Northeastern State University

PROJECT PURPOSE

NSU?s Oklahoma College of Optometry (OCO) is 1 of only 23 accredited optometry schools in the U.S., being one of a kind to the State of Oklahoma. 80.5% of Oklahoma?s optometric physicians are graduates of the NSU Oklahoma College of Optometry. OCO is the gateway and referral center to many of Oklahoma?s vulnerable populations, with many patients having serious health comorbidities that affect vision and overall long-term health. The potential health and training benefits to Oklahoma provided by OCO is currently restricted by being housed in a 1936 hospital and retrofitted to simply ?make due?. With the social distancing and other recommendations imposed by the pandemic and CDC safety recommendations, patient numbers have been drastically limited and the ability to train more doctors safely and effectively has been a struggle. The planned new building will resolve these issues. OCO seeks funding to address the COVID-19 public health emergencies by building a facility to: ? expand services to patients ? improve the overall access to health and health education in the State of Oklahoma resulting in higher paying jobs ? increase educational opportunities by increasing class size and producing more doctors for Oklahoma ? improve the negative economic impacts imposed by Covid-19 by drawing outside students to Oklahoma

EVIDENCE

The OCO healthcare team currently sees 40,000+ patients per year and trains the future doctors of Oklahoma that are currently serving 71 of 77 Oklahoma counties. This newly designed facility would safely and effectively increase the number of trained doctors distributed throughout Oklahoma and provide access to healthcare for patients from a variety of backgrounds and school systems. OCO?s capacity is severely limited by the current size of their existing building being only 23,742 square feet. The limited space creates a hardship for doctors, residents, students, staff and patients to safely follow CDC recommendations and still have a productive, immersive learning and patient care environment.

POPULATION DESCRIPTION

OCO has historically served high numbers of patients from vulnerable and low-income rural areas, many with chronic eye disease. The populations served by OCO come from areas where the income levels fall well below the federal poverty line. OCO serves an area with an estimated median household income of 250 percent of the poverty line (see attached U.S. Census Bureau). OCO has the privilege of serving rural school districts in the area, many of which house kids with no access to eye care aside from what is offered free to students through their school. The pandemic caused a downturn in patients being served by having limited space in our current facility. Services to the school systems and children without means to routine exams are vitally important for improvement of reading and educational scores. The immersive training for students allows for improved healthcare and medical professionals to gain further insight and experience working with children and the elderly across Oklahoma.

PERFORMANCE MEASURING

A timeline for completion has been created with milestones to measure completion and stay on track. Routine reports will be gathered from the general contractor to measure project performance and certified by independent architects, engineers, and other third-party inspectors as appropriate. All expenditures will be evaluated and approved by the architect and all appropriate University officials. Interim, project, expenditure and performance reports will be handled by appropriate University officials following Uniform Guidance regulations. Data will also be collected upon completion to measure successes in increased student enrollment and future doctors educated, increased patients served, and further job creation.

ONGOING INVESTMENT AMOUNT

$

ONGOING INVESTMENT DESCRIPTION

None

ONGOING INVESTMENT REQUIRED

Able to continue operation without additional funding from the State of Oklahoma