The Gold Medallion Legacy

Gold Medallion Senior Housing and Health Care has been a leader in the senior housing industry since 1963. Founded by the late Joe Hamra, this company has grown substantially and prides itself on anticipating trends in the industry by bringing retirement and assisted living to Northeast Oklahoma.

Local boy, Joe Hamra, started out as a construction man. He founded and ran a successful construction business, Hamra Construction, until his death in 2005. In 1963, Mr. Hamra partnered with a doctor to develop Rainbow Health Care Community. Before the completion of the project, the doctor died tragically in an automobile accident. That left Mr. Hamra with a building that was incomplete and a decision of what to do next. That dilemma led him to continue on with the project and open Rainbow Health Care Community as his own, in 1964. The rest is senior living history.

With the development of his new company (then called Crest Management) and with Rainbow's success in Bristow; Mr. Hamra decided to bring a new nursing home to Tulsa. When Leisure Village Health Care Community opened its doors in 1969, it was one of the first in Midtown.

With the success of his other two communities and the Independent Living industry booming in warmer, more southern states; Mr. Hamra decided to bring this trend to Tulsa. He did this by delivering The Broadmoor Retirement Community to Midtown. The Broadmoor was one of Tulsa's first retirement communities. That community is still in operation today and has been home to more than two-thousand seniors since 1986.

Mr. Hamra then brought in daughter, Diane Hambric, as the Marketing Director for The Broadmoor in 1986. The two played a key role in recognizing another new, hot trend. . .assisted living. The decision was made to bring assisted living to Tulsa with the introduction of Heatheridge Assisted Living and Residential Care Community, which opened its doors in 1990.

Assisted living was such a new concept that the general public didn't quite understand it. Crest Management had to educate the population and was one of the first to run ad campaigns in Tulsa explaining the benefits of this new trend.

Being the visionaries that they were, Diane and Joe brought yet another trend to life with the development of those three communities in Midtown. They now offered seniors a complete continuum of care. With The BroadmoorRetirement Community, Heatheridge Assisted Living and Residential Care Community and Leisure Village Health Care Community, all located on the same campus; they could now offer the older population a full-range of services, all in one location. And, with the addition of a therapy company to augment their health care services; Residents were able to stay independent for a longer period of time.

In 1995, Joe and Diane added another community in Bristow. They brought the assisted living trend to Bristow with the development of Rainbow Assisted Living, giving that area more senior living options. Along the way, Crest Management changed its name to Gold Medallion Senior Housing and Health Care. The company presently features five (5) communities: Rainbow Health Care Community (Bristow), Rainbow Assisted Living Community (Bristow), The Broadmoor Retirement Living Community (Tulsa), Heatheridge Assisted Living & Residential Care Community (Tulsa) and Leisure Village Health Care Community (Tulsa)..

Diane Hambric, now the President and CEO of Gold Medallion since her father's passing, has been a driving force for the company; as well as, the industry. Currently, Gold Medallion, and its related communities, have 250 employees and 350 Residents in the Tulsa and Bristow areas.

In addition to Diane's current status with the company, she is also the past Chairman of the Governor's Long Term Care Facilities Advisory Board; was a board member of the Continuum of Care Task Force; and was the past Chairman of the Board and is the Founder of the Oklahoma Assisted Living Association (OKALA), a state charter of the Assisted Living Federation of America (ALFA).

Most recently, Diane was awarded the 2007 ALFA Chairman's Award for Champions for Seniors in Assisted Living. She was one of three in the entire country to receive this most prestigious award. She was presented with this award for her positive influence on the assisted living industry and her ability to help further housing and health care choices for seniors.

Because of her involvement in the industry, Senate Bill 738 recently passed and is now Oklahoma law. This bill may allow seniors to stay in an assisted living community, as their needs progress. This can be a huge benefit for seniors; as well as, their families.

With its fine reputation and more than 47-years of service, Gold Medallion Senior Housing and Health Care continues to set the example for all others to come. The ability to identify new trends, provide excellent care, and a genuine understanding of seniors has enabled Gold Medallion to flourish and outlast its competition. The company is strong and will continue to focus on providing the best care for seniors in Northeast Oklahoma for many years to come.