This week’s question is more like a request, but I’m happy to comply.

Q: Please tell your readers about the MCN Physical Rehabilitation Center. This is a wonderful facility that many residents of Okmulgee don’t know much about.

A: I recently had the privilege to tour one of this region’s most impressive health care facilities—the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Physical Rehabilitation Center, located on 11 acres, along Highway 75 north of Okmulgee. But don’t let the name fool you; their services are not just for Creek citizens. It is a Medicare/Medicaid-certified facility that is also recognized by most private insurance providers. The Physical Rehab Center (PRC) provides an inpatient skilled nursing facility and a long-term acute care hospital. And I’m proud to inform you, their skilled nursing facility was recently recognized by U.S. News and World Report as one of the best nursing homes in the nation for short stay rehab and overall care.

The PRC also features a comprehensive adult and pediatric outpatient program using physical therapy, speech therapy, and occupational therapy to treat those with disabling illnesses or injuries. I was fascinated to learn that the Okmulgee-based facility features one of the state’s largest physical rehab treatment rooms, the region’s only aquatic physical therapy program, an activities of daily living lab, and Okmulgee County’s only outpatient cardiac rehab program. They are also working to bring back comprehensive audiology services to the facility in the near future. To round out their services, the PRC offers complete cafeteria/nutritional services, daily patient activities, and a well-stocked gift shop.

If you haven’t visited recently, I want you to know that this is a bright, clean, and friendly health care facility staffed by highly-trained professionals who are dedicated to the recovery and well-being of their patients. I was impressed with everyone I met there and would trust any of my family members to their care.

During my tour, I learned about a special need, and you just might be able to help with it! The PRC needs children’s books to help with speech therapy. Their on-staff speech pathologist works with both adults and children. But with children, she likes to use books to help teach language acquisition or to overcome stuttering. Books help hold the children’s interest during therapy, and she has found that the children really look forward to new books—at least books that are new to them. So, they are seeking the donation of gently used children’s books for all ages (infant up to 6th grade). If you would like to help, please look around your home. If you have some books your children have outgrown, consider donating them to the speech therapy program at the PRC, so other children can benefit from them as well. You can arrange to make a donation by calling the PRC receptionist desk at (918) 756-9211. They also accept donations of family movies on VHS or DVD as well as art supplies.

I’m very grateful to all of you who provide such great ideas for this weekly column, and I’m still looking for your questions, comments, and suggestions at osuitpresident@okstate.edu.

Dr. Bill R. Path is president of Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology and board member of Okmulgee Main Street Inc.