Nov. 5, 2015

Oklahoma Champions of Health Winners Recognized at Gala

Photo: Dr. Joseph Cunningham(l), Divisional Senior Vice President of Health Care Delivery and Chief Medical Officer for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma and Gregg Koehn(r), Chief Executive Officer and President of the Oklahoma Foundation for Medical Quality, present Mimi Tarrasch (c), Executive Senior Director of the Family & Children's Services - Women In Recovery Program, with the Dr. Rodney L. Huey Memorial Champion of Oklahoma Health award.

Since 2004, the Champions of Health Gala has honored organizations and individuals who are making a difference in the health of Oklahoman’s. This year, the Gala was held on Tuesday, Sept. 29, at the Cox Business Center in Tulsa. Native Oklahoman and National Baseball Hall of Famer, Johnny Bench, was the keynote speaker.

The Champions of Health Gala is an annual benefit for the Oklahoma Caring Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to providing children access to preventive health services, including the Oklahoma Caring Van Program, which provides basic childhood immunizations, at no charge, to qualifying Oklahoma children from 6 weeks to age 18.

We thank those who submitted nominations this year and we congratulate the 2015 winners.
The Dr. Rodney L. Huey Memorial Champion of Oklahoma Health is the highest honor presented at the Champions of Health Gala. This year’s winner, the Family & Children’s Services – Women in Recovery (WIR) program focuses on improving the complex health and wellness needs of women facing long prison sentences for non-violent, drug offenses by offering a holistic and intensive alternative health and treatment center.

Additional winners are listed below:

• Champion of Children's Health – Suzanne Nance Cyrus, Action Based Learning
• Champion of the Uninsured – Oklahoma Project Woman, Inc.
• Champion of Senior Health – Eastern Oklahoma Donated Dental Services, Inc.
• Community Health Champion – D-DENT
• Corporate Health Champion – Oklahoma State University

The following organizations were also recognized as finalists: Cabrini Wellness Ministry, Global Gardens, Hospice of Green Country, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Healthy Aging Program, HeartLine, Inc. and Nabholz Construction Corporation.

Congratulations to all our winners! If you’d like more information on this event or would like to enter your organization in the future, please visit championsofhealth.org.

The Champions of Health awards program is presented by:

• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma
• The Oklahoma State Medical Association
• The Office of Secretary of State and Native American Affairs
• The Oklahoma Association of Optometric Physicians
• The Oklahoma Dental Association
• The Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services
• The Oklahoma Foundation for Medical Quality
• The Oklahoma Health Care Authority
• The Oklahoma Hospital Association
• The Oklahoma Osteopathic Association
• The Oklahoma Primary Care Association
• The Oklahoma State Department of Health

The Oklahoma Caring Foundation, Inc. is a nonprofit organization administered as an in kind gift by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma, a Division of Health Care Service Corporation, a Mutual Legal Reserve Company. These companies are independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.