Published: June 25, 2008 03:02 pm            

Frontier Rotary hears from Integris CEO

Brace Lawrence, the executive vice president and chief operating officer of Integris Health, recently spoke to the Frontier Rotary Club of Stillwater.

The visit was to increase awareness of the unique services the health care system has available to improve the health of citizens statewide. Integris Health is an Oklahoma owned, not-for-profit health system employing 9,000 in its 15 hospitals.

In his opening remarks, Lawrence commented upon the effectiveness of Stillwater Medical Center and stressed the importance of community hospitals throughout our state.

“Integris Health is aggressive in offering many cutting edge medical services not available in local hospitals,” he stated.

Lawrence touted the Integris Nazih Zuhdi Transplant Institute as the only comprehensive transplant program in the state of Oklahoma.

He also mentioned the arrival of world renowned cardiothoracic surgeon James Long, M.D., Ph.D., who brings mechanical circulatory support (MCS) expertise to the Sooner State.

He now heads the Integris Advanced Cardiac Care program.

Using revolutionary implantable heart assist pumps, MCS gives heart failure patients hope previously thought impossible.

Lawrence focused on the INTEGRIS Cancer Institute of Oklahoma that will be built on 18 acres of land located adjacent to the Oklahoma ProCure Treatment Center, now under construction in northwest Oklahoma City.

Together, the two facilities will create a comprehensive, world-class cancer institute providing services found nowhere else in the region.

ProCure will be the sixth in the country to provide proton therapy, the most advanced form of radiation therapy, while the Integris Cancer Institute of Oklahoma will offer advanced surgeries, immunotherapy, genetic counseling, chemotherapy, blood cell transplants, intensity modulated radiation therapy, image guided radiation therapy and radiosurgery treatments. Both facilities are scheduled to open mid-2009.

Lawrence concluded his presentation by explaining the relationships Integris Health has with community hospitals throughout the state.

“You are very fortunate to have first-class medical care in Stillwater. We will continue to make the services of Integris Health available for all Oklahomans who are in need of additional services not provided in their local community.” Lawrence and his wife, Donna, live in Oklahoma City. He is the son-in-law of Stillwater residents Ed and Mona Long.

For more information on Integris Health, visit www.integrisOK.com.

        

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