Quill of the Hill

Volume 37 Issue 9 September 2002 Page 2

Nursing Home Study Clarification

A recent story in The Tulsa World noted that only five nursing homes in the State of Oklahoma met or exceeded national averages for four selected measures of care. If you read the story you may have noticed that Saint Simeon's was not listed as one of the five, even though we meet or, in many instances, exceed both federal and state requirements and measures.

William Waller, a former member of the Saint Simeon's Board of Trustees, read the article and subsequently sent the following letter to the World. We thought you would enjoy reading Mr. Waller's comments.

Your article on the rating of nursing homes in Oklahoma, based on a study by the organization A Perfect Cause (August 12), undoubtedly served a worthwhile public service, allowing individuals to note those with the highest marks, and also any that did not fall within the approved list (suggesting that, for some reason, they were less acceptable).

It was a serious disservice, however, to nursing homes that were not included in the study (there were several), and consequently did not show up among those getting high marks. Persons assuming that the study covered all the state's nursing homes, and not finding the home in which they're interested on the approved list, would naturally assume that it did not qualify for the limited list shown in the news article.

As an example, St. Simeon's Episcopal Home, one of Tulsa's premier nursing and retirement facilities, is not on the "approved list" in the newspaper article. But a visit to A Perfect Cause's website, where there is listed every nursing home in the state that was inspected, shows that St. Simeon's was not even among the homes studied and reported on.

In perfect fairness, it seems that aspect of the study should be clarified.

Thank you, Mr. Waller, for helping to better inform the public. Saint Simeon's, along with other private pay nursing homes, were excluded from the review because we do not receive federal assistance.

Scott Pelley Interviews President Bush

Scott Pelley, top CBS News Correspondent and the son-in-law of residents Dr. Reece and Ruth Boone, was recently granted an exclusive interview with President George W. Bush on Air Force One . Scott's interviews with President Bush, Vice President Cheney and other top White officials will air nationally on CBS's prime time special coverage of the September 11 attack. On September 11 check your local television program listings for the time of the CBS special featuring Scott's interviews.

Patriot Day Celebration

September 11, 2002

(September 11 has been designated

Patriot Day

in honor of those who lost their lives

in the tragic events of last fall)

Saint Simeon's residents will depart by bus at 7:45 a.m. to attend a memorial performance of the Mozart Requiem at Trinity Church. Singers from Trinity and St. John's Episcopal Churches, Holland Hall School, the Coventry Chorale, Opera Chorus and other local groups will join together in this momentous event, in which choirs in countries all over the world will perform this beautiful music, starting at 8:46 a.m. in their own time zones.

2:00 p.m. Patriot Day Celebration

in St. Simeon's Common

Room

A celebration in words and music, featuring Dr. Ben Henneke, Mrs. Ruth Boone, the JROTC Color Guard, and other residents and staff of Saint Simeon's.