Freedom Elementary:  One of America’s  healthiest schools

Freedom Elementary School, a Lawton Public Schools site located on Fort Sill, is nationally recognized for their commitment to students’ health and well-being from the Alliance for a Healthier Generation.

This year, 461 schools nationwide were selected and recognized based on a rigorous set of criteria – from availability of nutritious foods to access to quality physical education opportunities – as part of Healthier Generation’s Healthy Schools Program.

Freedom is the only school in Oklahoma to receive this recognition and one of 13 schools nationwide to receive the highest level of recognition, the National Healthy Schools Gold Award.

Principal Mikel Shanklin said she thinks starting healthy habits for elementary students is Freedom’s most awesome accomplishment.

“As the only military installation to receive the Gold status from the Alliance for a Healthier Generation,” Shanklin said, “it has been an honor and privilege for us to lead this generation of students into a healthy and fit lifestyle.”

Freedom attained the Gold Award because they served healthy meals and snacks, got students to move more throughout the day, offered high-quality health and physical education and empowered school leaders to be healthy role models.

Specifically, faculty and staff follow a healthy cafeteria menu, implement healthy foods into class parties, grow vegetables in tower gardens and let students participate in 150 minutes of physical activities during the week, 30 minutes longer than the 120 minute standard, to meet the Gold Award criteria.

Assistant Principal Sara Breeze said she is grateful for teachers’ excitement about being a Healthy School.

“Teachers have become very creative,” Breeze said. “Our first grade teachers created a friendship fruit bowl. Each kid brings a different fruit, they put it all together and they turn it into a lesson about friendship.”

This is the second time that Freedom achieved this award, the first time was in 2016; this is the fourth time making Alliance for a Healthier Generation’s Healthiest Schools list overall.

Central Middle School: Military Child Club

Right down the road from Fort Sill, Central Middle School faculty and staff build community, teach volunteerism and encourage growth to prepare students for success. Among the troops that contribute to these daily functions is CMS’ Military Child Club.

MCC is a group specifically for children with an active-duty or recently retired military parents. Its purpose is to provide military dependent students a place to belong – an environment that enriches their lives.

MCC is active in Lawton and at Central Middle School. Members host the year-end formal dance, provide a veterans breakfast for CMS teachers who are U.S. veterans, perform random acts of kindness, participate in community activities, volunteer at different animal adoption events and host bingo at the local nursing home, among a variety of other community activities.

MCC advisor and U.S. Veteran Deanice Shegog said no matter a student’s abilities, they are welcome to the group.

“Our goal is not to make CMS stand out,” Shegog said, “but to enrich the lives of our students. We have the largest [Lawton middle school] population of military children, and we strive to make their experience at school and in the community the best it can be. Our goal is not school driven, it is student driven.”

CMS principal Blake Thomas said he is excited about the things CMS does to welcome military children.

“We have a great Military Child Club that is involved in several activities,” Thomas said. “We recently had our first annual STEAM night that many students and parents attended, and they had a great time.”

Shegog said MCC allows her the chance to help students where they might struggle.

“With this club,” Shegog said, “we build a deeper connection to students and give them a place that is safe to share their struggles. We can identify academic deficiencies and assist in getting the help a student needs.”

Lawton High School

Lawton High School has a long-standing history in Lawton. LHS traditions run deep – from ringing the bell on the sideline at football games, to celebrating spirit week, to singing the Alma Mater while holding an “L” up, and even the Big Red Band fleading students down the hallways to pep rallies. These traditions help contribute to forging of the Wolverine Spirit within students, which is the willingness of each student to contribute to activities beneficial to LHS, Home of Champions.

LHS principal and alumnus Jerrold Jones said he and faculty are working hard to build a climate of respect, growth and community at LHS.

“We are looking forward for the school to grow,” Jones said. “When the climate operates at a high level, academics, attendance, testing and everything else will move in that same direction. The climate is the foundation.”

Students and faculty establish and understand the norms at LHS, and as part of those norms they know they represent LHS everywhere they go.

LHS activities director and alumnus Allee Passmore said under the leadership of Jones, LHS has celebrated more accomplishments, and everyone has more opportunity to input their opinions for decisions.

“We have great things going on,” Passmore said, “and we are trying to do a better job of letting the community know about all the Wolverines’ wonderful accomplishments.”

Jones stated, “the faculty’s goal is for the high school to be the highlight of every student’s day.”

“We are producing an atmosphere where people are more comfortable to speak out when something is wrong,” Jones said, “but to also recognize and congratulate people when things are done right. It goes both ways.”

“I want a positive experience for everyone,” Jones said. “That’s what we’re here for. This is a nice place to be.”

Comanche County Memorial Hospital

Comanche County Memorial Hospital is a 265-bed regional referral center providing 24-hour comprehensive care and emergency services. The hospital is the first and only in the region offering the Da Vinci Surgical System, providing a number of benefits to patients from smaller incisions to a quicker recovery. “The hospital continues to grow its services and provide advanced technology to meet the healthcare needs of the Lawton-Fort Sill community and surrounding areas; keeping patients and their families at the center of everything we do,” said Brent Smith, CEO, FACHE.

Comanche County Memorial Hospital is the only hospital in Southwest Oklahoma with a comprehensive heart program and is designated as a Joint Commission Certified Primary Stroke Center. The hospital is a teaching facility with two residency programs in emergency medicine and family medicine. The hospital has the only level II neonatal intensive care unit in the area treating babies born at 32 weeks and older; keeping mother and baby close to home. The hospital is also recognized as a Baby Friendly Hospital. The hospital has a dedicated women’s center and labor & delivery unit providing new comfortable birthing suites with advanced amenities for mom and baby.

The Memorial Medical Group is composed of over 100 local medical professionals from 20 specialties to include orthopedics, neurosurgery, general surgery and family medicine. Primary care services are also provided with The Community Health Center clinics in Lawton, Comanche, Elgin, Marlow, Apache, Fredrick, and Snyder. The McMahon Center for Breast Health is the first and only comprehensive program in the area with 3-D mammography and breast MRI.

The hospital provides Home Health & Hospice services and has a freestanding McMahon Tomlinson Nursing and Rehabilitation Center with a skilled nursing unit and a dedicated memory care unit. The hospital is fully accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and the Council on Accrediting Rehabilitation Facilities.

The Leah M. Fitch Cancer Center is a part of the Cancer Centers of Southwest Oklahoma providing advanced cancer care with locations in Lawton, Altus, Duncan and Chickasha.

Southwestern Medical Center

Southwestern Medical Center has a long tradition of providing quality healthcare to Lawton-Fort Sill and the surrounding areas, dating back to 1907. As the oldest civilian hospital in Lawton, we take pride in our history of caring for the community through innovation, collaboration and a focus on quality and safety. Southwestern Medical Center fosters an environment where trust, teamwork and technology come together to make a positive difference in the health of our community and region.

“Our dual accreditation, by the Joint Commission and the Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program, powerfully demonstrates our commitment to meet or exceed the highest national standards for quality and safety,” said Mary Towe, Southwestern Medical Center marketing director.

Southwestern Medical Center provides personalized care, while utilizing the latest in medical technology. The hospital offers a wide range of services, including the first Joint Commission-certified primary stroke center, orthopedics, outpatient rehabilitation, free-standing behavioral health center, neurosurgery, general surgery, wound care, state-of-the-art surgery center, a free-standing imaging center with the areas only open MRI, women’s and children’s care and 24-hour emergency services.

As an employer, not only does Southwestern Medical Center offer a robust benefits package, but it’s also a great place to work. In fact, this year, the medical center was named one of the “Top Workplaces in Oklahoma” for the sixth year in a row. The “Top Workplaces in Oklahoma” program recognizes companies who have created a great place for employees to work.

“The Top Workplace award is truly an honor and speaks about the fantastic culture at SWMC,” said Julio Nuñez, PHR, human resources director. “We strive to be a place where patients want to come for all their medical needs, where physicians want to practice, and team members want to work. Receiving Top Workplace six years in a row speaks volumes about our passionate staff and the quality care we provide.”

Southwestern Medical Center strives to make a difference in the lives of residents by providing quality, compassionate care in a work environment that fosters employee commitment and pride. Its mission to give patients and their families exceptional service and quality care at all times.

WellFast Urgent Care

Serving Southwest Oklahoma since 2006 and voted Best Urgent Care by the community in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018, WellFast Urgent Care is the gold standard in urgent care. Local to Lawton, WellFast specializes in the evaluation, diagnoses and treatment of common, non-life or limb threatening illnesses or injuries in pediatric and adult patients during extended hours seven days a week.

Patients can walk in or reserve a spot in line via FASTPASS, allowing them to wait in the comfort of their home until it is time to check in at the clinic thus improving the overall urgent care experience. The practice also offers physicals including school sports and wellness.

Supporting the youth in the community, WellFast has donated over $5,000 to local area school sports programs. WellFast Urgent Care was awarded Best Urgent Care of Southwest Oklahoma, Readers Choice by the Lawton Constitution in 2019.

WellFast has a robust occupational medicine department that fulfills the Workman’s Comp needs of employers across a wide variety of industries. From pre-employment, DOT and OSHA physicals to drug screening and treatment of work-related injuries, WellFast offers one source for all of a company’s medical needs. Digital X-rays, COLA-certified labs, accredited staff, eScreen services and a team of board-certified emergency medicine professionals ensure efficient and exceptional medical care. A dedicated occupational medicine coordinator facilitates all communications between patients, employers and insurance companies thus ensuring the most efficient management of an employee’s treatment.

“Quality care is the most important part of our mission,” said Dr. Manuel Delarosa, medical director. “Every patient deserves the full attention and appropriate time to be diagnosed and treated.”

A bilingual staff makes it easy to care for the Spanish-speaking members of the community. WellFast Urgent Care accepts most insurance plans, and is pleased to be an in-network provider for military families using TRICARE.

Saluting Fort Sill

One of the most strategic U.S. military bases in the nation, the U.S. Army’s Fort Sill has grown from a small outpost and cavalry unit founded 1869 to a preeminent military training center for both U.S. and international soldiers. This year, Fort Sill is celebrating its 150th anniversary with a year-long series of events commemorating accomplishments and contributions to the military and community.

“We want to involve the whole community so the events are spread throughout the year, and ultimately culminating with a fantastic tree-lighting ceremony featuring music, activities and fun for the whole family,” said Monica K. Guthrie, Fort Sill media relations officer/PAO.

One of the most heartwarming events takes place in spring when the fort hosts Special Olympics Oklahoma.

“It’s a wonderful joint effort in partnership with the community,” Guthrie said. “The base hosts the day-long Special Olympics for the Southwest region of Special Olympic Oklahoma, with exciting events, fun and fanfare. Businesses and organizations are invited to host booths and support the effort. It’s heartwarming to see soldiers cheering on the competitors. The 77th Army Band plays the Olympic Fanfare when the torch bearer arrives at the start of the event. It’s very touching.”

In the summer, Fort Sill is hosting Christmas in July.

“It’s a very special way of honoring our soldiers abroad and helping them celebrate the 150th anniversary with us, even though they’re not here,” Guthrie said. “We’ll collect 150 care packages with the United Service Organization serving as our central collection point. The soldiers can enjoy goodies from home, knowing we’re thinking of them and they’re a part of the celebration.”

Near year’s end, the community is invited to come together for the St. Barbara’s Day Ball.

“St. Barbara is the patron saint of the artillerymen, and hence the name,” Guthrie said. “Headquarters hosts a dinner and ball that sells out every year. It’s a lively evening brimming with history and tradition, a time when the community can sit down at the table and get acquainted with military personnel they may have never met. There’s music, skits, lots of laughs and a great deal of pomp and circumstance.”

Fort Sill trains 20,000 soldiers every year, 80 percent of whom live in and around Lawton. With vast training capacities, the fort welcomes more than 100,000 visitors each year and generates more than $1.7 billion in annual economic activity.