TULSA, Okla. — Soon thousands of Green Country Veterans won't have to travel a long way for healthcare.
Today a groundbreaking ceremony was held for the new VA Hospital in Downtown Tulsa at the expanded OSU Medical Center grounds.
The $130 million project is a collaborative effort involving the federal, state, county, city, donors, and OSU leaders, all to benefit veterans in the community.
“For veterans' health, this is a great day. They're going to be able to put a new hospital downtown paired with an academic medical center, just an amazing opportunity for Veterans health," Johnny Stephens, interim president with OSU Center For Health Sciences said.
Right now, many veterans travel to the Jack C. Montgomery Medical Center for medical services in Muskogee.
“You look at a metropolitan area as large as Tulsa is in this entire region, though there’s not a hospital immediately here in Tulsa, there’s one in Muscogee, which is a great facility their long term, but obviously needs additional attention,” Sen. James Lankford, R-Oklahoma said.
The new VA hospital makes those services more accessible for men and women who have served our country. The existing Kerr-Edmondson building is being remodeled into a 58-surgical bed hospital with the capacity to treat more than 100,000 veterans.
The project also includes a mental health hospital, a new parking garage, and sites where biotech companies can conduct research.
“This provides an opportunity for a veterans hospital and OSU Medical to be right together and share resources to make sure our veterans are getting the absolute best care and getting the latest equipment," Sen. Lankford said.
The collaborative project is creating 50 new residency spots at the VA hospital and 50 at the Mental Health Services Hospital for OSU Medical Students.
“100 new medical residencies, but that training that’s going to be available for our residents, but also our medical students with veteran populations in the mental health, just a great opportunity for training,” Stephens said.
The hospital is expected to be completed in late 2024.
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