Western Oklahoma Wellness

Strong energy, stronger community.

The WOW Program strives to connect the Western Oklahoma community, primarily the counties Greer, Kiowa, Beckham, Rogers Mills and Washita, to health + wellness services and resources to empower knowledge and encourage an overall well-being throughout the community.

We aim to advance rural healthcare through increased access to care, education, and opportunities to reduce the onset of diabetes and other chronic conditions.

What does the WOW project do?

  • WOW aims to improve access to preventive care services by providing A1C and cholesterol screenings, vaccinations, and connections to further health care services.

  • Through our Western Oklahoma connections, we aim to align and bring attention to community resources while engaging individuals and families in their overall health.

  • The WOW team is equipped with technical and nutritional experts - we are eager to assist with any provider education and EHR technical assistance, while our partners provide excellent nutritional knowledge and resources for a healthy lifestyle.

Who does WOW serve?

  • WOW aims to serve the prediabetic population that remains to be undiagnosed.

  • While WOW would love to connect with everyone in the community, we are geared and prepared to serve the low-income, uninsured, and under-insured individuals as well as school-aged children and families.

  • The WOW team is willing and able to assist health care providers with EHR and other technical assistance to incorporate best practices.

How do we do our work?

  • Connecting with our Western Oklahoma communities is of the utmost importance to us. We do this by participating in city, county, and community-level events. Additionally, we host local Weeks of Wellness events as well as other local health fairs.

  • The WOW team works to engage stakeholders and leverage resources to promote collaboration within the community. We have a ‘boots on the ground’ presence and aim to connect to individuals outside of the traditional health care setting.

  • WOW promotes quality improvement by implementing initiatives within the health care setting and collaborating with other rural health programs. We are able to utilize technology to connect with our consortium and target populations. Additionally, we have a team of certified Lifestyle Coach Trainers to implement the CDC’s Lifestyle Change Program.

Preventing Type 2 Diabetes

Can Type 2 Diabetes Be Prevented?

Yes! You can prevent or delay type 2 diabetes with proven, achievable lifestyle changes—such as losing a small amount of weight and getting more physically active—even if you’re at high risk.

What is Pre-Diabetes?

Before developing type 2 diabetes, most people have prediabetes; their blood sugar is higher than normal but not high enough yet for a diabetes diagnosis. Prediabetes is really common – 96 million US adults have it, though more than 80% of them don’t know they do. The good news is that prediabetes can be reversed.

Join the Lifestyle Change Program

If your blood test confirms you have prediabetes, join the CDC-recognized National Diabetes Prevention Program (National DPP) lifestyle change program to learn how to make lasting lifestyle changes to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes:

  • Work with a trained lifestyle coach, who will help you take small, manageable steps that fit in your schedule and in your life.

  • Discover how to eat healthy and add more physical activity into your day.

  • Find out how to manage stress, stay motivated, and solve problems that can slow your progress.

Ready to see where you stand? Take the 1-minute prediabetes risk test. If your score shows your risk is high, visit your doctor for a simple blood test to confirm your result.

On Your Way to Preventing Type 2 Diabetes

Not quite ready to join a lifestyle change program, or waiting for your class to begin? Get started with On Your Way to Preventing Type 2 Diabetes, a practical guide for taking small steps that add up to a healthy lifestyle you can stick with.

Are you interested in joining a Diabetes Prevention Program in Western Oklahoma?

Fuel made easy!

Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas

Cilantro Lime Shrimp Bowl

The Oklahoma Nutrition Information and Education (ONIE) Project promotes healthy living through innovative and creative strategies for communities, families and individuals.

FEATURED EVENT

FEATURED EVENT

Nutrition Basics: MyPlate, the Nutrition Label, & Sodium, Oh My!

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Featured Speaker: Stephanie DeBerry, MS, RDN, LDN

Join ONIE Dietitian, Stephanie DeBerry, MS, RDN, LDN to learn about the basic nutrition concepts including MyPlate food groups, how to interpret the nutrition label , breaking it down by each section to choose healthier foods, and simple, easy tips to help participants choose lower sodium, healthy foods. Attendees can expect to learn easy to understand concepts that can be applied in real life. WOW and ONIE Project's free nutrition education resources will be highlighted. Learning objectives include: 1. Recall the five MyPlate food groups; 2. Prioritize two nutrition label components when choosing foods; 3. Analyze sample nutrition label to determine if it meets the 1:1 standard.

Check out our past events!

Helpful Resources

Diabetes Education

Provider Toolkit

Community Partners

The OFMQ WOW team is pictured above along with our Technical Expert Lead from the Georgia Health Policy Center.

The WOW team includes OFMQ, SWOSU RHC, ONIE Project, and County Health Departments.

The WOW team at the Beckham County Resource Fair at the Elk City Arrowhead Center.

Meet Our Partners

The Oklahoma Nutrition Information and Education (ONIE) Project promotes healthy living through innovative and creative strategies for communities, families, and individuals.

ONIE keeps busy families in mind every step of the way when creating their unique healthy recipes.

The mission of the Southwestern Oklahoma State University College of Pharmacy Rural Health Center is to build an avenue for information and develop programs for community-based healthcare services collaborating with local pharmacies and hospitals for the advancement of the health and well-being of the medically underserved population in Oklahoma.

The Rural Health Care Services Outreach Program, funded through the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), is a community-based grant program aimed towards promoting rural health care services by enhancing health care delivery to rural underserved populations in the local community or region. OFMQ has created a consortium, Western Oklahoma Wellness (WOW) that includes five counties in Western Oklahoma that have a significantly higher rate of death from diabetes than the national and state level. These include Greer, Kiowa, Beckham, Rogers Mills and Washita.

Partners

WOW is funded through the HRSA Rural Health Care Outreach Services Program, Grant No. D04RH40277