By: Meagan Mahtushquah, BSN, RN, and Kelsey Tangney, MS, RD/LD CCNP CLC
The summer of 2020 looked a little different for Oklahoma City Indian Clinic’s (OKCIC) Health Promotion Disease Prevention (HPDP) department.
Instead of hosting weekly camps and programs, HPDP adapted and made the switch to hosting virtual summer camps.
During the summer, HPDP hosted three week-long virtual TURTLE (Teaching Urban Roads to Lifestyle and Exercise) camps through MEND Telemedicine app, which is a program that is HIPAA compliant and allows OKCIC to virtually see patients. HPDP collaborated with community partners, such as Eagle Adventure, OKC Riversport and OKCIC’s Behavioral Health department, to host lessons consisting of: nutrition, education, Native American culture and physical activity.
Virtual TURTLE camp has been a great way to create a positive and engaging activity for OKCIC’s pediatric patients. A priority in each class was to ensure that OKCIC’s youth were physically active and moving during every class.
OKCIC’s HPDP department ensured patients had the supplies to participate in these camps by scheduling weekly supply pickups. Some of OKCIC’s community partners, specifically OKC Riversport and Eagle Adventure, donated various supplies for the patients’ use. These included things like cutting boards, measuring cups, beach balls, jump ropes, OKC Riversport day passes and more.
The supply pick-up ensured that the families had everything they needed, and it also allowed HPDP staff to see the families from a safe distance.
HPDP constantly strives to keep patients engaged during this unusual time. There are many virtual programs being offered throughout each season, including after-school programs, adult programs and fitness classes. To learn more about programs HPDP offers, follow HPDP’s Facebook page or visit our website at
www.okcic.com/hpdp/.
