First project to receive ARPA funds completed, children's mental health access expanded
OU Health representatives and state officials cut the ribbon at the opening of the expanded emergency department at Oklahoma Children’s Hospital.
OKLAHOMA CITY – The Office of Management and Enterprise Services applauds the University Hospital Authority and Trust (UHAT) for completing its emergency room expansion project at the Oklahoma Children’s Hospital OU Health. This project was the first to receive American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds appropriated by the Oklahoma State Legislature, and its completion marks tangible progress toward improving the lives of Oklahoma’s children and their families.
Oklahoma Children’s Hospital OU Health hosted a ceremonial ribbon-cutting on March 7 to celebrate the emergency department expansion. Funded by $7.5 million in ARPA dollars, the project added additional beds to increase capacity and decrease wait times for care, a sensory playroom and flexible rooms designed to accommodate pediatric behavioral health patients.
“This expansion is nearly 7,500 additional square feet to our emergency room and allows us to serve more Oklahoma children,” said Kendal Pinkston, chief administrative officer of Children’s Services. “I would like to thank all of the elected and appointed officials as well as the state OMES ARPA team who recognized this need and advocated for this project.”
In addition to Pinkston, speakers at the ribbon-cutting ceremony included Jayme Phillips, director of community relations and strategic programs at OU Health; Dr. Robyn Cowperthwaite, section chief for pediatric psychiatry at the Oklahoma Children’s Hospital; Sen. Roger Thompson; Allie Friesen, commissioner for the Oklahoma State Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services; and Christy Gillenwater, president and CEO of the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce.
According to Sen. Thompson, many families in Oklahoma have difficulty finding services for their children, a concern that grew during the COVID-19 pandemic. Seeing the need, the Oklahoma Legislature chose to invest ARPA funding into the Oklahoma Children’s Hospital OU Health to both expand its emergency department and build a brand-new Behavioral Health Center, which is slated to open in December 2026. While the Behavioral Health Center is still under construction, the completion of the emergency department now provides a bridge in the gap to treat behavioral health conditions for more young Oklahomans.
Oklahoma Children’s Hospital OU Health is Oklahoma City’s only comprehensive 24/7 pediatric emergency department and referral center for complex and serious conditions. The emergency department serves approximately 40,000 patients per year. The emergency department expansion increases access to critical care for the children and families of Oklahoma that need it most, right in their home state.
For a full list of all ARPA programs, please view the 2023 SLFRF report. To track live progress of all State of Oklahoma ARPA programs, check out the ARPA Program Tracker dashboard.
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About OMES
The Office of Management and Enterprise Services provides financial, property, purchasing, human resources and information technology services to all state agencies, and assists the Governor’s Office on budgetary policy matters. Our mission: Provide excellent service, expert guidance and continuous improvement in support of our partners’ goals. For more information on the agency, visit oklahoma.gov/omes. For more information on the state’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) progress, visit oklahoma.gov/arpa.
About UHAT
The University Hospitals Authority (UHA) and University Hospitals Trust (UHT), collectively (UHAT), were created to operate the University Hospitals on the Oklahoma Health Center campus in Oklahoma City and to ensure that the hospitals support the teaching and research missions of the University of Oklahoma. Together, they support the patient care, research and educational missions of various entities such as the University of Oklahoma, OU Health, Oklahoma Health Care Authority, Hearts for Hearing and the Oklahoma Dental Foundation. In 1997, legislation was enacted to privatize the operations of the hospitals via the UHT.
OMES media contact
Christa Helfrey
christa.helfrey@omes.ok.gov
