2V SUNDAY, APRIL 25, 2010 THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COMOUTLOOK | ADVANCEMENTS IN HEALTH

A bit of magic lies beyond the mod-ern artwork-adorned halls of ProCure’ssparkling building on the prairie in farnorthwest Oklahoma City.

The magic comes from a 220-ton,futuristic machine called a cyclotron.The machine, housed six feet beneaththe building, splits protons to create anenergy beam that zaps cancer out of thebody. It’s the latest step in cancer-fighting treatment.

Patients who have seen their cancerdestroyed by the cyclotron’s precisionbeam speak in reverent terms about thework being done at ProCure ProtonTherapy Center, which they see more asa temple than a medical building.

ProCure operates the center in part-nership with the Integris Cancer In-stitute of Oklahoma. It is the only cen-ter of its kind in Oklahoma and one ofonly six nationwide. The Oklahomacenter opened last year.

The cyclotron room looks like some-thing George Lucas could’ve built withscraps from the sets of “Star Wars.”Various hoses and pipes snake in andout of valves, pumps and plugs affixedto a line of machines facing the cy-clotron.

The cyclotron itself is a hulking sau-cer mounted on large industrial braces.It’s in there that the magic happens.

The process starts by injecting pro-tons into the center of the cyclotron,where they’re met by a series of circu-lar, angled magnets. The magnets

quickly polarize and depolarize, causingthe protons to spin in a circle at up totwo-thirds the speed of light.

From there, the protons are split,generating a beam that flies through amaze of delivery systems throughout theProCure building.

In the treatment rooms, the beamcomes out of a snout-shaped funnelthat shoots it through a brass aperturecustom-designed for each patient. Theapertures are shaped like the brains,prostates, and other body parts fromwhich the cancer is being zapped.

When it’s all said and done, the pa-tient is exposed to 500 percent less radi-ation than traditional X-ray therapy, saidDr. Sameer Keole, a radiation oncologistwho left the University of Florida’s med-ical system, which also has a protontherapy center and a cyclotron, to comehere.

“We can do anything that they can doand vice versa,” Keole said.

JOHN ESTUS, STAFF WRITER

CYCLOTRON MACHINE BEAMS ENERGY INTO PATIENTS WHILE RESULTS AT THE PROTON THERAPY CENTER BEAM HOPE INTO LIVES

A view of the gantry treatment room on March 27 at the ProCure Proton TherapyCenter, 5901 W Memorial Road, in Oklahoma City. PHOTOS BY NATE BILLINGS, THE OKLAHOMAN

Integris, ProCurezap cancer cases

A view of the cyclotron, left, and beam line at the ProCure Proton Therapy Center.

3SUNDAY, APRIL 25, 2010THE OKLAHOMAN NEWSOK.COM

4V SUNDAY, APRIL 25, 2010 THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COMOUTLOOK | ADVANCEMENTS IN HEALTH

Advancing technology is giving Okla-homa doctors and patients new advantag-es in the battle against cancer.

Proton therapy, a type of radiationtherapy, and the DaVinci Si HD surgicalsystem, are two of the more recent toolsfor those seeking treatment, doctors say.

The DaVinci Si HD surgical system,which can help treat prostate or cervicalcancers, allows surgeons to sit inside aconsole and perform surgery with the aidof robotic arms.

Dr. Carson Wong, a urologist and med-ical director for the center of robotic sur-gery at OU Medical Center, said the ro-botic arms are finely tuned to mimic theprecise movements of a surgeon’s hands.Special cameras mounted on the armsgive a surgeon a three-dimensional viewof the procedure, he said.

“When I finished my training, if youwould have told me that I could take outsomeone’s prostate without being phys-ically near the patient, I probablywouldn’t have believed you, and here I amfour years later and that’s what we’re do-ing,” Wong said.

The robotic arms are able to use smallercutting instruments than those used byhand, which means the surgeon is able tomake smaller incisions.

Smaller incisions reduce the amount ofblood lost during surgery, which shortensa patient’s recovery time, Wong said.

Direct focus on tumorsProCure Treatment Centers Inc. re-

cently opened a center in Oklahoma Citythat can provide treatment for thosefighting cancers of the head, neck, brain,central nervous system and prostate.

Dr. Sameer Keole, a pediatric radiationoncologist with ProCure, said proton

New tools move treatments forwardBY JESSE OLIVAREZStaff Writerjolivarez@opubco.com

In this 2008 file photo, Dr. Mark Bodenhamer points to one of the arms on a Da-Vinci surgical system at Oklahoma Heart Hospital. OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE

therapy is a less harmful form of radiationtherapy.

Unlike traditional radiation therapy, itallows doctors to focus the radiation beamdirectly onto a tumor, resulting in severaladvantages for doctors and patients, Ke-ole said.

Proton therapy is explained as a type ofparticle therapy that uses a precise beamof protons to irradiate a tumor site. Pro-tons are large particles that can be manip-ulated to release their energy. The moreenergy, the deeper the protons can pene-trate the body.

Physicians can calculate the preciseamount of proton energy needed to re-lease radiation exactly at the tumor site.

“The proton beam reduces the dose ofradiation to normal, healthy tissue from50 to 99 percent,” Keole said.

“It’s just as effective as traditional waysof treating cancer, but it causes far lessside effects,” he said.

When I finished mytraining, if you would havetold me that I could takeout someone’s prostatewithout being physicallynear the patient, Iprobably wouldn’t havebelieved you, and here Iam four years later andthat’s what we’re doing.”

DR. CARSON WONGMEDICAL DIRECTOR, CENTER OF ROBOTIC SURGERYAT OU MEDICAL CENTER

Learning you have can-cer can throw your life intoa tailspin as you search forthe best way to treat a dis-ease that affects more than1 million people each year.

Finding a cure, or even away to prevent cancer,cannot come soon enoughfor someone facing thedisease.

Scientists in Oklahomaand across the world aresearching for both. Thejourney is an ever-chang-ing process.

“We have to verify whatwe understand as to howthe drug was developed inthe laboratory,” said DorisBenbrook, a cancer re-searcher at the Universityof Oklahoma Health Sci-ences Center. “We need toknow if it is actually work-ing when it gets into a hu-man. That is the focus oftranslational research.”

Benbrook developed ananti-cancer compoundthat prevents the forma-tion of tumors and theblood vessels that feedthem. The laboratory-test-ed mixture, known as Flex-Hets, directly targets can-cer cells without damagingnormal ones, she said.

K. Darrell Berlin, Ph.D.,Oklahoma State UniversityRegents professor ofchemistry, has been herpartner in development ofthe drug.

Testing in the laboratoryseems never ending. Find-ing the answer to onequestion often brings morequestions, said Benbrook,professor and director ofthe research section of gy-necologic oncology.

“We want to know if adrug is working right,” shesaid. “What I do is takesome blood from the pa-tient before they’re treat-ed, when they are treatedand after they are treated.

“I look at markers to seehow the drug was working.I want to know if it isworking like it was devel-oped to work or if it’s doingsomething different.”

Her drug is currently inpreclinical testing in theNational Cancer Insti-tute’s Rapid Access to Pre-vention Intervention De-velopment program.

Benbrook anticipatesthe necessary preclinicaltesting of her drug will becompleted this summer so

she can apply to the U.S.Food and Drug Adminis-tration to use it as an in-vestigative new drug onanimals.

“We have to put thedrug in an animal and findout the toxicity in the ani-mals. We need to know themaximum tolerated dose,”Benbrook said.

In the best case scena-rios, she said, it could takeanother seven years for herwork to be completed.

That could seem like aneternity for the personwho has been diagnosedwith cancer.

SCIENTISTS SEEK CURE, PREVENTION FOR DISEASE

State researchers workingon anti-cancer compoundBY DIANA BALDWINStaff Writerdbaldwin@opubco.com

Doris BenbrookCancer researcher

ONLINETo watch a video ofDoris Benbrook, goto NewsOK.com andsearch for "DorisBenbrook."

AT A GLANCE

CLINICALTRIALSThree phases ofclinical trials will beneeded for the drug.They are:

› Phase 1 cancertrials are the first inhumans. Doris Ben-brook said thatphase could take sixmonths to a year forher drug.› Phase 2 continuesto test the safety ofthe drug and beginsto evaluate how wellthe new drug works.Benbrook estimatesthat could take an-other year.› Phase 3 tests anew drug, a newcombination ofdrugs, or a newsurgical procedure incomparison to thecurrent standard fortreatment. Phase 3trials often enrollthousands of peopleat multiple locations.“Phase 3 is whatreally takes thelongest because youneed so many pa-tients,” Benbrooksaid.

5SUNDAY, APRIL 25, 2010THE OKLAHOMAN NEWSOK.COM

6V SUNDAY, APRIL 25, 2010 THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COMOUTLOOK | ADVANCEMENTS IN HEALTH

New health centers and hospitalexpansions across the OklahomaCity metro area will give patientsmore options and a higher level ofcomfort, architects and building ad-ministrators said.

Several new health centers openedduring the past year, and many otherbuilding projects and expansions arein the works for 2010. These new fa-cilities and additions were designedto merge health care and hospitality,while offering state-of-the-artequipment and technology.

The Norman Regional HealthPlex,which opened in October, featuresnatural light, larger rooms for patientsand more spacious waiting areas tocreate a more comfortable environ-ment. Daryle Voss, vice president andchief administrative officer, said hehas been overwhelmed by positive re-sponses from patients and families.

“Someone said it feels more like ahotel than a hospital,” Voss said.

The Oklahoma Heart HospitalSouth, which opened in January, boastsa nurse-to-patient ratio of 1 to 4.

“That increases satisfaction im-mensely from a patient’s perspec-tive,” said John Austin, chief operat-ing officer.

The facility offers amenities like aconcierge service and a bistro area,Austin said.

“The look and feel of the building isnot institutionalized,” Austin said. “It’slike you’re walking into a four-star hotel.

The OU Cancer Institute underconstruction — designed with a pa-tient and family focus in mind — isscheduled to open in early 2011. It willfeature a host of patient-familyamenities that include a cancer edu-cation resource center and a cafewith full food service.

The main patient waiting area iscalled a living room and the cafe iscalled a dining room to give thebuilding a homier feel, said Admin-istrative Director Wade Williams.

Every element was designed togive patients a more comfortable en-vironment, Williams said.

“The focus of design has been,‘How do we minimize the clinical

feel and really make this feel like awarm place that’s comfortable?’ ”Williams said.

Officials who designed the visionfor Integris Health Edmond, an acutecare hospital scheduled to open in2011, used the concept of a hospital ofthe future, said President Avilla Wil-

liams. The new facility will includesingle-patient rooms with wirelessInternet service, temperature controlsystems, room service dining andover-sized windows, Williams said.

“We’re really excited about beingable to provide choices to the peo-ple,” she said.

City health care centershave homelike comfortsBY DARLA SLIPKEStaff Writerdslipke@opubco.com

The Oklahoma Heart Hospital South Campus is pictured on March 19.Oklahoma Heart Hospital South, a $98-million, 163,000 square-foot facil-ity located at 5200 E Interstate 240 Service Road, opened in January.

PHOTO BY SARAH PHIPPS, THE OKLAHOMAN

Construction of the OU Cancer Institute is pictured on March 19. The OUCancer Institute, located at the corner of NE 10 and Phillips Avenue onthe University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center campus, is sched-uled to open in early 2011. PHOTO BY SARAH PHIPPS, THE OKLAHOMAN

AT A GLANCE

Construction projectsMajor hospital construction projects recently com-pleted or ongoing in metro area:

MIDWEST CITY

› Midwest Regional Medical Center, 2825 Par-klawn Drive, is adding seventh and eighth floors tothe hospital’s patient tower. The $25 million ex-pansion will include 102 beds and 47,000 squarefeet of space. The new floors will be used formedical and surgical patients. Construction isscheduled to be finished by mid-July.

NORMAN

› Norman Regional Health System’s HealthPlexhospital opened in October. The $136 million,400,000-square-foot facility at 3300 HealthPlexParkway, houses Norman Regional’s Heart andVascular Institute, Women’s and Children’s Pavilionand Orthopedic and Spine Center.

OKLAHOMA CITY

› Oklahoma Heart Hospital South, a $98-million,163,000-square-foot facility, opened in January.The all-digital hospital at 5200 E Interstate 240Service Road, features 46 beds, 30 general cardio-vascular rooms, two operating rooms, three cathe-terization procedure labs and room to expand.› The OU Cancer Institute at the corner of NE 10and Phillips Avenue on the OU Health SciencesCenter campus, is scheduled to open in early 2011.The $120 million, 210,000-square-foot facility willemploy about 300 people and have state-of-the-artfeatures such as proton radiation therapy and Okla-homa’s only Phase 1 clinical trials center for cancer.› The Oklahoma Health Center campus, locatedeast of Bricktown and Deep Deuce, has had morethan $500 million in construction projects ongoingduring the past year. They include additions to theDean McGee Eye Institute, the Oklahoma BloodInstitute and the Oklahoma Medical ResearchFoundation, and construction of the OU Children’sPhysicians Building and the OU Cancer Institute. › Mercy Health System of Oklahoma had severaladditions and construction projects in OklahomaCity and Edmond. Mercy Edmond Signal Ridge, anew clinic at 416 W 15th, opened in early 2009.Mercy Health Quailbrook, a new metro clinic,opened in July. The 8,100-square-foot facility at4345 W Memorial Road also houses Mercy’sSleep Disorders Center, human resources andadministration. Other additions include a newneonatal intensive care unit and renovation of theMercy Health Center emergency room, which isunder way.

EDMOND

› Construction of Integris Health Edmond, a newacute care hospital, is under way. The more than151,400-square-foot facility is on Interstate 35 be-tween Second and 15th streets in Edmond. Thehospital will have 40 inpatient beds, four operatingsuites, an emergency department and a state-of-the-art imaging center. A 45,000-square-foot med-ical office building also will open on the 45-acre site.

We brag on our chubby-cheeked babies, but some-times those cute cheeksare a forerunner of weightyadulthood issues.

Oklahoma-specificchildhood obesity statisticsare lacking, but a nationalstudy recently published inthe Archives of Pediatrics& Adolescent Medicine re-ported almost 20 percent of4-year-olds are obese. Thestudy looked at 8,500 pre-schoolers.

Judy Duncan, director ofStrong and Healthy Okla-homa, said childhoodobesity appears to be reac-hing a plateau.

“There is a glimmer oflight around our childhoodobesity and overweightrates,” Duncan said.

Emphasis on the Get FitEat Smart OK state plan isshowing some results andDuncan said she hopeschildren will continue tovalue more physical activ-ity and better food choicesas they get older.

“In 10 years, yes, wewould hope we would seeat least a leveling off.That’s kind of our goal thatwe at least stop the in-creased rate (of obesity),”she said.

“As the OklahomaHealth Improvement Plannotes, the issues sur-rounding obesity in Okla-homa are particularly dif-ficult to tackle,” saidHealth CommissionerTerry Cline.

Cline said he thinksmost Oklahomans recog-nize the importance ofeating better and beingmore physically active. ButOklahoma has some ob-stacles to developinghealthful habits.

“The convenience offast foods, and often theirlower cost, often compete

with more nutritional foodchoices. And dependingon where you live andtransportation available,the ability to accesshealthy foods may simplynot exist,” Cline said.

When Duncan present-ed information at a recenthealth fair, a woman walk-ed up to her afterward andtold her, “You’re telling uswe have to eat fresh fruitsand vegetables, but I haveto take three buses to get toa grocery store to where Ican even afford to buysomething.”

“So that’s a real barrier,”Duncan said. She said partof the Health Depart-ment’s job is to try to makesure the environmentmakes it easy for people tomake healthful decisions.

“Our job as publichealth folks is to do whatwe can to make the choiceof eating better and mov-ing more and being tobac-co-free. We need to re-move the barriers and takethe obstacles down,” Dun-can said.

Unequal opportunitiesMany Oklahomans live

in communities with nosidewalks or bike trails tosafely walk or ride, de-creasing their opportuni-ties to move more.

“While individuals areultimately responsible foradopting healthy eatinghabits and leading physi-cally active lifestyles, wemust work together to ad-dress those social, eco-nomic and environmentalfactors that are keepingOklahomans from im-proving their health andfitness,” Cline said.

Other discouraging sta-tistics also drive health of-ficials to encourage phys-ical activity efforts in bothlocal policy and personalhabits.

Oklahoma is the fourthmost obese state in the na-

tion, with 30.3 percent ofadults in that category, ac-cording to the Centers forDisease Control and Pre-vention.

Despite the fat stats,Rhonda Dennis, adminis-trative director for Push-mataha, Choctaw, Bryanand McCurtain countieshealth departments, alsoremains optimistic aboutthe next decade.

“I’m hoping. I’m so, sohoping that our healthranking will come way up,”she said.

“Some of the new thingswe’re doing that we hopewill make a difference in 10years are our certifiedhealthy businesses.”

The health departmentassists businesses throughwork site wellness pro-grams. Dennis saidMcCurtain Memorial Hos-pital is considered a modelof improving the healthand fitness of Oklahomaemployees.

Instead of serving sodapop and doughnuts atmeetings, employers mayprovide water or juice andfruits. And they are en-couraged to establish apolicy to allow employeestime to get up and stretcheach day, under statehealth efforts.

The state Health De-partment works withadults on a more informalscale, too. In MarshalCounty, the departmenthas sponsored cookingclasses, with a Spanishtranslator, to turn Hispanicdishes into healthful, low-er-fat dishes, Dennis said.

But the secret weapon inmoving Oklahoma towarda more healthful future re-mains the same: the kids.Dennis said efforts to de-velop healthful attitudestoward eating often beginswith children who inspiretheir parents.

“And our children areour future,” Dennis said.

Health programs enlistchildren in obesity war BY SONYA COLBERGStaff Writerscolberg@opubco.com

7SUNDAY, APRIL 25, 2010THE OKLAHOMAN NEWSOK.COM

8V SUNDAY, APRIL 25, 2010 THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM

WHERE TO GO

Great places to walk in Oklahoma City metroWEST METRO AREAChisholm Trail Park500 W Vandament, Yukon› Why it’s a Great Place to Walk: Aquarter-mile-plus walking paved pathfollows the outline of the unique boot-shaped flower bed. Path is availableyear round from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Park-ing is available.

Lake Overholser TrailsNW 10 and County Line Road, Oklahoma City› Why it’s a Great Place to Walk:There’s a 2.3-mile paved walking trailon the east side of this historic munic-ipal lake that was completed in 1919. Inaddition, the new Route 66 Park, onthe west side of the lake, featuresnearly a mile of winding walking trails.

Eldon Lyon Park7401 NW 36, Bethany› Why it’s a Great Place to Walk:Large park features a 1.5-mile pavedtrail.

EAST METRO AREAJoe B. Barnes Regional Park8700 E Reno, Midwest City› Why it’s a Great Place to Walk: A1.25-mile paved walking trail connectsto the historic Soldier Creek NatureTrail, a 5-mile nature walking areafrom Northeast 10th Street and Mid-west Boulevard to Southeast 15thStreet and Century Boulevard. Thenature walking trail features quarter-mile markers as well as varied wildlife.

Minnis Lakeview ParkNE 36 and N Hiwassee Road, Oklahoma City› Why it’s a Great Place to Walk: It isnear Mary Mahoney Memorial HealthCenter and is totally accessible foremployees and nearby residents towalk before work, after work, lunch-time and weekends.

NORTH METRO AREAJ.L. Mitch Park1501 W Covell, Edmond› Why it’s a Great Place to Walk: A5.5-mile paved walkway outlines theperimeter of this large park. The walk-way provides access various to fea-tures of the park including a skatepark and several group pavilions.

Lake Hefner ParkBetween Lake Hefner Parkway andMacArthur Boulevard from Wilshireto NW 108, Oklahoma City› Why it’s a Great Place to Walk: The9.2 -mile paved asphalt loop is a favor-ite feature of this 4,000-acre lake andpark.

Martin Nature Park5000 W Memorial Road, Oklahoma City› Why it’s a Great Place to Walk: The2.5 mile-nature trail is a key feature ofthe 140-acre wildlife sanctuary andeducational center.

CENTRAL METRO AREADolese Youth Park5105 NW 50, Oklahoma City› Why it’s a Great Place to Walk: A2.1-mile unpaved nature trail windsaround a lake in this 139-acre park.

Oklahoma RiverThe river corridor begins a quartermile west of Meridian Avenue andextends to Eastern Avenue, Oklahoma City› Why it’s a Great Place to Walk: As-phalt trails alongside both the northand south sides of the scenic seven-mile corridor.

Edgemere ParkNW 33 and Harvey Avenue,Oklahoma City› Why it’s a Great Place to Walk: Thepark is the centerpiece of this char-ming neighborhood in the EdgemerePark Historic District,

Memorial ParkNW 35 and Classen Avenue, Oklahoma City› Why it’s a Great Place to Walk: Vis-itors to this historic park can eitherenjoy a stroll along a half-mile(+) grav-el trail or a nearly half-mile concretewalkway.

Shartel Boulevard betweenNW 36 and 41, Oklahoma City› Why it’s a Great Place to Walk: Thetree-lined area features rolling hills aswell as pedestrian lane on both sidesof street. Broadway Park is on theeast side at Northwest 38th Street.

Grand Boulevard between NW 63 and Pennsylvania Avenue, Oklahoma City› Why it’s a Great Place to Walk: Thearea is within Nichols Hills and fea-tures walking trails with small parks.

Oklahoma City University campus2501 N Blackwelder, Oklahoma City› Why it’s a Great Place to Walk: Apath winds through the campus alongwell-groomed landscape and historicbuildings as well as new construction.

Will Rogers Park’s HorticulturalGardens3400 NW 36, Oklahoma City › Why it’s a Great Place to Walk: Thepark offers three gravel trails — onetrail features trees and azaleas alonga stream; a second travels through theCharles E. Spark Rose Garden that ishome to 3,000 rose bushes; and thethird trail winds through azaleas, sha-dy perennials and a stream with awaterfall feature. Parking is available.

SOUTH METRO AREAEarlywine ParkSW 119 and S May Avenue, Oklahoma City› Why it’s a Great Place to Walk: A1.5-mile paved walkway attracts peo-ple of all ages to this 453-acre parkthat is now home to a new YMCAbranch.

South Grand TrailSW 36, Oklahoma City› Why it’s a Great Place to Walk: 8.75miles of paved trails are along thestreet median beginning at May Ave-nue.

SOURCE: OKLAHOMA CITY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION

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Above: A runner uses the LakeHefner trail in Oklahoma City. PHOTO BY

PAUL HELLSTERN, OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE

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THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM SUNDAY, APRIL 25, 2010 9VOUTLOOK | ADVANCEMENTS IN HEALTH

Health education isn’tsimply a class at StanleyHupfeld Academy, it’s in-tegrated into every schoolactivity.

With the backing of In-tegris Health, the elemen-tary school aims tostrengthen students’ bod-ies while it enriches theirminds.

In a recent physical edu-cation class at the north-west Oklahoma City char-ter school, students playeda game that combines run-ning relays, identifyingfruits and counting gramsof sugar. They followedwith a stretching exerciseusing that week’s spellingwords.

The students laughed,jumped and shouted en-couragement all the way.

Integris Health operatesthe 330-student charterschool, offering mentorsfor every child, free healthcare and instruction from alicensed nutritionist.Schools for Healthy Life-style curriculum elementsare incorporated.

It’s a public-privatepartnership that aims todevelop the whole child,school officials said.

“Every day there issomething going on that ishealth-related,” said Prin-cipal Peggy Brinson. “Weare so passionate about it.”

Test scores have risenwith student fitness levels.There are fewer studentabsences and more paren-tal involvement.

Brinson hopes the les-sons will last a lifetime.

In many ways, thesechildren started schoolwith the odds stackedagainst them. Nearly allare minority and 90 per-cent qualify for free or re-duced lunches. Crime iscommon in their neigh-borhoods. All are factorsthat can influence laterpoor health.

“The statistics are veryscary right now for kids,”

Brinson said. “There’schildhood obesity, seden-tary lifestyles, the fear ofplaying outside.”

One child had to have

eight teeth pulled by a vis-iting dentist. She’d neverowned a toothbrush, PEteacher Joy Rainey told hersecond-grade class.

Eight-year-old AaleyshaWard responded that shetries to make healthychoices, choosing milk andwater over sugary drinks

that can cause cavities.“You can have a lot more

energy if you are healthy,”she said.

Intensive health pro-grams like that at HupfeldAcademy are rare in Okla-homa, which does notmandate health instruc-tion in schools.

Prevention programs aremost effective when start-ed early in life, said BarbaraSmith, school health coor-dinator for the state HealthDepartment.

“If we begin early andconsistently (to) give those

health messages to the kidsstarting in pre-K, whenthey graduate school andbecome adults they arebetter able to retain thosemessages and apply themin their everyday lives,” shesaid.

Children’s health is a fo-cus of the state agency’sOklahoma Health Im-provement Plan. The de-partment aims to focus onaccess to care, dentalhealth, mental health, in-jury reduction, self-esteem building and par-ent education programs.

INTEGRIS HELPS STANLEY HUPFELD ACADEMY BUILD NUTRITION, EXERCISE INTO EVERY LESSON

Charter school students learn health BY SUSAN SIMPSONStaff Writerssimpson@opubco.com

Second-graders Emilee Kelly, left, and Aaleysha Ward spell words in the air duringphysical education class at Stanley Hupfeld Academy. Health instruction is in-tegrated into all areas of the charter school. PHOTOS BY PAUL B. SOUTHERLAND, THE OKLAHOMAN

Second-graders race with plastic fruits and learn about nutrition during physicaleducation class at Stanley Hupfeld Academy.

Winter basketball andsummer baseball are pop-ular activities with Oklaho-ma City youth. But JeffCrowe with the city’s Parksand Recreation Departmentyouth athletics programsaid spring soccer is quicklybecoming the choice teamsport for kids and families.

“Nearly any kid can runand kick a ball,” Crowesaid. “It’s immediately re-warding.”

Children from kinder-garten through fifth gradein Oklahoma City can reg-ister for several athleticsprograms. Most cost about$45 and include the cost ofuniform and a trophy.

Midwest City, Yukon,Edmond and Norman allhave similar programswithin their parks and rec-reation departments.

The recently finishedbasketball season was ahuge hit with kids thisyear, Crowe said. Registra-tion was up more than 20percent from the previousyear, with more than 800children participating. TheOklahoma City Thunderbasketball team partnerswith the city to sponsorthe league.

It’s just the kind of ac-tivity that health expertsrecommend to keep kidsfit and active.

“Whatever they are do-ing, it needs to be fun. Ifnot, they won’t keep doingit,” said Matt Jacobs, phys-ical activity coordinatorwith the division of Strongand Healthy Oklahoma atthe state Health Depart-ment.

Children need at leastone hour of exercise everyday, and the activity

should vary in intensity,Jacobs said. Communitysports and activities arethe perfect way for kids toexercise and have fun atthe same time.

Running and jumpingaround aids muscular and

bone strengthening, hesaid.

“Parents need to begood role models,” Jacobssaid. “If kids see their par-ents having fun with theseactivities, kids will have agood time, too.”

City-sponsored sportsare ‘rewarding’ to youth

Robert Vaden, of the Oklahoma City Thunder, shootshoops with players from Thunder Youth BasketballLeague.

PHOTO BY SARAH PHIPPS, OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE

BY VALLERY BROWNStaff Writervbrown@opubco.com

SCHEDULE

UPCOMING EVENTS

› Baseball and T-Ball season: June 1 to July 29.Registration ends May 7.› Hershey Track Meet: May 15

TO LEARN MORE

For more information about Oklahoma City’syouth athletics leagues, go to www.okc.gov/parks/athletics or call 297-3828.

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10V SUNDAY, APRIL 25, 2010 THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COMOUTLOOK | ADVANCEMENTS IN HEALTH

Thanks to “The BiggestLoser,” six Oklahomanshave a better outlook onlife.

Danny Cahill from Bro-ken Arrow, Daris and Che-ryl George from Ardmore,Sean Algaier from Glen-pool and Amanda andNeill Harmer from Betha-ny, all credit the NBCweight-loss competitionseries for helping them getback on track.

“My dreams are backand I am ready to take onanything life throws atme,” said Cahill, who wonSeason 8. “Every day, Ithank God for ‘The BiggestLoser.’ ”

Last month, The Okla-homan got in touch with allthe show’s contestantsfrom the Sooner state, in-cluding Jason Ramseyfrom Oklahoma City.

Here is what they had tosay about their “BiggestLoser” experiences.

Danny Cahill40, Broken ArrowSeason 8 winner, 2009Starting weight: 430poundsWeight at season finale:191 pounds Most important thinglearned: “I learned my‘why’ — why I was over-weight, why I wanted to befit and why it had to bedone. Without my why’s, Iwas just spinning mywheels. How life has changed:“Now, I motivationallyspeak for a living and soonhope for music to be myprofession, too. And myweight is doing great! Igained a few pounds onpurpose and at the requestof my wife (Darci). Life isgood!”

Daris George25, Ardmore Current season contender, 2010Starting weight: 346 poundsWeight after eight weeks: 258 pounds How life has changed: “The biggestchange in me since ‘The Biggest Loser’ isthe confidence that I have walking intoevery situation, because I know I havewhat it takes to take on anything. And theladies sure are paying me more attention.I just really love how I see myself, insideand out.”

Cheryl George51, ArdmoreCurrent season, Top 12, 2010Starting weight: 227 poundsWeight after eight weeks: 182 pounds Most important thing learned: “How to bal-ance diet and exercise to achieve your goalweight.”How life has changed: “Just knowing that Ihave to eat clean and exercise for the rest of mylife. I have good days and am going to have baddays, but I feel like I’ve finally found a balancein food and exercising. It’s a lifelong journey,and you’re never too old to get started!”

Sean Algaier30, GlenpoolSeason 8, Top 15, 2009Starting weight: 444 poundsWeight at season finale: 289 pounds Most memorable moment: “Findingout we (he and wife, Misty) were havinga baby girl! My most negative momentwas when I found out I had type 2 dia-betes. That was a horrible moment!”Most important thing learned: “Howto balance eating and exercise, and thatbalance was the key. Since being home,I’ve enjoyed the process of finding bal-ance.”How life has changed: “I travel andspeak a lot about my experience, and Ifeel like many different doors haveopened for me and my family.”

Amanda Harmer31, BethanySeason 5, Top 15,2008Starting weight:204 poundsWeight at seasonfinale: 140 pounds How life haschanged: “The big-gest change we’veexperienced sinceour season is a newaddition to our fam-ily. Eily SueAnn wasborn in January2009. I gained 65pounds through thepregnancy, so myweight has been allover the place. I’mcurrently about 15pounds from my goalweight and workinghard to get it off.”

Neill Harmer30, Bethany Season 5, Top 15, 2008Starting weight: 317poundsWeight at season fi-nale: 229 pounds Most importantthing learned: “That Ican trust in myselfand my choices, andI’m stronger than Iever gave myself cred-it for.” How life haschanged: “I have be-come an avid, if notaddicted, triathlete. Ihave done eight totalmulti-sport eventsand have at least half adozen scheduled thisyear, including a cou-ple Olympic triathlonsand a Half Ironman.”

Jason Ramsey31, Oklahoma City (not pictured)Season 3, Top 50, 2006Starting weight: 353 poundsWeight at season finale: 263 pounds Most important thing learned: “Not to let weight con-trol my life. My life jumped back into gear as soon as Istarted my weight loss journey. I didn’t have to loseweight first. I just had to realize I have the power tochange.”How life has changed: “Currently I have gained all of myweight back and more. Once the pressure of the countrywatching me dissipated, I started falling back into oldhabits. The problem was that I was more focused on thecompetition than on improving my health. During theprocess, I didn’t have a normal life. I spent two hours inthe gym every day and I ate the same meals every day.That and my personality changed. I became very vainand rude. I’m still making attempts to change my habitswithout changing who I am.”

Oklahoma losers have better outlookBY PENNY SOLDANTV Editorpsoldan@opubco.com

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THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM SUNDAY, APRIL 25, 2010 11VOUTLOOK | ADVANCEMENTS IN HEALTH

Oklahoma is on track tosell an estimated 270 mil-lion packs of cigarettes thisyear. That might not soundlike reason to celebrate,but health officials whohave worked to reduce thenumber of smokers in thestate say 270 million packsis actually great news.

“When we started theaccounting process in2001, there were 373 mil-lion packs of cigarettes be-ing sold,” said Doug Math-eny, chief of tobacco useprevention for the stateHealth Department. Forthe first six months of fiscalyear 2010, “we have had 134million and we’re on trackto be about 270 million.”

That’s a reduction ofabout 100 million packs of

cigarettes during the pastdecade, Matheny said.

“What that reflects ispeople who continue tosmoke are smoking lessand trying to quit more,”he said.

And while health offi-cials admit there are a va-riety of reasons for thesteady reduction, they saypart of the equation is cer-tainly new efforts by thestate to improve health.

Youth smoking dropsAdding to the good

news, the Oklahoma YouthTobacco Survey for 2009indicates that there werean estimated 10,000 feweryouth smokers than therewere in the last survey in2007.

According to the bien-nial survey, 20.2 percent ofOklahoma high school stu-dents were current ciga-

rette smokers in 2009,down from 23.4 percent in2007. The 2009 surveyalso found that 6.5 percentof Oklahoma middleschool students were cur-

rent cigarette smokers,down from 7.5 percent in2007.

Oklahoma spends lessthan half of the $45 millionfor smoking prevention

and cessation efforts rec-ommended by the Centersfor Disease Control andPrevention. Still the $21.1million budget this fiscalyear makes Oklahoma’sprogram to prevent youngsmokers the 11th highestfunded program in the na-tion, according to TheCampaign for TobaccoFree Kids, a coalition ofpublic health groups.

‘Still way too high’Tracey Strader, execu-

tive director of the Okla-homa Tobacco SettlementEndowment Trust, saidthe adult smoking rate inOklahoma dipped below25 percent for the first timelast year.

“It’s still way too high,”she said. “But it’s the firstdip we’ve had since the be-ginning of time.”

Strader said the decrease

is the result of multiplefactors, including newstate laws, new federal andstate taxes and educationand marketing pushes.

But, she said, teenagersstill are vulnerable to theaggressive marketingpractices of the tobaccoindustry.

“The industry neversleeps, so no matter whatwe do we always seem tofind ourselves about 10steps behind,” Stradersaid.

Oklahoma has one otherfactor going for it that oth-er states might not have inreducing overall smokingrates, Strader said.

“I think people are justtired of Oklahoma beingon (the) bottom of healthstatus ratings, and I thinkeveryone is willing to dotheir part,” she said. “Atleast I hope so.”

CIGARETTE PACK SALES ARE DOWN BY 100 MILLION OVER PAST NINE YEARS; OFFICIALS SAY STATE HEALTH MEASURES ARE HELPING

Smoking rate on decline in Oklahoma BY JOHNNY JOHNSONStaff Writerjjjohnson@opubco.com

BY THE NUMBERS

OKLAHOMA SMOKING STATISTICS

› 1 in 2 adults have smoked cigarettes › 1 in 4 adults currently smoke cigarettes › 1 in 5 adults currently smoke cigarettes everyday › 2 in 3 smokers are seriously thinking about quitting. › 1 in 2 adults have made a serious attempt tostop smoking during the past year › 1 in 4 adults live in homes where other adultssmoke › 3 in 4 households with children do not allowsmoking anywhere in the house › 4 in 5 workers are protected from secondhandsmoke at their workplace

SOURCE: STATE HEALTH DEPARTMENT

Recent cost-savingmeasures at the stateHealth Department havereduced staffing and cutchildren’s health servicesites in the state.

Deeper budget cutscould affect dental care,family planning, immuni-zations, child abuse pre-vention and other servicesto thousands of Oklaho-mans, said Ray Hankins,chief financial officer forthe department.

“None of what we do isleast important, but wehave some tough decisionsahead of us on how tomake it all balance,” Han-kins said.

One of the first programreorganizations cut in halfthe number of children’sguidance centers in thestate. Health Departmentofficials announced inMarch that 16 sites wouldclose and 18 jobs would go

in the reorganization. The state Health De-

partment workforce ofnearly 2,200 hasn’t expe-rienced layoffs, but agencyofficials have eliminatedmore than 100 positionsthough attrition, Hankinssaid. About 350 employeeshave been offered early re-tirement, and workers atthe guidance centers havebeen offered voluntarybuyouts.

This year’s budget cutswill affect about 11,000 in-dividuals who receive ser-vices from the Health De-partment, Hankins said.Deeper cuts could expandthat to as many as 48,000individuals.

“Sometimes we are theonly service like this intown,” said Jay Smith, ad-ministrative director forthe Logan County HealthDepartment. “With otheragencies also cutting back,something will have togive.”

Logan County is amongthe 17 counties losing a

child guidance center.Some center employeeswill be redistributed toother sites. The 16 centersthat stay open will havechild psychology, develop-ment and speech profes-sionals available, Smithsaid. Previously somecounty centers didn’t offerall three services.

Another cost-cuttingmeasure being consideredis eliminating multipleservice sites for somecounty health depart-ments, Hankins said. Cur-rently 65 county depart-ments provide services at85 sites, he said.

Agency officials gotahead of the budget cutslast year by preparing forappropriation reductionsto their $74 million budget.Hankins said deeper cutsmean more staff reduc-tions and decreased clientcare.

“The very last thing weare looking at is reducingour workforce and cuttingservices,” he said.

Health care budget cutsrequire tough decisions

A line of people wait to receive free influenza vaccinations Oct. 13 at the communi-ty center in Midwest City. PHOTO BY STEVE GOOCH, THE OKLAHOMAN

REORGANIZATION | DEPARTMENT MAY HAVE TO CUT SOME JOBS

BY VALLERY BROWNStaff Writervbrown@opubco.com

Among the $777 millionMAPS 3 projects are $90million in improvementsthat may be of special con-cern to the OklahomaCity’s senior residents.

MAPS 3 includes $50million to build four or fivelarge senior centers withpools. The plan also in-cludes $40 million to fin-ish the city’s walking, run-ning and cycling trails.

Mayor Mick Cornettsaid each senior center willcost $10 million to $15 mil-lion, and they will bespread regionally north,south, east and west,though exact locationshaven’t been chosen.

The centers will resem-ble one built recently inNorth Little Rock, Ark.,which has two pools, awalking track, exerciseequipment, a computerroom, a small library, a

puzzle room and gatheringspots for people to sit andtalk. About 700 people usethe North Little Rock cen-ter each day, and memberspay a $25 annual fee to join,he said.

“In the next 20 years,the number of seniors inthe city is going to double,”Cornett said.

One issue the city willhave to address is ongoingfunding for the centers.North Little Rock subsi-dizes about two-thirds ofthe $900,000 annualbudget for its center.

Cornett said he doesn’twant the city to subsidizethe centers, which couldmean higher membershipfees unless the city canbring in private partnerssuch as the YMCA to helpoffset costs.

Seniors who don’t wantto swim will have the op-tion of more walking trails.

City officials came upwith a master plan fortrails 15 years ago. But at

the rate the trails were be-ing built, it would havetaken decades to completethe plan without addition-al funding. MAPS 3 solvedthat problem.

Many of the trails are al-ready built around citylakes and the OklahomaRiver. MAPS 3 will connectthem with 50 to 60 milesof new trails.

“The MAPS 3 moneywould do the big majorityof what we need,” said HalMcKnight, chairman ofthe Oklahoma City TrailsAdvisory Committee. “Itwould create a large con-tiguous circle around Ok-lahoma City of about 40miles.”

McKnight said a newtrail will extend from LakeOverholser to the Oklaho-ma River. Overholser isconnected to Lake Hefner,and the city has funded atrail to connect Lake Stan-ley Draper to the Oklaho-ma River. The trail willconnect the waterways.

Older Oklahomans to benefitfrom MAPS 3 centers, trailsBY BRYAN DEANStaff Writerbdean@opubco.com

12 SUNDAY, APRIL 25, 2010 NEWSOK.COMTHE OKLAHOMAN