Oklahoma’s Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services is beginning to transfer patients from Griffin Memorial Hospital in Norman to a new mental health facility in southwest Oklahoma City as renovation of the first phase nears completion.
Officials announced Friday that patient transfers to the new campus at 2129 SW 59th St. would begin the following week. The facility, known as the Annex, has a capacity of 32 patients and will initially receive a wing of patients from Griffin Memorial. Renovations to the Annex, which focused on technology upgrades, cost $1.3 million.
Broader Campus Expansion
By the end of 2026, the agency said it will spend up to $60 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding to purchase and renovate a cluster of buildings in the area. A former SSM Health hospital will serve as the main in-patient treatment facility once renovations are complete. The entire 13-acre campus is intended to eventually replace Griffin Memorial Hospital, which the state plans to sell once the transition is finished.
When the full campus opens, the new complex will have a capacity of 197 beds, an increase from the 120 beds currently available at Griffin Memorial. Oklahoma mental health Commissioner Gregory Slavonic stated: “With more beds and the right technology, the right location matters. It reduces strain on emergency rooms, it helps law enforcement and helps families get efficient care.”
Operations and Staffing
Sixty people will staff the Annex location, with most coming from Griffin Memorial Hospital. The agency is also recruiting and hiring additional nurses for the annex and to backfill positions at the Norman facility. The Annex will not directly admit patients until the entire campus is open; patients will continue to be admitted at Griffin Memorial.
Rep. Preston Stinson, R-Edmond and chair of the House budget committee on health, characterized the project at a ribbon cutting as addressing significant state and national challenges. “Families have struggled to find care, and law enforcement has too often become the first point of contact for people in crisis,” Stinson said.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://oklahomavoice.com/briefs/mental-health-department-set-to-begin-transferring-patients-to-new-oklahoma-city-hospital-location/