Empowered Living Clinic serves Chickasaw children, families

This article appeared in the May 2017 edition of the Chickasaw Times

ARDMORE, Okla. – Children and family members attended the Empowered Living Clinic Garden Party, Tuesday, April 11 at the Chickasaw Nation Ardmore Health Clinic. Participants were provided an opportunity to learn how to plant a theme garden, grow herbs and preserve produce. Each family received a pop-up garden to take home.

“Our hope and goal is to teach and encourage families to work together to grow healthy vegetables. The families will be able to help maintain the vegetables while visiting the clinic for appointments,” Ardmore health clinic director Kelly Garrett said. “Then once the produce is ready to pick they will be able to take the vegetables home with recipes.”

The empowered living clinic provides coaching and resources to help families maintain healthier lifestyles. Individualized and specific personal goals are set at each session. Focusing on the importance of a lifestyle change and behavior management, the program helps patients and families make positive and achievable goals, such as setting a bedtime, eating breakfast or walking as a family.

Since it began in November 2016, the empowered living clinic has worked to offer children and families the most effective care available in an engaged and compassionate environment. Available resources and recent events encourage more involvement.

“The garden party is just one activity of empowered living clinic’s efforts to reduce risk factors in children and adolescents for health concerns that used to be seen only in adults that we are now seeing in our youth,” Chickasaw Nation Satellite Clinics Executive Officer Sheryl Goodson said.

To learn more about the empowered living clinic, contact (580) 229-2950 or (877) 242-4347.