Press Releases
Vaccine Expands to Kids 5-11 and Adult Booster Doses
Posted on Thursday, November 25th, 2021
Hospital and Health Department Have Vaccine for Ages 5 and Up and Adult Booster Doses
November 2021 has seen an official expansion of COVID-19 vaccine uses for children and adults. The federal Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control recommended on November 3 that the Pfizer vaccine be given to children ages 5 to 11. Previously, eligibility started at age 12. Approximately 375,000 children in Oklahoma are now eligible to be inoculated.
The same agencies, on November 19, recommended that adults 18 and older take a single booster dose of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine six months after an individual’s primary series of vaccination is complete. For adults who got the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the wait for a booster is just two months.
The purpose of the booster is to provide as much protection as possible, the CDC spokesperson said, adding that older Americans and people with risks such as obesity, diabetes or other health problems should try to get a booster before the holidays.
In Love County, all needed doses of vaccine are available free at the Health Department at 200 C.E. Colston Dr., Marietta. “Walk-in” vaccine clinics occur each weekday, though the agency recommends phoning ahead to (580) 276-2531 to be sure a clinic is taking place as scheduled.
Inoculations also can be arranged through Mercy Health/Love County Hospital and Clinic, by calling (580) 276-3347. Other sources for sign-up are calling 211 or visiting...
Hospital Auxiliary Turns 50
Posted on Wednesday, November 24th, 2021
Hospital Auxiliary Turns 50: The volunteer group organized on
November 22, 1971, to be ready for the hospital's opening day on
January 30, 1972. Current members marking the anniversary were
(front) Roy Jones, Mary Jones, Joanne Coble, Paulette Manning,
president, and Ron Jacobs. (back) Naomi Lornes, Bonnie
Alexander, and Lula Finch.
The Love County Health Center Auxiliary marked its 50th anniversary on November 22, 2021. The group of community volunteers organized a few months before the hospital (now doing business as Mercy Health/Love County) opened.
They were there on opening day, January 30, 1972, to assist with the ceremonies, at which Governor Dewey Bartlett spoke, and give building tours.
For 50 years in a row, auxiliary members have been providing hands-on volunteer work on site and raising money to support hospital efforts. In the early days, they were known as “Pink Ladies” for the pink-colored tunics they wore. Today, they wear blue vests or jackets and men are members, too. (Anyone age 18 or older may volunteer).
Paulette Manning, a retired RN, is the group’s president. She said one of their current concerns is seeing that patients who come to the hospital in an emergency have clothing to wear during their stay and after they are discharged. “The nurses let us know what they need and we provide pajamas, neck pillows, toiletry bags, underwear, socks, sweatsuits and shoes.” Director of Nursing Marie Ross is the auxiliary’s advisor.
The volunteers own...
Dr. Joe Witten Returning to Clinic November 8, 2021
Posted on Tuesday, November 2nd, 2021
Joe Witten, D.O. will once again be seeing patients in the clinic,
hospital, and emergency room, starting November 8, 2021
(Marietta, OK, November 2, 2021) Dr. Joe Witten, D.O., is resuming his career at Mercy Health/Love County Hospital and Clinic on Monday, November 8, following a lengthy illness and convalescence. The 53-year-old doctor says he is fortunate to be alive. He credits his coworkers with nursing him back to health during a five-month stay in the Marietta Hospital.
The feeling runs so deep, he refers to coworkers now as “my family,” and in a special bond akin to his wife Ann and son Zach, age 11. “They all pulled me along,” he said of their concern and support in recovering from an illness that began in December 2020.
Witten was admitted as a hospice patient in February after specialist doctors in Oklahoma City did not believe he could survive needed heart surgery following a massive infection and septic shock. “They saved my life,” Witten said about the Mercy Health/Love County nurses and rehabilitation therapists, as well as a clinic colleague, Dr. Terry Jones, who oversaw Witten’s care. “Dr. Jones was superb,” Witten said.
“When I came here on hospice, Marie (Ross, director of nursing) told me, ‘You’re not going to die,’” Witten said. Nurse Ross added her own take on things: “We are like a dog with a bone. We are not going to give a patient up without a fight.”
Weeks later, Witten successfully underwent heart valve replacement surgery...
