Leaders, lawmakers celebrate transfer of new VA hospital

Leaders, lawmakers celebrate transfer of new VA hospital

Tuesday, November 11, 2025

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Federal, state and local lawmakers, leaders, stakeholders and supporters celebrated Veterans Day at the ownership transfer ceremony of the new James Mountain Inhofe VA Medical Center.

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 Kerr-Edmondson buildings to OSU, who then transferred ownership of the property and new hospital to the VA on Nov. 7.

"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," said OSU Center for Health Sciences President Johnny Stephens. "I'm so proud this hospital, the cornerstone of the OSU Academic Medical District, will serve those who have served our country."

Oklahoma's congressional delegation, led by the late Sen. James Inhofe and Sen. James Lankford, championed the approval and funding for the hospital in downtown Tulsa.

"I want you to understand as Oklahomans that we have set in front of the nation a new way of doing things for our nation and our veterans," Lankford said. "What if we had nonprofits, our state government, our city, the county all engage together to do something significant, not just for Tulsa, for our veterans and for our nation. What if we could set a new way of administering veterans health care that would partner our VA system with the OSU medical system."

The ceremony on Tuesday 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 in late spring 2026.

"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."

Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols said the city is home to almost 40,000 veterans and he's proud it will be the home of the new VA hospital.

"It's a celebration of collaboration at its very best. Federal, state, local and county governments, private philanthropy, OSU and the academic medical community all rowing in the same direction to serve those who have served us. I think that's something to be proud of," Nichols said. "This facility will mean shorter wait times, expanding access to specialists, better coordination with OSU medical staff and the students who are going to take care of veterans later in their careers. This is about accessibility, connection, and dignity for veterans and their families."

The VA hospital is located across the street from the OSU Medical Center, the teaching hospital associated with OSU Center for Health Sciences.

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said with the addition of the VA hospital and the nearby Oklahoma Psychiatric Care Center also slated to open in 2026, the dream of creating the OSU Academic Medical District in the southwest corner of downtown Tulsa is becoming a reality.

"What's happening here is bigger than just a hospital. We're standing in the heart of a new $515 million academic medical district that's really transforming our great city of Tulsa. We're talking 5,000 jobs during the construction phase and 2,000 permanent jobs. It's a huge economic impact," Stitt said. "This is a moment of gratitude and momentum. Gratitude for our veterans and for Sen. Inhofe's legacy of service to our state, and momentum for Tulsa and Oklahoma's future in health care, innovation and economic development."