OU-Tulsa Dedicates Schusterman Center Clinic
SYNERGISTIC ANNOUNCEMENT: University of Oklahoma President David L. Boren and University of Tulsa President Steadman Upham are in unity over the new OU-Tulsa master of health science for physician assistant studies in the department of family medicine at the OU-Tulsa Schusterman Center. The first students are expected to begin the physician assistant program at OU-Tulsa in fall 2008.
GTR Newspapers photo
Dedication of OU-Tulsa’s Schusterman Center Clinic, which was provided primarily by the Vision 2025 bond issue passed by the voters of Tulsa County in 2003, was held June 13 in the clinic’s atrium. The $35 million facility is designed to improve patient care, increase availability for outpatient visits by 25 percent and provide opportunities for expansion of medical research.
“This new clinic facility will provide the best quality of medical care to serve Tulsa and the surrounding area as well as fostering the expansion of medical research,” says OU President David L. Boren. “We thank the Schusterman family for their vision and generosity in helping us achieve our goal of building a clinic that will have a major impact on both the quality of life and the economic future of the Tulsa area,” Boren says.
The 100,000 square-foot clinic is located at the OU-Tulsa Schusterman Center at 41st Street and Yale Avenue. The expanded clinic space will allow for many OU clinical programs to unite under one roof, providing better patient care and interdisciplinary research opportunities. The clinic’s estimated economic impact for the Tulsa area is $1.5 billion over the next 15 years.
In addition to improving patient care, this clinical space will allow OU-Tulsa physicians to increase outpatient visits from 200,000 to 250,000 per year. Students in medicine, nursing, pharmacy, physical therapy, social work, radiography, occupational therapy, physician assistant, public health and resident physicians will all be under one roof, which will facilitate a team approach.
Health services provided at the new location include geriatrics, health awareness, internal medicine, pediatrics, pediatric behavioral health, pediatric diabetes, pediatric endocrinology, psychiatry, obstetrics and gynecology. Additional services at the clinic will include a pediatric and adult diabetes center under the direction of Dr. David Jelley, a pharmacy, a cancer infusion center and telemedicine links to the new OU-Tulsa mobile clinic.
Through the additional training of medical students and physicians, the Tulsa Metro Chamber estimates the Schusterman Center Clinic will add more than $13 million annually to the health care payroll in the Tulsa region. The clinic’s impact is expected to increase OU-Tulsa’s external research funding from $17 million per year to at least $22 million per year.
“The impact of this new facility can already be seen and felt within our community,” says OU-Tulsa President Gerard P. Clancy, M.D. “Even before we open this facility to the public on June 20, the excitement generated by this clinic for our community, patients, students, physicians and staff has accelerated our program growth at all levels.”
The Schusterman Center Clinic was named to honor the Charles and Lynn Schusterman family, who donated $10 million in 1999 to assist OU in purchasing the former BP Amoco facility at 41st Street and Yale Avenue, enabling OU to establish a campus where all of the University’s programs in Tulsa could be offered in one central location. Additionally, the Schusterman family issued a challenge to Tulsa voters in 2003: if the Vision 2025 bond issue passed, the Schusterman family would donate an additional $10 million to OU-Tulsa for the construction of an academic center to compliment the clinic as well as other existing facilities.
A public open house was also held June 13. Tulsans had an opportunity to tour the clinic and learn about the services available. Door prizes and refreshments were provided and guests participated in question-and-answer sessions with OU doctors.
To celebrate the opening, OU physicians also offered free public lectures on four topics during the open house: child development, healthy hearts, healthy aging and geriatrics and sports and kids. In addition, OU’s three Heisman Trophy winners—Jason White, Billy Sims and Steve Owens—were present at the clinic to sign autographs and meet Tulsans.
The University of Oklahoma Schusterman Center is home to all OU programs in Tulsa including the OU College of Medicine, Tulsa. Located at 41st and Yale, the campus allows OU to provide educational, research and patient care programs for the community. The OU-Tulsa Schusterman Center currently offers four bachelor’s degree completion programs, 15 master’s programs, doctoral programs in educational administration, instructional leadership and academic curriculum, engineering, pharmacy and medicine with 10 residency programs. For more information about OU-Tulsa, call (918) 660-3000 or visit http://tulsa.ou.edu.
Updated 07-03-2007
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