Our 74126 Zipcode LIfe Expectancy Gap Narrows Over Past Eight Years We Have Been Open

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/life-expectancy-gap-between-zip-codes-in-tulsa-county-narrows/article_ac6aa8b5-3163-5308-9b13-c6c32328dae1.html

Celebration and Committment!!!!! From just under 14 years to just over 10 and a half year life expectancy gap between here in the 74126 and the 74137 out south since the Levin Study of eight years ago; not coincidentally it was eight years ago that we did our missional transformation and began A Third Place Community Center and hosted the OU Community Health Clinic and followed by the Foundation and the gardenpark and orchard and the community center, and three years ago with the arrival of the Tulsa Health Dept. Wellness Center here in our zipcode; and now with all of our formerly closed school buildings back in use as schools.

We were expecting this news, and the gap to narrow as the report was about to be released. Several big things happening since 2007; we think in a way here in the 74126 we have been one of the best kept secrets working on this, even though the decline and abandonment continues, and the lack of medicaid expansion still hurts us. But it shows again that truth (also documented by OU and the Dartmouth Study the OU physicians went to up in NH, that social determinants of health, the communities of people live in, the hope, the allies, etc. they have, are more vital to life expectancy itself than clinic access and clinic medicine though of course that is vital too (why I only half joke with my physician spouse that she does more healing at the community gardenpark and orchard and community center than in her clinic work :)). That 10 and a half year gap remains. One quick way to eliminate it is to get healthy people, civic groups, businesses, etc. to move into the 74126 as did the Tulsa Health Dept.
See important links in the comments below.

To understand more about the social determinants of health and especially our area, see my article here http://www.turleyok.blogspot.com/2013/02/a-view-from-74126-on-health-care-after.html

Please share this post and my comments. blessings, thanks for all you who have been walking and working with us and others in the 74126 these past eight years. This is for you too.