More changes are coming for the VA Oklahoma City Healthcare System as it strives to meet the demands of a growing Veterans population in Oklahoma.
The latest was the opening of a new location in for the Women’s Health Clinic and specialty care clinics which are relocating from the VA Medical Center.
The North Portland VA Clinic will consist of two separate buildings and will cover a total of 25,604 square feet, said Wade Vlosich, Director of the Oklahoma City HealthCare System. The facilities will employ 75 staff members.
Building 5, located at 3625 NW 56th Street, will house the Women’s Health Clinic, Imaging, and Lab services. This relocation will provide the women’s Veteran population with a facility outside of the VA Medical Center.
This move will offer an environment for female Veterans who may feel uncomfortable using the medical center due to past trauma.
Building 3, located at 3613 NW 56th Street, will house Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Chiropractic, Acupuncture, Orthopedics, Podiatry, Urology, Optometry, Ophthalmology, and the Optical Shop.
“We will also be opening a mega clinic in Yukon,” Vlosich said. “We will be having a new hospital in Norman, so it will be a substance abuse treatment facility and a nursing home unit.”
Vlosich said rural America is needing more healthcare options including nursing home beds.
“What’s happened in the state of Oklahoma as rural America starts to see some collapse in healthcare, we’re losing nursing homes,” he said. “The VA does not have in the state of Oklahoma enough nursing home beds for veterans. We have been talking to the ODVA, and what we are looking at is a partnership because they have some unused beds. We are talking about making a share agreement where we will set up VA staff nursing homes in ODVA space because they are not able to fill that. And it meets the needs of both sides. We are looking at a partnership in Norman to expand nursing home beds there and in Sulfur and Ardmore. The VA is opening a new clinic in Stillwater.
Vlosich said the VA had a market assessment done for veteran needs and services in Oklahoma City and the rest of the state for potential future expansion.
“They did a market assessment, and they looked at all the workload for Oklahoma and how it compared to other states also growing in veteran population.
“They talked to us that if the growth in the city/state occurs, they’re expecting that we’ll need a clinic in Guthrie and Duncan in the near future,” he said.
