what's going on at I-40 & Douglas, SE corner??

[aggieswife]

pretty fast work here...what is it?
isn't it too close to I-40?
isn't it hard to access esp w/ tinker traffic?

[grandshoemaster]

St. Anthony's is going in.

[bradzilla]

seriously, sweet.

[plmccordj]

We were posting about this in this thread... http://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=24019&page=1

[Bimmerdude]

I wonder if the hospital bought out the mobile home park just south of the construction site? Too bad there is really no room for expansion on that side of town.

[plmccordj]

The hospital is open now. My family doctor sent us a letter saying they were moving their office there so my wife and I went inside to check it out today. Looks great.

[Thunder]

So, that is what the building is all about. Seems too small, but hope there are room for expansion. I read somewhere that it just opened.

I will try to go out there soon for some lovely pictures.

Bimmerdude, can you fix your avatar? :-(

[Oh GAWD the Smell!]

The hospital is open now. My family doctor sent us a letter saying they were moving their office there so my wife and I went inside to check it out today. Looks great.

So, that is what the building is all about. Seems too small, but hope there are room for expansion. I read somewhere that it just opened.

I will try to go out there soon for some lovely pictures.

Bimmerdude, can you fix your avatar? :-(

Maybe you read about it just opening in the post above yours? lol

http://newsok.com/st.-anthony-hospit...rticle/3639248

[Thunder]

No, I saw a mention somewhere else. I'm thinking on NewsOK site where they do the invading, annoying popup banner at the bottom right with latest news. It was saying something about new Healthplex South just opened.

[bombermwc]

The site is what's called a "Free-standing ER". It's not a full service facility....yet. This site as well as the other one they built (which is exactlly the same across town) user a masterplan that allows for expansion at the sites of doubling in size. It's not meant to be a full service facility, rather an ER as well as a base for physicians offices. They may expand to offer more diagnostic services later to those physicians as well. It's a common practice around the country to build these facilities...it's a way to expand your presense (and cashflow) to that hospital network without having to invest the amount required to build a full site. Canadian Valley Medical Center was built much in the same way by Integris. The area grew enough that even that site needs more than is available now.

For the MWC area, note that it's outside the MWC municipal lines...just so. The MCMH Hospital Authority has worked to keep other hospitals out of the city for decades. Several different groups have tried to build on 29th, but the authority managed to keep them out. This gives the residents the opportunity to use a different facility if they feel that they don't like MRMC. Also, more physicians participate in the Saints network that MRMC.

[Thunder]

Since you brought up Integris, the latest in the news for today is Garth Brooks suing the hospital for refund of $500,000 donation. Court is starting today. Why? Garth donated the money to the hospital in exchange for a new building in Yukon to be named after his mother. The hospital took the money and thought that they could get away stealing without naming a single building after Mr. Brooks' mother. That is why Garth is suing Integris. What a world!

[oneforone]

First of all $500,000 is not going to cover the cost of a hospital building if your lucky that will cover the ground prep and maybe the frame work. The last expansion that included adding a floor and expanding the ER at Yukon cost $35 million. The new Edmond hospital cost $94 Million.

I am willing to bet they offered to but her name on a unit but, he wanted the name on the building facing I-40 which would just look tacky.

Second, no money was stolen he donated it and he was notified that they would not be putting her name on the building. So it sound like they did it professionally.

Lastly, Integris runs a transparent operation. They give back to the community in more ways then any competitor can imagine. 60% of every dollar goes to cover patient care that goes unpaid by insurance companies and public assistance. They even sponsor a charter school in an area of Oklahoma City where most hospitals would not even build a clinic. They also operate a free clinic out of a local church near downtown. So if Mr. Brooks continues to pursue this the patients are going to lose in the end. Because that $500,000 will have to be recovered somewhere. That usually means people will be laid off services will be cut back and future projects will be cancelled or tabled for the short term.

I know the popular thing these days is to kick around every person, company and organization that is successful because after all it is more important to pull everyone down to our level of failure instead of trying to work towards building ourselves up to where we run with the pack.

Integris employees several members of my family members. They love their jobs because they take of their people and they make every effort to take care of patients even the ones that can be a royal pain to an organization on every level. Integris steps and provides care when other hospitals turn their back. Why do they do it? Because they care about the community. After all every dime brought in by Integris goes back into the community, in the form of expanded services, updated facilities and employee pay and benefits. It does not go back to the finance the operations of a church or a public profit driven conglomerate in St. Louis or Nashville.

There are only one or two reasons for this lawsuit. Garth is starting run low on cash or he has friends or family that are rubbing his nose in the fact that he is not the powerful man he claims to be.

[Questor]

It doesn't sound as clear-cut as that to me in the following article.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/artic...1_CUTLIN752693

[oneforone]

We really need to get back on topic... However this goes to show that donations from Garth Brooks are about self promotion not the good of the community. People should keep that in mind anytime somebody gives a large sum of money. Nine times out of ten it has nothing to do with providing assistance. It has more to do with "Hey look at me,I am rich and I am paying for this." or they received a call from their accountant saying burn some money or pay tax penalties.

If he wins and they have to pay it back you can guarantee the hospital will suffer with layoffs, cutbacks and cancellation of some services provided to the needy. The money does not come out of a magic pot like it does in Washington DC they have to make it up somewhere. From what I understand, INTEGRIS runs a debt free organization. They like to keep things in the black. INTEGRIS is a community focused organization they would find away to come to an agreement with him if they could. However, I think he is throwing a tantrum about it and won't stop until he gets his money. In other words, you embarrassed little man chubbsy wubbsy in his hometown and now you're going to pay for it.

Canadian Valley has done more for Yukon then Brooks ever has. The hospital brought jobs and growth to the community retail, services and restaurants. Brooks only brought the notion "Yukon... Isn't that were Garth Brooks is from." That statement has not been mention by the general population since the 90's.

He still thinks he is somebody however, he shot up his own career and flushed it when he tried to be Chris Gaines. After that Garth's career went south. He supposedly retired and wanted to be a family man. Which we all know he realized he screwed up by trying to be another Michael Boulton so he had to go hide for a little while so people would forget about Chris Gaines. He still fills arenas but only because he tours once in a blue moon. He is time as a big star has come and gone. He has the status in the country music industry that Britney Spears has in the pop music industry. He needs to stop acting like he is Elvis Presley. In another 5,10 years people will know him as Garth Who? Oh that d-bag that sued the hospital because they didn't name it after his momma.

[Drake]

Wow. A lot of rage against Garth.

Not a fan of his music and have never seen him perform. and never will

But the nonsense about Garth's career being in the toilet is just that. Are you aware of his very successful Vegas show at the Wynn? Steve Wynn wouldn't even say how much money he had throw at him other than providing him with a personal jet. When you have your own theater at a place like the Wynn you are doing OK. $500K is just a weekends work.

I will agree this seem like bad PR move on his part. It will be interesting to hear the details come out in court.

[Oh GAWD the Smell!]

Garth is hurting for money like I'm hurting for sarcasm.

And I've never seen the guy do the attention whoring act like what you're talking. To me, he seems pretty low-key when not on stage...I've never seen crap about him that wasn't about his music for the most part.

[bombermwc]

Well, back to the topic of the hospital....