THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.

COM SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2018 5A

HEALTH NOTES
Addiction forum
scheduled
The University of Central
Oklahoma nursing program
will hold a community
forum Friday about pre-
scription medicines and
addiction.
The forum will run from
1 to 3 p.m. at the Nigh
University Center in Consti-
tutional Hall.
It will cover safe use,
storage and disposal of
prescription drugs; what to
do if you see someone over-
dose; how opioids work;
and how to spot signs of
addiction.
The forum is free and
open to the public.
Speakers are Karin
Leimbach, prevention coor-
dinator at social services
organization DCCCA; Lacey
Callahan, director of busi-
ness development at Cedar
Ridge Behavioral Health
and Bethany Behavioral
Health; Scott Schaef-
fer, managing director of
the Oklahoma Center for
Poison & Drug Information;
and Gail Box, co-founder
of the Austin Box 12
Foundation.
Blood donations
needed
The Oklahoma Blood
Institute urges donors to
give blood if they can do so
safely, because this week’s
winter weather increased
the blood shortage.
The need for blood also
tends to increase during
winter storms because of
traffic accidents, according
to the organization.
To find a full list of blood
drives, visit obi.org. To
make an appointment,
register online or call
877-340-8777.
Lecture to cover
LGBTQ health care
The Oklahoma Depart-
ment of Human Services
will offer a lecture, “LGBTQ
Allyship in Practice,” from
noon to 1 p.m. March 14.
The lecture will be at the
Oklahoma History Center,
800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive. It is
free to the public.
Kathy Fahl, director of
the Gender and Equality
Center at the University of
Oklahoma and coordina-
tor of OU Advocates, will
speak about concepts
that health care provid-
ers need to know when
treating LGBTQ people, and
how to recognize biases.
The abbreviation stands
for lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender and queer,
which refers to people
whose gender expression
is different from what is
considered typical.
Continuing education
credits are available for
social workers. For more
information or to register,
call 405-521-3552 or email
DHS.LectureSeries@okdhs.
org.
FROM STAFF REPORTS
Community foundation launches
$1 million ‘Great Idea Challenge’
BY MELISSA HOWELL Volunteers participate in
Staff Writer OKC Beautiful’s 2017 Lit-
mhowell@oklahoman.com terBlitz. OKC Beautiful
has been a mainstay in
Oklahoma City Com- the Oklahoma City com-
munity Foundation will munity’s public cam-
launch a new program paign against litter for
this week to foster ideas nearly three decades.
that will help the city The Oklahoma City
grow as a community. Community Foundation
The OCCF’s Great Idea helped establish one of
Challenge will award the organization’s first
five grants of $150,000 anti-litter campaigns
to $200,000 to fund ini- with a 1989 Centennial
tiatives that could affect Grant, commemorating
long-term changes that the Land Run of 1889.
benefit the city. [PHOTO PROVIDED]
“We want to think
about the next 50 years. hold informational meet- seeks to incentivize new, might be that three of the
What ideas are out ings about the initia- creative and innovative five are in health care,” she
there?” said Nancy tive for area nonprofits thinking by establish- said. “We want to encour-
Anthony, president of and others beginning ing challenge grants, up age people to participate.
Oklahoma City Com- this week. Meetings are to $200,000, for any- There aren’t any bad ideas.
munity Foundation. “It’s scheduled for 3 p.m. one, group, or entity to One of our goals is to have
risky, but at some point Thursday at Oklahoma expand upon these origi- a platform. It will be great
in time we have to look City Community Foun- nal transformational to think about what we
at how we get to the next dation, 1000 N Broadway ideas and create a path- should be doing in OKC in
frontier. We think it will Ave.; 6:30 p.m. March way for the next 50 years. the next 50 years.”
be interesting to see what 13, Northwest Library, As an educator, I am The Oklahoma City
ideas are out there.” 5600 NW 122; and 6:30 excited to be a part of this Community Foundation
The project com- p.m. March 15 at South- intellectually stimulating is a 501(c)(3) public char-
memorates the 1969 ern Oaks Library, 6900 S exercise and I expect to ity, dedicated to improv-
creation of the organiza- Walker Ave. see creative concepts we ing the lives of people in
tion, inspired by John E. “The vision that John likely have never consid- the greater Oklahoma
Kirkpatrick’s idea to cre- Kirkpatrick laid upon ered possible.” City area. As a com-
ate a foundation for the Oklahoma City in creat- Awards will not neces- munity foundation, it
community that would ing the Oklahoma City sarily be spread over a set brings together financial
inspire others to give to Community Foundation group of categories, but resources of individuals,
charity. Currently, the a half-century ago was rather be given on the basis families and businesses
Oklahoma City Commu- transformational,” said of merit, Anthony said. to support charitable
nity Foundation donates Steve Agee, a trustee for “Collaboration is needs in the community.
$35 million annually to the Oklahoma City Com- important. Sustainability For more informa-
about 1,500 programs, munity Foundation. “To is important. Community tion on the Great Idea
Anthony said. celebrate this vision- impactisimportant.Those Challenge, go online to
The foundation will ary leadership, OCCF are the criteria. It very well https://occf.org.

OKLAHOMA CAPITOL BOXSCORE

Legislature could require
work for Medicaid
A House committee advanced House Bill
2932, which would require Medicaid recipi-
ents to work at least 20 hours to receive
benefits. Some recipients are excluded
from the requirements, including people
younger than 19 or older than 64, people
unfit for work, women who are pregnant
and others.
The bill can now be heard by the full
House of Representatives.
Weather upends committee schedule
More than a dozen legislative com-
mittees scheduled for Wednesday and
Thursday were canceled because of
inclement weather in Oklahoma. The delay
will put a crunch on the legislative sched-
ule because the deadline for bills to leave
committee is March 1.
Two weeks later on March 15, bills that
advance in the Legislature need to have
passed their chamber of origin, the House
or Senate.
Fallin appears on C-SPAN
The C-SPAN “50 Capitals Tour” bus
arrived last week on its nationwide road trip.
While it was here, Gov. Mary Fallin appeared
on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal program
to talk about important issues the state is
facing, including the budget, education,
mental health, the opioid crisis and more.
Her entire interview can be seen on the
C-SPAN website.
DALE DENWALT,
CAPITOL BUREAU