A new hospital for veterans broke ground in Tulsa on Friday. A federal appropriation of $120 million is footing part of the bill. $10 million is coming from donations.
A ceremony with politicians and planes was held at the downtown Houston Street location, but can this hospital rise above problems that have dogged Veterans Affairs healthcare in Oklahoma?
In 2015 Oklahoma City’s VA hospital was the subject of a USA Today article that documented a litany of failures, including the permanent disfiguring of one man’s face. At that time the VA's own rankings gave the hospital one star out of five. Since then, the facility has attained another star for a total of two. The Muskogee VA hospital also has two stars.
Senator Jim Inhofe, a booster for the Tulsa hospital, was scheduled to appear but didn’t due to reported family circumstances. Chief of staff Luke Holland attended in Inhofe’s place. He said since the USA Today article, Inhofe has been trying to fix problems in the VA. One reason for building a VA hospital in Tulsa is that it’s a location that could attract needed staff.
“People are thinking about where they want to work, they think about what they’re looking for in a place to live. It’s a lot easier to recruit to an urban area like Tulsa. We’ve seen the new facilities combined with being located in downtown Tulsa will help with that recruitment element,” said Holland.
Holland said Oklahoma’s VA healthcare leadership is more stable than in the past. The department previously cycled through a number of directors.
“That lack of consistency and leadership is also a challenge but Mark has been there since then and is doing a phenomenal job,” said Holland.
Eastern VA director Mark Morgan was appointed in 2016. When asked if the failures of 2015 might be repeated in Tulsa, he talked about the VA’s push to build partnerships with outside healthcare providers.
“Our mission is to provide it internally or to connect the veteran with community providers,” said Morgan.
The hospital has partnered with OSU and is located near the OSU Medical Center. Dr. Kayse Shrum, president of OSU, said the partnership will be valuable.
"The result will be a savings for the VA and expanded opportunities for OSU medical residents. This all means quicker, better care for our veterans," said Shrum.
The hospital will occupy the site of the Robert S. Kerr building downtown. Demolition is expected to begin in 2022. The hospital is expected to open in 2024.