The Oklahoma Department of Mental Health is purchasing a vacant hospital in Oklahoma City to serve as the state's largest psychiatric facility for people with severe mental illness.
The hospital, located at 2129 S.W. 59th St., will eventually replace the aging Griffin Memorial Hospital in Norman, but the property won't be fully ready until the end of next year, according to the agency's interim director, Greg Slavonic.
The $18.5 million purchase includes the entire hospital campus, with a main complex, annex and warehouse. The department plans to use $41.5 million to update the facility.
Renovations to make the hospital fit the state's needs will occur in phases, according to agency spokesperson Maria Chaverri. Work on the annex building will begin first and is expected to be completed in December, allowing the department to relocate 32 patients from Griffin Memorial to Oklahoma City.
The facility will initially serve adults, with possible adjustments based on needs, according to Chaverri.
The state department had previously planned to build a new, state-of-the-art facility, called the Donahue Behavioral Health Center, but faced significant construction cost overruns after breaking ground in March 2024. The Donahue project's initial estimate didn't include costs for furniture, equipment and unrealized redesign needs.
In its budget request to the legislature for the 2026 Fiscal Year, the Department of Mental Health asked for an additional $125 million for the Donahue project, but lawmakers denied the request. Lawmakers also reduced the amount of American Rescue Plan Act funds allocated toward replacing the Griffin Memorial Hospital from $87 million to $66.5 million. The money must be spent by the end of 2026, and the difference was reallocated to other projects.
Oklahoma City leaders and Oklahoma County commissioners also contributed funding for the Donahue project, with additional funding expected to come from the sale of the Griffin Memorial Hospital and its more than 200 acres. Oklahoma County Commissioners have since demanded the state repay them $1.5 million for the unrealized new mental health hospital.
Efforts to acquire the Oklahoma City hospital began in May, according to court documents. The property previously belonged to SSM Health and was used for inpatient behavioral health treatment. The Vatican had to sign off on the sale.
It's the same property Oklahoma County officials once considered purchasing to use as a mental health facility for county jail detainees in 2023.
The state has long aimed to replace the Griffin Memorial Hospital, which has been in operation for over a century. It has 120 inpatient beds for people in need of mental health and substance abuse care. The SSM facility will have approximately 197 total beds once renovations are complete. The Donahue project promised 330.
Slavonic, hired as an interim commissioner earlier this year after the legislature fired former commissioner Allie Friesen, said he was eager to find a way to finish the project. He said the facility's central location will improve operations for patients and law enforcement alike.
"When I looked at the agency's budget, it was clear I needed to resolve this longstanding funding issue without creating new costs for taxpayers," Slavonic said in a press release. "Now we have a clear path forward for relocating beds from Griffin Memorial Hospital that will reduce operational challenges and expand access to behavioral health care for Oklahomans."
In addition to replacing the Donahue Center, it is unclear whether the hospital will be used to meet court-mandated consent decree requirements, which force the state to create more inpatient beds for people who are deemed incompetent to stand trial. They currently receive treatment at a different state facility in Vinita that is equipped to handle criminal defendants.
This report was produced by the Oklahoma Public Media Exchange, a collaboration of public media organizations. Help support collaborative journalism by donating at the link at the top of this webpage.
