News

Jack Sommers, M.D., has taken care of patients since he started practicing family medicine in 1981. Now, even when he leaves the office, his bedside manner is still valued by another form of life. The Utica Park Broken Arrow provider and his wife, Mary, run an organic farm on their sprawling 75 acres of land.…

Connie Lankford experienced a lingering headache for more than a week back in March 2021. At least that’s all she thought it was. “I was about to email my doctor about the headache,” said Lankford, who had just returned to her Hubert home from an out-of-state business trip. “I was going to get an appointment.”…

Karen Choate, MSN, RN, employee health and infection prevention at Hillcrest Hospital Claremore, has a passion for learning and helping others to improve their craft in the medical field. Choate had the opportunity to display and discuss her master’s capstone presentation on her thesis project, “Intravenous (IV) medication education program for emergency nurses,” at the…

Like many of their colleagues, everyday life changed for the Hillcrest Hospital Claremore med-surg unit when the COVID-19 virus arrived at its door in 2020. An unexpected shutdown, increased patient loads, juggling staff schedules and dealing with the unknown from a pandemic were just a few of the hurdles the team faced. But through it…

Julie Hancox worked with physical therapy professionals after suffering a hamstring injury while competing on her high school pom squad. Now Hancox is in the position to help those athletes recover from similar ailments. “I love sports and being around the athletic population,” said Hancox, who was recently named the director for Hillcrest Pryor’s physical…

Throwing out your back can be a sudden and major inconvenience. Zee Khan, M.D., a board-certified and fellowship-trained orthopedic spine surgeon for Utica Park Clinic, gives tips on what to do if this happens. What to do: • If able, use over-the-counter (OTC) non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (ibuprofen, naproxen, etc.) or acetaminophens. • Use heat/ice as…

Andrew Gottehrer, M.D., is well known for both his expertise in both medicine and music. And it is the correlation between those two fields that has enabled the New York native to achieve perfect harmony. Gottehrer is board certified in pulmonary and critical care medicine with Utica Park Clinic (UPC). Prior to joining UPC, Gottehrer…

Hillcrest Medical Center is one of the first hospitals in the state to earn top honors on safe sleep from a national organization. Created by Cribs for Kids, the National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program recognized Hillcrest as a gold level hospital. Hillcrest is the lone site in the Tulsa area and one of just…