Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU)

PROJECT PURPOSE

SWOSU, along with community and civic partners including Oklahoma State University, will dramatically expand SWOSU?s rural health networks to support underserved populations throughout the state by providing desperately needed common health services for Oklahoma citizens AND providing more pharmacists, nurses, and other healthcare professionals. This expansion will include the construction of the Jerry and Margaret Hodge Center for Pharmacy and Rural Health. Services provided through this center based in Weatherford will include live clinics for the underserved, immunizations, remote patient monitoring, chronic care management, annual wellness visits, Diabetes Education and transitional care. ARPA funds are critical to the completion of the Center and will be supplemented by $11.5 million of already dedicated private donations and community tax initiatives. Once constructed, SWOSU and its project partners will use the center to serve as a hub of healthcare services for all of western Oklahoma. Additionally, an existing innovative partnership with 12 hospitals across the state will be expanded to increase the reach of the center?s services for rural citizens. Finally, the center will lead to an infusion of healthcare professionals into an area of the state that desperately needs more nurses, pharmacists, allied health workers, and physician assistants.

EVIDENCE

The following articles are examples demonstrating needs for this project 1. Across OU Health hospitals, there is a 19% nursing vacancy rate and a 47% turnover rate. Oklahoma has a long-existing nursing shortage (The Oklahoman, Aug. 30, 2021) 2. Pharmacies face staffing shortages (News on 6, Aug. 30, 2021) Based on this evidence, this projects Interventions will meet state and federal goals for ARPA funds and accomplish the following: 1. Provide community healthcare services through a centrally located Rural Healthcare Center 2. Increase number of healthcare workers in the state

POPULATION DESCRIPTION

This project is designed to serve underserved Oklahoma citizens in all of western Oklahoma. The SWOSU Hodge Center will serve as a hub and work directly will 12 local and state partners to increase access. Additionally, this will have further impact through expanding affiliations with hospitals and pharmacies in across the state. These steps will help those most greatly affected by the pandemic. Nearly all the counties to be served by this project have a poverty rate higher than the state average of 15.2%. Many of these counties also have higher numbers of people without insurance than the state average of 14.3% uninsured. All the proposed counties, with the exception of Canadian County, are in a rural area as defined by the US Census Bureau. The pandemic worsened the state?s deficit in healthcare workers, which led to a major loss of access to healthcare for rural citizens. Even before the clinic, the number of clinics and hospitals in rural Oklahoma has decreased dramatically.

PERFORMANCE MEASURING

This investment in positive health outcomes will have a lasting positive impact. It will be an example of how the state and SWOSU joined to wisely use resources to not only meet needs created by the pandemic, but also anticipate growing needs for rural healthcare and healthcare education. The following data will be collected to determine project effectiveness: 1. Increase of nurses, pharmacists, allied health professionals, and physician assistants who graduate from SWOSU and work in Oklahoma. 2. Number of citizens served through a live clinic located in the center. 3. Increase of Oklahomans served through SWOSU?s Rural Health Program.

ONGOING INVESTMENT AMOUNT

$

ONGOING INVESTMENT DESCRIPTION

None

ONGOING INVESTMENT REQUIRED

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