A joint legislative panel on Monday moved one step closer to changing course on a new inpatient mental health hospital.
The state had planned to build a state-of-the art inpatient mental health facility, the Donahue Behavioral Health Campus near the Oklahoma State University in Oklahoma City, but the Joint Committee on Pandemic Relief Funding voted to reallocate some of those funds to other projects.
The new $130 million facility was to be funded in part with federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars and from $50 million the sale of the Norman facility.
Lawmakers said Monday that they still plan to move the state’s inpatient mental health hospital from Norman to Oklahoma City, but want to renovate an existing location.
Sen. John Haste, R-Broken Arrow, told the Joint Committee on Pandemic Relief Funding that the new $130 million construction project, set to open in December 2025, has become unworkable.
“The gap in funding is still not clear, but the last estimate was more than $100 million,” Haste said. “The cost continues to escalate. The land has not been sold and the opening date is now sometime in 2028.”
One site in Oklahoma City has been identified for renovation and can meet the needs to replace the beds at Norman’s Griffin Memorial Hospital, Haste said. That facility has been in use for over a century.
“This pivot from new construction to renovation will save the state both time and money as the replacement of these beds remain critical,” Haste said.
The excess dollars would be invested in the Tulsa Behavioral Health Project, which has a gap in funding, Haste said.
Senate Minority Leader Julia Kirt, D-Oklahoma City, moved to reduce the amount awarded to replace Griffin from $87 million to $66.5 million. The motion passed.
“These funds will be used to pay existing expenses and to purchase and renovate a facility to provide additional behavioral health capacity,” Kirt said.
The new campus will have 197 beds, which is more than Griffin Memorial Hospital, Kirt said.
“There’s still a discussion about an annex building and whether that will end up being part of the final project,” Kirt said.
The panel also voted to move $7.9 million from the Griffin replacement project to the Tulsa Center for Behavioral Health, a 56-bed state owned and operated psychiatric hospital.
“This project will provide much needed mental health services and additional beds for capacity,” Haste said.
Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Chuck Hall, R-Perry, said the changes will be put into bills and sent through the legislative process, which will give lawmakers and the public time to weigh in.
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