Under New Ownership, Pauls Valley Hospital Could Reopen In 2021

A Pauls Valley hospital could open in the first few months of 2021, according to new operators Southern Plains Medical Group.

Southern Plains Medical Group CEO Len Lacefield said the renovation of the facility, which closed in 2018 under the ownership of the city, was delayed by about six months.

The hospital should be operational in the first quarter of 2021 and will be named the Southern Plains Medical Center of Garvin County.

“Repair turned into renovation,” Lacefield said. “The nice thing about it is, when we open up, we’re 100% solid. Not only passing the state survey, but we’re proud of what this hospital has become.”

The hospital’s reopening could help lighten the patient load for health care providers in Oklahoma City by offering services like general surgery, eye surgery, orthopedics, pain management, and more.

“We’ll look towards more outpatient surgery services to allow this facility to function as a regional surgical hub,” for Garvin County and surrounding counties, Lacefield said. “So, our patients don’t have to drive an hour or more to north Oklahoma City.”

The Oklahoma State Department of Health confirmed it visited the facility in late November. An OSDH spokesperson declined to comment on the visit and said the details of the certification process is confidential.

Oklahoma City hospitals have handled an increase in patients partly due to rising COVID-19 infections in the last month. Lacefield said the Pauls Valley facility has two isolation rooms and more could be added if necessary.

“Could we convert more? Sure we could,” he said.

The hospital’s lab will also be capable of processing one to 2,000 PCR tests for COVID-19 every day.

Lacefield said the hospital’s reopening marks a change in “the landscape of healthcare coverage” for southern Oklahoma.