Date:	October 7, 2010
Contact:	Mary Bea Drummond (918) 594-8223

OSU OKAHEC to receive Champions of Health Community Health award

TULSA, Okla. – Oklahoma Area Health Education Centers at Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences is the Champions of Health 2010 Community Health award recipient for its Cancer Survivorship Education Program, funded by the Lance Armstrong Foundation. OSU’s OKAHEC will be honored at the Champions of Health awards Oct. 18 at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.

The survivorship program provides rural areas local access to cancer resources including workshops, targeted communications with rural health care providers and referral information for patients.  

Toni Hart, OKAHEC coordinator for the program, says the focus is helping patients in rural Oklahoma begin a dialog with their primary care physicians. “So often in rural Oklahoma, patients rely on their primary care physicians, not oncologists, for follow-up care when the cancer treatment has ended. This grassroots effort helps educate the patients, their families and loved ones, as well as their primary care doctors about how to work together to ensure the best possible outcomes,” Hart says.

An important feature of the program is sustainability, Hart added. By educating health care providers, nonprofit organizations and other partners, OKAHEC ensures communities are prepared to carry on the educational programs themselves.  In three years OKAHEC has presented the program to over 1200 cancer survivors and approximately 1000 health care providers representing over 100 communities in Oklahoma.

OKAHEC's central goal is to improve access to health care. It is a community-state-federal partnership established in 1984 at OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine, which coordinates the statewide network. OKAHEC coordinates its program goals with state health agencies, health professional training programs, practitioners, educational institutions, community leaders and others.

The four Area Health Education Centers facilitate a regional approach to multidisciplinary and community-based health professional recruitment, education and training. The Northeast Center is hosted by Tulsa Community College, the Southwest Center is hosted by Cameron University in Lawton, the Southeast Center is hosted by Carl Albert State College in Poteau and the Northwest Center is hosted by Rural Health Projects in Enid.

Champions of Health honors individuals and organizations working to improve Oklahoma’s health. The Champions of Health awards program is presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Hospital Association, the Oklahoma Osteopathic Association, the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, the Oklahoma State Department of Health and the Oklahoma State Medical Association. Read detailed descriptions of the winners and finalists online at championsofhealth.org.

 

Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences in Tulsa offers programs in osteopathic medicine, biomedical sciences and forensic sciences. Since its beginnings more than 30 years ago, OSU-CHS has grown to offer eight graduate degrees. On-campus programs, distance learning and OSU partnerships train osteopathic physicians, research scientists and health care professionals with an emphasis on serving rural and under-served Oklahoma. OSU operates eight clinics, six in Tulsa, one in Enid and one in Muskogee. More information about OSU Center for Health Sciences is available at www.healthsciences.okstate.edu.

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