Change is coming to downtown Tulsa. And the Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences is the catalyst.

Through a series of public and private partnerships with federal, state and local governments as well as nonprofit and philanthropic organizations, OSU-CHS is helping transform the southwest corner of the state’s second-largest city into the Academic Medical District.

OSU has had a presence in downtown Tulsa for decades with the OSU Medical Center, one of the largest osteopathic teaching hospitals in the country, which is currently undergoing a major expansion.

Now, with the additions of the James Mountain Inhofe VA Medical Center set to open this year and the Oklahoma Psychiatric Care Center on track to open in 2027, this area of Tulsa will become the center of patient care, research and medical education in northeast Oklahoma.

OSU-CHS President Johnny Stephens said the Academic Medical District represents a transformational investment in the future of health care, medical education and research for the state.

“With the expansion and modernization of the OSU Medical Center alongside the opening of the new VA hospital and psychiatric care center, we are creating a comprehensive, patient-centered continuum of care unlike anything our state has seen,” Dr. Stephens said.

These projects will not only elevate the level of care available to patients across Oklahoma, but they will also significantly expand clinical training opportunities for OSU’s medical students, residents and fellows.

“By growing our residency programs and rotation sites within this Academic Medical District, we are strengthening our ability to train the next generation of physicians while directly improving health outcomes for the communities we are proud to serve,” he said.

James Mountain Inhofe VA Medical Center

Lawmakers, leaders, stakeholders and supporters celebrated the ownership transfer of the new James Mountain Inhofe VA Medical Center on Nov. 11, 2025 — Veterans Day.

The veterans hospital project was made possible by a public-private partnership between Oklahoma State University, the United States Department of Veterans Affairs and Veterans Hospital in Tulsa (VHiT) LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Anne & Henry Zarrow Foundation.

The $181.4 million project was funded through the Communities Helping Invest through Property and Improvements Needed for Veterans Act of 2016, or CHIP IN, as well as $70 million in community and donor support.

The state of Oklahoma donated the land and the former Kerr-Edmondson buildings to OSU to repurpose them for the VA hospital. This approach created efficiencies that allowed the project to be completed at roughly half the square-foot cost of similar new construction VA projects nationwide.

“By partnering with local, state and federal governments, the VA, and philanthropic organizations, OSU continues to live up to its founding mission of training physicians and others to meet the health care needs of Oklahomans,” Stephens said. “I’m so proud this hospital, the cornerstone of the OSU Academic Medical District, will serve those who have served our country.”

A Veterans Day ceremony commemorated the ownership transfer of the facility from VHiT and OSU to the VA, which will complete the 273,000-square-foot, 58-bed hospital and begin accepting patients this summer.

“Whether an Oklahoma veteran receives services in this hospital or not, the facility was built with one thing in mind — every veteran walking in or driving by will know that this community values their service. The quality of this facility reflects the level of dignity and honor that their service deserves,” said Courtney Knoblock, director of Veterans Hospital in Tulsa LLC and vice president of the Anne & Henry Zarrow Foundation.

Kimberly Denning, medical director of Eastern Oklahoma VA Health Care System, said they currently serve 65,000 veterans living in Tulsa and northeast Oklahoma.

“Today’s VA is innovative and modern, and as health care advances, we are keeping pace with those changes,” Denning said. “The James Mountain Inhofe VA Medical Center is the future of the Eastern Oklahoma VA Health Care System. We look forward to serving the veteran population bringing health care to where they are.”

Oklahoma Psychiatric Care Center

Set to open in 2027, the Oklahoma Psychiatric Care Center will be the product of an unprecedented public-private partnership for better mental health in the Tulsa area.

The new 106-bed facility will replace the Tulsa Center for Behavioral Health, doubling the number of beds currently available, and will feature a 24-hour crisis response urgent recovery center.

The $90 million center represents a partnership between the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (ODMHSAS), OSU-CHS, the city and county of Tulsa as well as several philanthropic organizations led by the Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation.

To help fund the hospital, Oklahoma legislators provided $38 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding while private donors and governmental partnerships covered the remaining costs.

“The Oklahoma Psychiatric Care Center is a true public-private partnership, and the best version of one. It will be a state-owned asset made better by private support and strong local partnerships,” said Bill Major, executive director of the Anne & Henry Zarrow Foundation. “Mental health care is especially worth investing in to improve the lives of Oklahomans and return people to wholeness. The new psychiatric hospital, located next to the OSU Medical Center, will expand and deepen experiential learning of our medical students in Oklahoma.”

Stephens said his vision is that the university will be the undisputed leader in mental health services and patient care.

“OSU Medicine’s physicians, health care professionals, residents and medical students are eager to work with our partners at ODMHSAS to treat patients and make a difference in their lives through mental health services,” Stephens said. “Building strong partnerships has become a hallmark of OSU. This center wouldn’t be here without the dedication of so many people working toward the same goal — bringing care to those who need it most.”

The Oklahoma Psychiatric Care Center is expected to add up to 50 new residency spots for medical students. It will double the number of beds available to patients, reducing mental health-related emergency department visits, incarcerations and homelessness.

OSU Medical Center Expansion

The final piece of the Academic Medical District is the improvement and expansion of the OSU Medical Center, the cornerstone of the development.

OSU Medical Center, the 556,000-square-foot hospital, was founded in 1943 and is the teaching hospital associated with the OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine.

In March 2024, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for the estimated $200 million expansion project. Two smaller buildings were demolished to make room for the 180,000-square-foot expansion that will include eight new, teaching-focused surgical suites, a medical research lab, expanded café, a receiving dock with a connected warehouse and an airbridge connecting the OSU Medical Center to the VA hospital.

To better accommodate both patients and employees, a new 1,000 space parking garage on the OSUMC site was completed in 2025.

For the expansion, OSUMC received $50 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding, $30 million in legacy capital funding from the state of Oklahoma and a $30 million Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust Legacy Grant.

The grant award reflects the land-grant mission — to provide access to excellent health care while training future physicians to serve rural and underserved Oklahomans.

“This support will enhance our ability to deliver first-rate care, improve patient experiences and support our mission of training future physicians for rural Oklahoma,” said Finny Mathew, OSUMC president.