and outcomes achieved. The system includes Most Wired certification at a level that reflects an organization’s overall performance. CHIME also revised the customized benchmarking report for ease of use and will again publish a report based on Most Wired responses to identify industry trends in 2019.
About CHIME
The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) is an executive organization dedicated to serving chief information officers (CIOs), chief medical information officers (CMIOs), chief nursing information officers (CNIOs), chief innovation officers (CIOs), Chief Digital Officers (CDOs) and other senior healthcare IT leaders. With more than 2,900 members in 56 countries and over 150 healthcare IT business partners and professional services firms, CHIME provides a highly interactive, trusted environment enabling senior professional and industry leaders to collaborate; exchange best practices; address professional development needs; and advocate the effective use of information management to improve the health and care in the communities they serve. For more information, please visit chimecentral.org.
Well, we have certainly had some days of wind and cold temperatures, but, if the predictions are correct, Saturday looks like it will be a pretty nice day.That makes for good conditions for all the days plans in downtown Ryan. Be sure to come and be a part of all the action starting at 3:00 pm. I am anxious to see the tree up on the street.
Ryan City Council will be having their regular meeting on December 4th at 6:00 pm. I missed last month’s meeting because I was voting at that time.
There is a blood drive set for December 7th at the Ryan Senior Citizen Center from 3:00 to 6:00.
Our town will be losing a little piece of our history to downtown Denison, Texas.My nephew is buying all of my fountain and the old fixtures and tables that my granddad started within his business. I am glad it is able to stay within the family, even if it doesn’t stay within Ryan. Brian and his wife are both pharmacists and practice in Durant, OK. They have their home in Denison and Brian has just over the last month, purchased a building in downtown Denison, where the fountain and fixtures will make their new home. I am excited for them and the residents in Denison have already been made aware of this fountain coming to their downtown. Brian is wanting to refurbish the old fountain and get it back into working order. Brian ran for a seat on the Denison City Council and there was a tie, and so, when they have a tie, they had a coin flip, and his opponent won the toss. Brian will continue to try to be a part of making plans for Denison. He has gone through some hoops to create some historical markers in Denison, that other people had no interest in making these happen.
Brionna called her grandparents Thursday to wish them a Happy Thanksgiving and found out that her granddad was in ICU in the Denison hospital. We have been asking for prayer for his return to good health.
We took Mom to Denison Saturday to get together with her friend from Ola, Idaho. We had a nice visit with Reeta. The day was wonderful for us to travel over there.
Kim’s news for this week:
On Thanksgiving, I ate plenty. I went with Dad, LeVita and Chin Chin to Cousin Jenny’s. All day we had good weather and were able to be together.
Everyone have a blessed week. Pray for each other.
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma homeowners who have experienced financial setbacks stemming from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic may be eligible for up to $20,000 in grant assistance through the Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF). Grant uses include delinquent mortgages, property taxes, home insurance, and homeowner association dues.
Made available through the American Rescue Plan Act and administered by the Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency (OHFA), the Oklahoma HAF program has nearly $74 million available to help Oklahoma homeowners at risk of losing their homes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Applications and more information are available at www.ohfa.org/haf. Individuals in need of assistance in completing the application can call (833) 208-2535 or (405) 419-8202.
The Oklahoma HAF portal opened Jan. 10 as one of the first 10 states to begin accepting applications.
“Homeowners impacted by COVID-19 are often finding it difficult to keep up with mortgage payments,” said Valenthia Doolin, director of the HAF program in Oklahoma. “We want to make sure our neighbors have the resources to recover and restore homeownership stability.”
Homeowner eligibility criteria * Homeowners in Oklahoma who occupy the property as their primary residence * Homeowners who have experienced a COVID-19 qualified financial hardship after Jan. 21, 2020 * Homeowners who are United States citizens or those who can show proof of a green card * Homeowners who are at or below 100% of the Area Median Income or homeowners who are socially disadvantaged and are at or below 150% of the Area Median Income
After almost nine years of serving the citizens of Waurika, Police Chief Gary Whittington has stepped down to pursue other opportunities.
He was surprised by friends, colleagues, and family with a special going away party this past Friday at Waurika City Hall.
Many members of the community were present to express their love and appreciation for his many years of faithful service.
He will be missed.
Whittington is being replaced by Justin Winslett, an officer who has been serving the city of Waurika as an officer full time since March of 2011.
Winslett grew up in Comanche and Rush Springs.
He became a reserve police officer for the city of Waurika in 2010.
He became a full time reserve officer in 2011 and then earned his full-time officer CLEET certification in 2012.
Winslett left Waurika for 9 months to be the Assistant Chief in Rush Springs and then returned to Waurika in 2015 to become the Assistant Chief of Police.
He has a wife named Bali and a daughter namedKinzlee.
Winslett looks forward to the challenges and opportunities that await him.
It was quite a show of offense last Friday night at Bob Givens Sports Complex by Ryan and Maysville.
It just did not result in a lot of points.
The Cowboys, however, had just enough firepower to record a 30-14 victory over the Warriors in Ryan’s homecoming game.
Photo by Sheree Hanson
Now the Cowboys hit the road for the third time in four games as they travel to Caddo tomorrow night. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. Caddo is 1-2 on the year.
The Cowboys rolled up 453 total yards in the game but turnovers and the inability to convert two-point conversions kept the Cowboys from lighting up the scoreboard.
The Cowboy defense came up with a few big plays to thwart a number of Maysville scoring threats to help Ryan earn its third victory of the season.
Photo by Sheree Hanson
The Cowboys scored on their opening drive of the game marching 70 yards on seven plays. Skyler Parkhill covered the final four yards for the score. The two-point conversion failed, but Ryan held a 6-0 lead with 9:34 left in the first quarter.
Maysville threatened to answer the Cowboys’ score, but the Warriors’ drive bogged down after a delay of game penalty and a nine-yard loss on a quarterback sack by Parkhill on a fourth down play from the Ryan 28.
The Cowboys took over at their own 37 and it took Ryan only two plays to score. Parkhill picked up seven yards and then sophomore quarterback Grayson Tomberlin had a nifty 56-yard run for the score. The two-point conversion failed, but Ryan held a 12-0 advantage with 3:51 to play in the first period.
On the ensuing kickoff the Cowboys perfectly executed an onside kick as Andrew Villerreal combined to kick the ball and recover the onside kick giving Ryan possession at midfield.
It took Ryan seven plays to drive to the Maysville 33 and that is when the game’s momentum slipped from the grasp of the Cowboys. Talented Maysville quarterback and defensive back Gunner Aprill picked off an errant Tomberlin pass and returned the interception 41 yards to give Maysville possession at the Ryan 48.
Ryan HS Cheerleaders Photo by Sheree Hanson
The Warriors drove the ball deep into Ryan territory, but Tomberlin picked off a pass in the end zone to keep the Warriors off the scoreboard.
The Cowboys turned the ball back over the Warriors just two plays later on a mishandled exchange and this time Maysville took advantage. On the first play of the drive, Aprill scampered 24 yards for the touchdown and also ran for the two points to cut Ryan’s lead to 12-8 with 7:30 left in the first half.
Ryan answered the score with a seven-play, 63-yard scoring drive. The big play of the drive was a 42-yard completion to Parkhill that gave the Cowboys a first-and-goal at the Warrior seven.
Photo by Sheree Hanson
After a loss and a 10-yard penalty, Kalen Weldon picked up 16 yards on a counter and then Tomberlin found Parkhill across the middle of the end zone for a four-yard touchdown pass. Again the Cowboys failed to convert the two-point try, but led 18-8 with 3:33 left before intermission.
Maysville answered the Cowboy score quickly. A 25-yard kickoff return put the Warriors in business at the Ryan 45 and in just three plays went the distance for the score. Aprill found Damon McCallister behind the Cowboy defense for a 47-yard touchdown pass. The try for two failed, but with 2:02 left before the half the Warriors had trimmed the lead to 18-14.
The Cowboys threatened to score again by driving to the Maysville 25, but the Warriors intercepted another pass in the end zone to turn back the Cowboys and the half ended with Maysville running out the remaining seconds.
Photo by Sheree Hanson
On Maysville’s opening drive of the second half Aprill took the Warriors from their own 36 to the Ryan 32 as he carried the ball on every play with the exception of one pass incompletion. Ryan stopped the Warriors on fourth down and took the ball over on downs.
The Cowboys took 11 plays to move 72 yards with Weldon’s key 21-yard spectacular catch keeping the drive alive on a fourth down. Parkhill went around left end for the final 12 yards and Ryan held a 24-14 lead with 4:03 left in the third quarter.
Maysville went on another long drive and moved the ball to the Ryan 23, but on fourth down Villerreal chased down Aprill for a six-yard loss that gave the Cowboys the ball on downs.
On the third play of the drive Tomberlin found Parkhill open on the left side and after the Cowboy senior dodged a couple of tacklers, he sprinted 71 yards for the score with 9:00 left in the game. The run for two points failed again, but Ryan was in front, 30-14.
Two of Maysville’s final three drives resulted in the Cowboy defense getting key stops on fourth downs to help preserve the victory.
Tomberlin and Parkhill accounted for most of the 453 total yards on offense for the Cowboys.
Parkhill set the school record for most yards receiving in a game with 189 yards on just seven receptions. He also rushed six times for 30 yards.
Tomberlin finished with 151 yards rushing on 19 carries. He was 12 of 20 passing for 249 yards, but he did have three interceptions.
On defense, Tomberlin and Parkhill played big roles. Tomberlin was in on 17 tackles on the night, while Parkhill added nine stops. Villerreal, who had 11 tackles, and Parkhill put pressure on the Maysville quarterback much of the night.
COWBOY CORRAL: The win broke a two-game losing streak in homecoming games for Ryan not including last year’s homecoming game with Grandfield which Ryan won by forfeit…..Ryan now leads the short series with Maysville, 4-2….This was the first meeting between the two schools in an eight-man game….The last time Ryan played Maysville was in 1975 with the Cowboys coming away with a 9-6 victory….Tomberlin’s passing performance was the sixth most yards passing by a quarterback in school history….It was also the sixth most passing yards by a Cowboy team in school history….The 12 receptions in the game ties for the ninth most in a single game in school history along with the 12 receptions in a 1940 contest with Grandfield…The 30 points scored by Ryan is the second most in the series with Maysville just behind the 34 points scored in a 34-0 victory by the 1974 squad….The 1988 Ryan Cowboys, the first Ryan football team to play for a state title, were introduced at halftime along with coaches Phil Elerick and Gordon Garner.
Game in Figures
MHS RHS
First Downs 1414
Yards Rushing 49-218 29-204
Yards Passing 77249
Passes 2-6 12-21
Passes Int. By31
Fumbles, Lost2-0 1-1
Punts 00
Penalties6-35 6-45
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Maysville01400–14
Ryan12666–30
FIRST QUARTER
RYAN – Skyler Parkhill 4 run (run failed), 9:34
RYAN – Grayson Tomberlin 56 run (run failed), 3:51
SECOND QUARTER
MAYSVILLE – Gunner Aprill 24 run (Aprill run), 7:30
RYAN – Parkhill 4 pass from Tomberlin (run failed), 3:33
MAYSVILLE – Damon McCallister 47 pass from Aprill (run failed), 2:02
THIRD QUARTER
RYAN – Tomberlin 12 run (run failed), 4:03
FOURTH QUARTER
RYAN – Parkhill 71 pass from Tomberlin (run failed), 9:00
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
MAYSVILLE – Rushing: Aprill 35-166, Bentley Stevens 3-22, Junior Simmons 6-12, Luke Dobson 2-9, Jacob Owen 1-7, McCallister 2-2; Passing: Simmons 0-2-0-0; Aprill 2-4-77-1; Receiving: McCallister 2-11.
OKLAHOMA CITY (June 12, 2018) – A public awareness campaign to help ensure nutrition for summertime learning is celebrating its second year. Launched in 2017 by the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) and its Office of Child Nutrition, the #Food4ThoughtOK campaign is designed to increase the number of free meals served to Oklahoma kids age 18 and under during the federally funded Summer Food Service Program.
Last year, #Food4ThoughtOK led to an increase in participation of nearly 9 percent over the previous year, with more than 125,000 additional meals served. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister expects participation to grow again this year.
“During the summer break, it’s vital that our children continue to receive nutrition supports that will strengthen their ability to learn. Lack of nourishment impacts cognitive functioning. Healthy brain development doesn’t allow kids to take time off when school is not in session,” Hofmeister said. “The #Food4ThoughtOK campaign effectively leverages federal dollars and enables parents to encourage learning yearlong.”
The #Food4ThoughtOK campaign is the result of a partnership between OSDE and Hunger Free Oklahoma. It is made possible with assistance from Oklahoma City-based Tyler Media, Boys & Girls Clubs, YMCA, the Chickasaw Nation, Oklahoma Department of Human Services and the Oklahoma Department of Libraries, along with many nonprofit and faith-based organizations. The Oklahoma Childhood Food Security Coalition has helped disseminate information statewide.
The campaign emerged from the collaboration between Hofmeister and her Faith-Based Advisory Council, one of several stakeholder groups with whom the superintendent meets regularly.
Oklahoma has one of the highest rates of food insecurity in the nation. Food insecurity exists when a population has limited or uncertain access to safe, nutritional food or an inability to acquire it. An estimated 1 in 4 Oklahoma children – 220,000 in all – are considered food insecure, and research indicates that students who struggle with hunger have poorer academic and health outcomes than those who do not.
In Oklahoma, 61 percent of public school students are eligible for free and reduced-priced lunches. During the summer months when school is not in session, only about 6 percent of those same students participate in summer feeding programs, ranking Oklahoma 51st in the nation, according to a 2017 report from the Food Research & Action Center.
The summer meals program offers convenience to families; the vast majority of Oklahoma’s more than 600 sites are open, and children are not required to pre-register or present paperwork. Families interested in finding a serving site can text FOOD to 877877 or visit www.meals4kidsOK.org.
