5 minute read
now
The west bank of the Arkansas River offers a sweeping view of downtown Tulsa’s skyline. TOM GILBER T/Tulsa World file
The beginning of a new year always brings positivity, but a new decade? Now that can be a bit daunting and intimidating! As our mothers always told us, time really does fly by us.
But time is precious, and even though I’ve only been a Tulsan for a couple of years, I know that Tulsans “get it.”
Progress is moving quickly, and Tulsa’s time to shine is now. As we move toward the commemoration of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, more and more discussions are taking place about how we come together as a city with citizens of many diverse backgrounds. How can we learn from the mistakes of the past and build toward the future?
These are discussions that make us stronger and build our community. They are discussions that help us confront other issues that may divide us. But we will learn together as we work together. And Tulsans have worked together amazingly over the past year.
You can see signs of this everywhere you look.
While all of us tend to complain about our streets and highways being under construction, these are good problems to have. I don’t like all the orange cones and flashing lights any more than you do, but they are a sure sign of progress and cohesive planning and thought.
Our schools are making changes that will make it easier to ensure our children and grandchildren have an excellent education with many options available to them. We’re taking the time to have open discussions and find answers to questions being raised in our ever-changing environment.
Just the other day, I had the pleasure of meeting a couple of board members from Gilcrease Museum. I was struck by the passion in their voices as they talked about not only the Gilcrease we know now but also the Gilcrease of the future.
We hear the same kind of passion when people talk about the Philbrook Museum of Art, Route 66, Woolaroc and many other Tulsa-area treasures. And I haven’t yet mentioned the beauty along the river and the laughter and giggles you are sure to hear when you are in and around Gathering Place.
So yes, I’m sitting at my kitchen table on a frightfully cold, dreary morning, thinking … just thinking. I’m looking outside and quietly pondering what the day may hold. The sun begins to peak out from behind the clouds, letting glimmers of blue, pink and yellow shine through.
I have such hope for today and for all the todays and tomorrows in our future.
Tulsa’s time to shine is now, and I’m one proud Tulsan!
Gloria Fletcher moved to Tulsa from Seattle, where she was president of Sound Publishing. She started her career at her hometown newspaper, the Woodward News, and became publisher of the paper at 26. She was named publisher of the Enid News and Eagle a few years later. Fletcher is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma. Tulsa’s time to shine is now Gloria Fletcher World Publisher gloria.fl etcher @tulsaworld.com
Downtown Tulsa’s architecture is just one aspect of its treasured history. JOHN CLAN TON/Tulsa World file
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Gov. Kevin Stitt: Economic “wins” are diverse in Oklahoma................................O4 City’s 2020 economic development to focus on life-expectancy gap................. O5 University health clinics provide care to underserved Tulsans................................ O5 Casino gaming plays key role in local economy................................................... O14 Oklahoma’s oil and gas production continue upward march.........................O15 Cannabis business still evolving in Oklahoma ................................................O21 More banks adapting to fit consumer needs.........................................................O23 “Another exciting year” expected for area housing developments..........................O23
Saint Francis Health System continues to provide award-winning healthcare.
JAKE HENRY JR. President and Chief Executive Officer, Saint Francis Health System ” Saint Francis Health System employees enjoy more than personal fulfillment. Competitive pay, outstanding benefit packages, sign-on bonuses for many positions, tuition reimbursement, continuing education incentives, flexible scheduling, career-advancement opportunities within the organization—these and more combine to offer employees an attractive work/life balance that stands out among healthcare organizations. In 2019, Forbes released its first-ever list of best employers by state. Saint Francis Health System was named among Oklahoma’s best employers, and was the only Tulsa-based private employer to make the list. This honor comes on the heels of numerous other local, regional and national accolades for the health system, including U.S. News& WorldReport’s recognition of Saint Francis Hospital—for the second year in a row— as number one in Oklahoma for high-quality care.
There are many reasons for the success of Oklahoma’s largest healthcare provider, but above all is the quality of its workforce. “Delivering the best care starts with the best people, and I firmly believe that we have the best healthcare team in the state,” says Jake Henry Jr., president and chief executive officer of Saint Francis Health System. “These awards are a tribute to our employees, for not only providing the highest-quality care to our patients, but also for cultivating and fostering a culture that merits recognition by organizations such as Forbesand U.S. News& WorldReport.”
As a private, not-for-profit health system that is locally governed and locally managed, Saint Francis Health System is able to recruit medical professionals who seek an environment where they can do what they are born to do: make a positive difference in people’s lives. Over the past decade, the health system has become Tulsa’s largest private employer, with more than 10,000 women and men throughout its various hospital, clinic and corporate locations.
Throughout every department and every entity in the Saint Francis Health System network—from Tulsa to Vinita, McAlester to Muskogee, and many points in between—employees are united in their commitment to the organization’s mission: Toextendthepresence andhealingministryofChristinallwedo. Employees understand the importance of the mission and their role in serving the physical, spiritual and emotional needs of patients.
Formoreinformationortoexplorecareersandopportunities availablewith SaintFrancis Health System, pleasevisit saintfrancis.com/careers.
