For Immediate Release--- January 18th, 2023 

For More Information Contact: Commissioner Carrie Blumert (405) 713-1501

Oklahoma County – Yesterday, the Oklahoma County Board of Commissioners voted to reserve $3 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding for use in two county-wide projects. The first of these projects includes $1 million in funding to be used for the relocation of Griffin Memorial Hospital from Norman to Oklahoma City. In addition to the county funds, ARPA allocations from the state and Oklahoma City would be used for the move. 

Through the relocation of Griffin Memorial to OKC, the state would construct a state-of-the-art mental health and substance abuse hospital to replace the nearly 100-hundred-year-old facility in Norman. The new hospital would provide over 300 inpatient beds for both adolescent and adult care. In addition to inpatient care, the hospital would also provide additional options for outpatient care in Oklahoma County.

“Using our ARPA dollars in partnership with Oklahoma City and the state is a unique opportunity to enhance the quality of care received by people battling mental health and substance abuse issues in Oklahoma County,” said Blumert. She continued, “This effort, combined with the Maps 4 facilities and programming, can be a game changer for us here in Oklahoma County. I’m really excited to see the progress being made in mental health and substance abuse care.”

Providing affordable housing options for residents of Oklahoma County was the second project considered. Under this proposal, $2 million was reserved for use by the Oklahoma County Home Finance Authority (OCHFA) to help fund affordable projects that are "shovel ready." Once OCHFA has received the funds from Oklahoma County, the trustees will review and make awards to aid in the construction of affordable housing within Oklahoma County. In addition to county funds, Oklahoma City has committed over $8 million in ARPA funds for affordable housing projects as well.

“I’m excited OCHFA is working with OKC to meet a critical need in our community,” Blumert added. “We know that access to safe and affordable housing provides benefits to the entire community in a variety of ways, including reduced interaction with the criminal justice system, improved community health because residents have more disposable income to meet their healthcare needs, and improved educational outcomes for children who no longer face housing instability,” she concluded.

- 30 -