New VA Hospital to be built in Tulsa.

[dennishoddy]

I don't remember seeing this.

First announced more than a year ago, the veterans hospital in Tulsa received $120 million in federal funding in December 2020. The project is the work of a collaboration involving the federal government, state of Oklahoma, city of Tulsa, private philanthropy and Oklahoma State University.

The new veterans hospital will be located in downtown Tulsa at 7th Street and Houston Avenue on the expanded OSU Medical Center Campus. The project will convert the existing Kerr Edmondson buildings on the site into a modern 275,000-square-foot, 58-bed medical-surgical hospital for veterans. The partially occupied KerrEdmondson buildings have been owned by the state of Oklahoma, and ownership is being transferred to OSU/A&M Regents by the state for the purpose of the hospital project.
More than two-thirds of the 47,000 veterans who receive services at the current Jack C. Montgomery Medical Center in Muskogee live in and around the Tulsa metro area. Of the 115,400- plus veterans in the Eastern Oklahoma VA area, approximately 68 percent are closer to Tulsa than to Muskogee, leading planners to estimate the new hospital could serve up to 14,000 more veterans annually.

New Tulsa veterans' hospital receives $120 million federal funding boost - Oklahoma State University

First announced more than a year ago, the veterans hospital in Tulsa received $120 million in federal funding in December 2020.

news.okstate.edu

This is going to be a great thing being attached to the OSU Medical Center Campus similar to the way the OKC VA Hospital is attached to the OU Med Center in OKC.
The Doctors at OU Med Center getting the latest and newest training spend part of their residency at the VA. Day or two a week.
It appears the new Tulsa Hospital will do the same which is going to be a great thing allowing the current Hospital in Muskogee to be repurposed for those living in that area.

 

[John6185]

At the OKC VA Hospital, a few decades ago, those inclined to drinking would travel many miles to the OKC VA and collect travel pay an buy more booze. They didn't need an appointment as they do now, they just appeared. I had a guy once that had glaucoma and took a cab at VA expense from Tulsa to the OKC VA and the cab waited with meter running waiting on the guy to take him back to Tulsa! Veterans used to be able to smoke at the OKC VA decades ago also and at the end of the day housekeeping would come into the clinics and literally hose down the carpets to prevent fires. I don't know if this was true of not but I was told this tale. But hte first two are absolutely factual! But things have improved over the years and diseases are cured and lives stamped-or something like that.

 

[JD8]

I don't remember seeing this.

First announced more than a year ago, the veterans hospital in Tulsa received $120 million in federal funding in December 2020. The project is the work of a collaboration involving the federal government, state of Oklahoma, city of Tulsa, private philanthropy and Oklahoma State University.

The new veterans hospital will be located in downtown Tulsa at 7th Street and Houston Avenue on the expanded OSU Medical Center Campus. The project will convert the existing Kerr Edmondson buildings on the site into a modern 275,000-square-foot, 58-bed medical-surgical hospital for veterans. The partially occupied KerrEdmondson buildings have been owned by the state of Oklahoma, and ownership is being transferred to OSU/A&M Regents by the state for the purpose of the hospital project.
More than two-thirds of the 47,000 veterans who receive services at the current Jack C. Montgomery Medical Center in Muskogee live in and around the Tulsa metro area. Of the 115,400- plus veterans in the Eastern Oklahoma VA area, approximately 68 percent are closer to Tulsa than to Muskogee, leading planners to estimate the new hospital could serve up to 14,000 more veterans annually.

New Tulsa veterans' hospital receives $120 million federal funding boost - Oklahoma State University

First announced more than a year ago, the veterans hospital in Tulsa received $120 million in federal funding in December 2020.

news.okstate.edu

This is going to be a great thing being attached to the OSU Medical Center Campus similar to the way the OKC VA Hospital is attached to the OU Med Center in OKC.
The Doctors at OU Med Center getting the latest and newest training spend part of their residency at the VA. Day or two a week.
It appears the new Tulsa Hospital will do the same which is going to be a great thing allowing the current Hospital in Muskogee to be repurposed for those living in that area.

They are literally begging people to come interview at the 91st and Mingo VA hospital on KRMG. Probably slim pickings with the Vax mandate and all.

 

[XYZ]

Good, should have been long ago.


Staffing is going to be a problem.

 

[dennishoddy]

They are literally begging people to come interview at the 91st and Mingo VA hospital on KRMG. Probably slim pickings with the Vax mandate and all.

That is probably why the news is putting out a heads up about the new facility announced last year. Drumming up applications for employment.
Good catch.

 

[dennishoddy]

At the OKC VA Hospital, a few decades ago, those inclined to drinking would travel many miles to the OKC VA and collect travel pay an buy more booze. They didn't need an appointment as they do now, they just appeared. I had a guy once that had glaucoma and took a cab at VA expense from Tulsa to the OKC VA and the cab waited with meter running waiting on the guy to take him back to Tulsa! Veterans used to be able to smoke at the OKC VA decades ago also and at the end of the day housekeeping would come into the clinics and literally hose down the carpets to prevent fires. I don't know if this was true of not but I was told this tale. But hte first two are absolutely factual! But things have improved over the years and diseases are cured and lives stamped-or something like that.

It's not that loose now regarding travel pay. Those regs have been modified.
I will say after almost 15 Years of 95% Medical Care at the VA in OKC, I have received top notch medical care.
There was an incident three years ago that started a series of testing. Nothing could be found to cause that issue but the VA in OKC were like bulldogs going after the cause and after many procedures, the issue was found and treatment was started that was successful.
My wife that fancies herself to be my "doctor" was also impressed with the way the VA in OKC was so bullish in going after it.
That being said, there are VA facilities that are in need of a major overhaul in how they treat vets.
I'm not going to take this to the political arena, but.........

 

[StLPro2A]

I don't remember seeing this.

First announced more than a year ago, the veterans hospital in Tulsa received $120 million in federal funding in December 2020. The project is the work of a collaboration involving the federal government, state of Oklahoma, city of Tulsa, private philanthropy and Oklahoma State University.

The new veterans hospital will be located in downtown Tulsa at 7th Street and Houston Avenue on the expanded OSU Medical Center Campus. The project will convert the existing Kerr Edmondson buildings on the site into a modern 275,000-square-foot, 58-bed medical-surgical hospital for veterans. The partially occupied KerrEdmondson buildings have been owned by the state of Oklahoma, and ownership is being transferred to OSU/A&M Regents by the state for the purpose of the hospital project.
More than two-thirds of the 47,000 veterans who receive services at the current Jack C. Montgomery Medical Center in Muskogee live in and around the Tulsa metro area. Of the 115,400- plus veterans in the Eastern Oklahoma VA area, approximately 68 percent are closer to Tulsa than to Muskogee, leading planners to estimate the new hospital could serve up to 14,000 more veterans annually.

New Tulsa veterans' hospital receives $120 million federal funding boost - Oklahoma State University

First announced more than a year ago, the veterans hospital in Tulsa received $120 million in federal funding in December 2020.

news.okstate.edu

This is going to be a great thing being attached to the OSU Medical Center Campus similar to the way the OKC VA Hospital is attached to the OU Med Center in OKC.
The Doctors at OU Med Center getting the latest and newest training spend part of their residency at the VA. Day or two a week.
It appears the new Tulsa Hospital will do the same which is going to be a great thing allowing the current Hospital in Muskogee to be repurposed for those living in that area.

Question: What are your thoughts, perspectives, experiences?? Why do we need VA hospitals at all. There is nothing in the medical field that the VA performs that is not available in the private sector. Public sector treats more gunshot wounds than the military. Explosive injuries probably not, but the technology resides in both sectors. Most VA doctors work simultaneously in both private and VA arenas. We vets should be able to go to our physician of choice in the private sector with the VA paying the bills at negotiated reimbursements, ala Medicare. Medical care would be equal ,or in sadly too many instances, much better. My son, a military doctor, while serving his residency, worked sessions at Bremerton in WA, Walter Reed and Bethesda in DC. Shortly after beginning there, he called admonishing me NOT go to any VA facility, either my Dad or myself. To this day, he has that experience/perception. Think of all the money that cold be saved by utilizing existing public medical resources rather than another bloated, ineffective, marginally functional, costly government program. Dad always went to private physician, only taking the script to the VA doctor for entry into the VA system from where he was sent the medications. He had to visit VA doctor once annually for bureaucratic blessing.....never, never any issue, questions. or conflict with the private care.

 

[John6185]

It's not that loose now regarding travel pay. Those regs have been modified.
I will say after almost 15 Years of 95% Medical Care at the VA in OKC, I have received top notch medical care.
There was an incident three years ago that started a series of testing. Nothing could be found to cause that issue but the VA in OKC were like bulldogs going after the cause and after many procedures, the issue was found and treatment was started that was successful.
My wife that fancies herself to be my "doctor" was also impressed with the way the VA in OKC was so bullish in going after it.
That being said, there are VA facilities that are in need of a major overhaul in how they treat vets.
I'm not going to take this to the political arena, but.........

Yep, things have changed for the better at the VA. I can remember patients complaining about the "wait" to be seen and I would tell them that I'd see they didn't receive a bill for today's service. All hospitals make mistakes, we had a PA at the VA who went to Mercy Hospital (one of the best if not the best in OKC) and he developed peritonitis after having an appendectomy. H ethen went to OU Hospital across the street for the VA Hospital and they took care of the infection. Usually, OU is badmouthed by some people but he went here and came out ok in the end.

 

[dennishoddy]

Question: What are your thoughts, perspectives, experiences?? Why do we need VA hospitals at all. There is nothing in the medical field that the VA performs that is not available in the private sector. Public sector treats more gunshot wounds than the military. Explosive injuries probably not, but the technology resides in both sectors. Most VA doctors work simultaneously in both private and VA arenas. We vets should be able to go to our physician of choice in the private sector with the VA paying the bills at negotiated reimbursements, ala Medicare. Medical care would be equal ,or in sadly too many instances, much better. My son, a military doctor, while serving his residency, worked sessions at Bremerton in WA, Walter Reed and Bethesda in DC. Shortly after beginning there, he called admonishing me NOT go to any VA facility, either my Dad or myself. To this day, he has that experience/perception. Think of all the money that cold be saved by utilizing existing public medical resources rather than another bloated, ineffective, marginally functional, costly government program. Dad always went to private physician, only taking the script to the VA doctor for entry into the VA system from where he was sent the medications. He had to visit VA doctor once annually for bureaucratic blessing.....never, never any issue, questions. or conflict with the private care.

Not sure I can answer all of your questions or comments with the VA hospital in OKC and the VA contracted private Dr. I see in Blackwell as the only VA related services I've received since exiting the military in the 70's.
I actually refused VA care back in the day, wanting nothing to do with the government after finding out how democrats lied to the American Public to start the Vietnam war causing the death and wounding of hundreds of thousands of America's finest based on a lie.
Worked in businesses that offered medical insurance, using that for care.
Finally met up with a guy that turned out to be a VA Veterans Representative.
Talked for a long time and he finally convinced me to apply to the VA and it's been a life changer since. There isn't just the injury involved, but the aftermath mentally that most civilian medical organizations can't recognize that can exacerbate the medical condition the veteran is going through. I'm speaking in generality's here, not me personally.
That to me is a big issue over private care where that may not be a determination during a diagnosis.
Most private medical facilities aren't equipped to recognize late term depression or PTSD. The VA has specialist that do know how to recognize and treat that along with 24/7 help lines for the vet suffering those conditions. Suicide among vets is way above suicide among non veterans.
Congress under obama in 2018 after scandalous reporting about vets dying because of health care delays in the VA passed a bill called known as "community care".
Every vet that was eligible got a credit card looking thing to give to a local provider if you couldn't make it to the VA.
It was an object failure. Zero private medical doctors in the Midwest even knew of it's existence that my self and fellow vets could find after applying. There was an 800 number to call to see if you were eligible for a treatment that day, but nobody answered or the phones were totally busy for hours.
Those medical facility's that did know about it said the government requirements were so regulatory that they refused to be a part of that program as I read later.
Along comes Trump. He created the MISSION Act to create a permanent program that has given millions of veterans guaranteed choice and access to community care.
It actually works if your not near a VA facility.
That being said, with me being over 100 miles away from the OKC hospital I tried the mission act one time. They were willing to see me, but the only facility was in Tulsa, a hundred miles away from me on the other side of the state.
If your in a metropolitan area, your covered, but the rural areas are out of luck if there is not a VA contracted medical clinic like we have in Blackwell.
Very few of those in Oklahoma. The government doesn't pay well.
I had a colonostophy by a highly rated DR in OKC. He said no issues and see you in 10 years. Three years later started having issues, and the VA wanted another colonostophy so went back to the highly rated DR in OKC. He again said no issues.
The VA didn't believe it and scheduled another a month later finding several polyps that the private Gastro Dr didn't. Pictures to prove it.
VA hospitals on the East Coast including what is supposed to be the best of the best at Walter Reed and Bethesda Maryland have been found to be among the worst in providing medical care to vets. There were news photo's of black mold in rooms that were supposed to be sterile or close to it.
They found and fixed the issue according to reports, but I'd still be suspect of getting care there.
I have found the staff at the OKC VA to be very personable and helpful.
So, I've answered some of your questions and probably didn't some others. I'm more than willing to hear and discuss more. I may learn something.

Edited to move a sentence.