Contract Signed for Transfer of
OSU Medical Center

On April 30, a City of Tulsa trust finalized the transfer of ownership of the Oklahoma State University Medical Center from Ardent Health Services, the parent company of Hillcrest HealthCare System. The agreement reached between the Oklahoma State University Medical Center Trust and Ardent follows recently passed legislation that allows state funding of $5 million per year for the next five years to support the continued operations of OSU Medical Center. Integral to the agreement is the multi-year financial commitment by the George Kaiser Family Foundation. The Trust has engaged St. John Health System to manage Oklahoma State University Medical Center.

The St. John Health System will serve as the contracted management service provider to operate OSU Medical Center on behalf of the Trust. Ardent and St. John will work together to ensure a seamless transition of daily management and operations. This transfer demonstrates the ability of public and private entities to partner on behalf of the community and its citizens. While change is inherently stressful, every effort is being made to make this transition smooth and to continue to provide access to quality health care for some of north east Oklahoma's most underserved patients.