September 30, 2020 Issue, Page 5 of 24

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PG6 HOMETOWN HEROES |Wednesday, September 30, 2020 “We can’t take care of our par- age, where he graduated high have three children: Ben, 25, who in business at OSU. his website at paulfirthmd.com. ents without a great staff,” he said school. He then went to SWOSU is attending medical school in Tul- Paul Firth, MD Pediatrics is There, patients can enter their pa- jokingly, and Chery! confirmed his and then to OU Medical. Cheryl, sa; Audrey, 23, who is completing located at 503 W. Country Club tient portal to schedule appoint- praise for the entire staff. an Elk City native, graduated a master’s program in Interior De- Blvd. in Elk City. It can be reached Paul was born in Los Angeles, from Elk City High and later from sign at OSU; and Sam, 21, who is at 580-225-4466. For more infor- ments, renew prescriptions or pay but moved to Hollis at a young SWOSU where the two met. They working on his bachelor’s degree mation about his practice, see their bill. 1 Optometrist discusses adapting to the pandemic By Shonda Little, Contributing writer people on the books. We were able to see opened but be proactive.” Dr. Daniel Bintz knew he wanted to have people for emergencies such as red eye or Patients are asked to wait in their cars until a tural practice even before he graduated broken glasses, but those annual exams had staff greets them to come back for their ap- from optometry school in 1984. to be re-scheduled. pointment. Patients and all staff are required The Guymon native was lured to Elk “Well, when we opened back up, we al- to wear masks at all times while within the City by eye doctors who had come before ready had people scheduled for those weeks. building. Major Bean Coffee, located with- him. By 1987, he had built his first office on Our staff had to work hard to get all of our in Bintz’s practice, has an app available to North Main, which is just across the street patients back on the schedule in a timely make orders to-go. The practice has desig- from his current location, manner, so that was an unprecedented nated two parking spots for their customers In 35 years within the field, he had wit- stress. However, we also had to think about to pull up and have coffee delivered to their nessed many advances in optometry. How- our own health and that was scary because car. ever, in the spring of 2020, along with the we all knew so little about COVID. It was “I have type-1 diabetes and my wife rest of the world, his practice was struck by brand news, so doctors and scientists were takes an autoimmune suppressant,” he said. an unforeseen and unprecedented pandemic: just learning as we went.” “Those are worries I have for my patients. COVID-19. For Bintz, he was most fearful of asymp- When we are out in public, we don’t know “Like everyone else, we didn’t know what tomatic COVID-19 patients. if the stranger standing beside us has con- to expect when we shut down in March,” “The virus varies in intensity from no ditions that put them more at risk. It is for Bintz said. “We have patients who often symptoms to death to anything in between,” those reasons that we are taking all these set up their annual eye exam for the follow- he said. “We don’t know what long-term precautions. ing year when they have their check-up. So effects it will have. So for that, we wanted “IT am a social person, so I completely when we went into March, we already had to not only follow guidelines when we re- empathize with what a struggle this can be Thank you to all the Nuestare some of the medical workers for mosi,dedicated people in the world. We want to always being there th you for all the times when needed! you have sacrificed time et Ome to care for our For healthcare workers with proper ID in the LCOsOTICS: month of October.. FURNITURE OUTDOOR FURNITURE MATTRESS ° APPLIANCES OUTLET Main St, Elk City (0-225-0100 a Www.elksupply.com