LIFE PACE

valet, a new Veterans Canteen and a retail store. The total project cost $97 million with a 20-year lease term, all funded by the federal government. “We want to provide a healing environment where veterans feel welcome, and this clinic does that,” said Mark Morgan, director, Eastern Oklahoma VA Health Care System. “It’s a great place for veterans to get care and a great place for our staff to provide care.”

The Jack C. Montgomery VA Medical Center in Muskogee is participating in the Million Veteran Program (MVP), a national research program to learn how genes, lifestyle and military exposures affect health and illness. Since launching in 2011, more than 825,000 Veteran partners have joined one of the world’s largest programs on genetics and health. The program uses genetic, military exposure, lifestyle and health information from MVP veteran partners to better understand the role of genes and health. MVP is the largest database of its kind in the world – an integrated health and genomic database tied to a healthcare system. The Ernest Childers VA Outpatient Clinic is an MVP site location allowing Tulsa Veterans to participate in the national research program.

Construction of a 275,000-square-foot, 58-bed VA medical-surgical hospital in Tulsa is scheduled to begin in fall 2021. It will be built in downtown Tulsa at 7th and Houston on the expanded OSU Medical Center campus, according to Oklahoma State University. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs will operate the hospital, but OSU is committed to providing ongoing shared services for veterans while also providing a teaching opportunity for OSU medical students and residents. The VA anticipates joint physician appointments and the creation of up to 50 OSUsponsored residency slots in several specialties for the veterans. The total cost of construction for the Veterans Hospital in Tulsa is estimated at $130 million, according to university officials. Upon completion of this new VA hospital, the VA Medical Center in Muskogee will be converted to a long-term care facility with expanded access to inpatient Program of All Inclusive Care for the Elderly mental health and substance abuse services. Construction on the downtown Tulsa facility is expected to last through 2023 when the VA can take over final outfitting to move toward an opening in 2024. To enroll for VA health care, visit www.va.gov. To schedule an appointment with the Eastern Oklahoma VA Health Care System, call (888) 397-8387. If you’re interested in volunteering at the new Tulsa clinic, email O’lei Pettit at olei.pettit@va.gov or call Voluntary Services at (918) 577-3622.

BY ADRIAN ROLLE, LIFE PACE INTAKE COORDINATOR

More people than ever are, or soon will be, on Medicare. Some people are signing up unexpectedly because of lost jobs and the loss of accompanying employer-sponsored health insurance. People 65-plus comprise 4% of those who've lost jobs with employersponsored health insurance during the pandemic, according to a report by The Commonwealth Fund, The Employee Benefit Research Institute and the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research.

Shopping for supplemental Medicare coverage can be challenging. Consequently, some people may make poor decisions because they select a plan merely because a friend or spouse chose it or because it has a low premium (ignoring the copays and deductibles) or because they don’t read the plan’s fine print. Most Medicare Part D drug plans have a coverage gap, also called the "donut hole,” meaning there's a temporary limit on what the drug plan will cover for drugs. During that gap, you may be responsible for as much as 25% of your prescription drug costs.

Additionally, if you have any major health procedures in the coming year or high prescription drug costs for medications like insulin, it may make finding the right plan even more critical.

LIFE PACE – a Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly – uses a team approach to provide a variety of services: medical, skilled therapies, behavioral health, dietary, nursing, transportation, social, recreational, hospitalizations, and durable medical equipment. LIFE PACE allows individuals in need of skilled care to remain in their homes or in a community setting while receiving the care they need. LIFE PACE participants are personally cared for by an interdisciplinary team, which works with you and your family to create a plan of care unique to your needs and goals.

This approach means that participants get the individualized care they need to continue to live independently for as long as safely possible. And for those who qualify, LIFE PACE services – office visits, prescription drugs, transportation and more – may be available at no cost: no premiums, copays, deductibles or donut holes. When considering your future healthcare needs, LIFE PACE can provide a comprehensive, coordinated approach to providing all your medical needs, now and in years to come.