Norman Regional Planning To Build Freestanding Emergency Department

Norman City Council greenlit the expansion of the Norman Regional Health System when it approved the rezoning of a 30-acre property.

According to Norman Regional Health System CEO Richie Splitt, the hospital will break ground on a freestanding emergency department by Spring 2021.

The new facility will be located at the intersection of Highway 9 and 24th Avenue SE.

The Tuesday night decision will transform the currently open field into a vision that's been in the making for nearly four years.

“Yesterday was a milestone in a bold and transformational plan that we call ‘Inspire Health,’” Norman Regional Health System CEO Richie Splitt said.

Splitt said the facility will be comparable to the hospital located 10 miles away off Interstate 35 and Telephone Road.

“Our freestanding emergency room department will be open 24 hours a day staffed by board certified board emergency certified physicians,” Splitt said.

Splitt said the new addition at Highway 9 and 24th Avenue SE will bring much-needed care to a bustling region.

“In that heavily traveled Highway 9 corridor, this provides 24/7 emergency care for those who may be harmed or injured just going to the lake or going to that corridor,” Splitt said.

And care that's never been needed more.

“We've always been confident about our plan Inspire Health,” Splitt said. “We know delivering high-quality healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic just makes sense.”

While the new emergency department won't serve Oklahomans until 2022, Splitt said it only marks the beginning of a bigger plan that will allow for future growth of emergency services and planned development.