UM-affiliated nursing homes:

Shannon McClure of Oklahoma City comforts a patient at a hospital in Lugansk, Ukraine. Hospice team teaches in Ukraine We can serve Christ at every stage of our lives. The mostly older...

Medical network will change to Blue Cross Blue Shield in 2011

By Holly McCray The new year will bring a change in the health insurance network for the Oklahoma Conference’s self-insured medical plan. Beginning Jan. 1, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Oklahoma (BCBS) will become the statewide network for the Conference’s Health Benefits Plan, which insures active Oklahoma United Methodist clergy members and lay employees. Their claims for hospital or physician services now will be...

Award goes to Tulsa man for jobs boost

Clark Millspaugh of Tulsa recently received the 2010 Community Service Award given by the Oklahoma Association of Homes and Services for the Aging. Millspaugh’s vision is transforming lives in an inner-city community of Tulsa, according to Steve Dickie, executive director of Oklahoma Methodist Manor, and Pastor Wade Paschal of Tulsa-First UMC. Millspaugh is founder and president of Summit Exploration, an oil and gas firm. He and his wife, Anne, are active members of Tulsa-First UMC....

25 clergy participate in fitness pilot

When people are asked about their health, most think only of the physical aspect. Due to its multiple facets, however, the term health requires a much broader definition. We must consider not only physical health, but also emotional, spiritual, social, and financial health. These five dimensions form the cornerstone of a denomination-wide effort to promote health and self-care for all Church workers through the Center for Health. ...

3 activities emphasize healthy habits

Three activities at Annual Conference will encourage healthy lifestyles. 1. Earn a $50 gift card by participating in "OK to Wellness" during the conference. This program is open to clergy and laity enrolled in the Oklahoma United Methodist Healthcare Benefits Plan. Information in each delegate's Annual Conference packet will list 10 activities for the week. Track individual participation on the card, then turn it in at the Health Benefits rooms J120 and J122 at Boston Avenue. After you...

Hines on the line

Program connects you via phone to health education By Holly McCray A disease-management program will launch June 1 for people enrolled in the Oklahoma Conference's Health Benefits Plan. "Connect to Health" will link Registered Nurses and plan participants by phone, at any time of day or night. The program will be directed by Hines, the current healthcare case-management company for the Oklahoma Conference. The contact number will be 1-800-592-8097. "When your phone rings and the caller...

Ministry Center ponders weighty matters

 Holding a scale is Jan Tofani, director of Healthcare Benefits. Conference staff weighs in, literally, each Thursday in a fitness program prompted by Oklahoma City’s mayor. Mayor Mick Cornett challenged city residents to lose weight after news media reported high obesity rates in the state. Conference Treasurer Brian Bakeman and Healthcare Benefits Director Jan Tofani saw an opportunity to model healthy behavior for all Oklahoma United Methodists. On Jan. 10, they launched the...

New wellness program encourages good self-care

Conference Ministry Center staff will be the first to learn the details about a new wellness program. The staff will attend a Self-Care Covenant Workshop on Feb. 1. The workshop is the Oklahoma debut for a new denominational program about healthful living choices. Clergy who attend the upcoming Bishop’s Retreats will also get an overview of the program. Several members of the Conference Wellness Committee recently completed the program at Mount Sequoyah, a UM conference and retreat center...

Health benefits board returns funds

To find out more:  Kempton Group is the administrator for the Conference medical plan and the FSA and HRA plans. Online: www.kemptongroup.com.  Forms, including direct deposit setup, are online at: www.okumc.org. Click on "Quick Links—Forms."  The "OK to Wellness" newsletter, Winter 2007 edition, is mailed to people enrolled in the Oklahoma Conference Healthcare Benefits Plan.$1,000 account created for each active participant By Holly McCray Healthy...