Mental Health Hospital Moving From Norman
A mental health hospital that has been in Norman for more than a century will be moving operations to Oklahoma City.
Health officials have announced plans to relocate Griffin Memorial Hospital to OSU’s Oklahoma City campus near I-44 and West Reno Ave.
Griffin is the state’s largest in-patient mental health treatment facility.
The new facility will be known as the Donahue Behavioral Health Campus.
It will increase mental health treatment capacity by 100 beds and create 250 jobs.
The $147-million dollar facility is expected to open in 2026.
‘Horizontal Apartment’ Community Coming To OKC
A new type of rental living option is coming to Oklahoma City.
The city’s first ‘horizontal apartment’ community is called Trulo Homes Quail Village near Quail Springs Mall in North OKC.
The “build-for-rent” homes are built together on lots with high-end amenities - like a clubhouse, fitness center and pool.
Builders just finished the first phase of the project in August, with plans to complete 215 homes by next summer.
The community has three floor plans with 1, 2 and 3 bedroom options.
The one bedroom option is a duplex style with one shared wall - while the two and three bedroom options are built like single-family homes.
One so-called perk of horizontal living is personal space - with no shared walls and even some private backyards.
But that comes with a price. These homes can range anywhere from around $1,400 to more than $2,200 per month, depending on the size of the unit.
Trulo has another community similar to this in Jenks, which is completed with 138 homes.
Several similar rental homes are also available in Norman.
OKC Mayor Announces Plans For New Thunder Arena
Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt announced a plan to build a new arena in exchange for a renewed contract with The Oklahoma City Thunder.
On Tuesday, Mayor Holt announced the Oklahoma City Thunder have agreed to play their home games in the city for another 25 years if voters approve funding for a new arena.
The team’s current long-term agreement ended earlier this year, but they agreed to a short-term extension that will expire in less than three years.
Holt will give a presentation to the city council on Sept. 26, and if a majority approves to call for an election, OKC voters can cast their ballots on Dec. 12.
The arena will cost a minimum of $900 million and will be funded by a 72-month one-cent sales tax starting after the current MAPS 4 one-cent sales tax ends, effectively causing no increase in taxes.
In addition, $70 million in MAPS 4 funds and $50 million from the owners of the Oklahoma City Thunder will go toward the new arena.
Updated COVID-19 Boosters Approved As Oklahoma Hospital Admissions Increase
The CDC has recommended that everyone six months and older get one of the new COVID-19 boosters.
The newly F-D-A-approved vaccine is said to protect against worrisome new variants.
Millions of updated Pfizer and Moderna shots are coming to pharmacies, clinics and health systems nationwide as COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to rise.
According to data from the CDC, Oklahoma’s new COVID-19 hospital admissions for the last week of August increased by more than 50% in the following week, which is from 130 to around 200 people.
People five years and older are eligible for a single dose at least two months after their last dose of any COVID-19 vaccine. Children younger than five are eligible for one or two doses of an updated vaccine, depending on their COVID-19 vaccination history.
The FDA says in a news release it is confident in the safety and effectiveness of these updated vaccines.
The new vaccines should be available by the end of the week.
State Fair Opens Thursday
The Oklahoma State Fair returns tomorrow and last-minute preparations are underway.
State Labor Commissioner Leslie Osborn says several checks are made on the rides as they are unloaded, put together and tested.
Osborn says they will continue to monitor the rides while they are in operation over the next two weeks to ensure that the people running them are following manufacturer specifications.
The fair runs Sept. 14-24.
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