Oklahoma mental health agency to start moving Griffin Memorial patients to renovated Oklahoma City hospital annex

Patient transfers set to begin as first phase of southwest Oklahoma City campus comes online

Oklahoma’s mental health agency is preparing to begin transferring patients from Griffin Memorial Hospital in Norman to a newly renovated inpatient unit in southwest Oklahoma City, marking the first operational step in a broader plan to relocate and expand the state’s primary psychiatric hospital capacity.

State officials said Feb. 27, 2026 that patients are expected to begin arriving next week at the Oklahoma City Behavioral Health Campus Annex, located at 2129 SW 59th St. The annex is the first phase of a multi-building renovation project intended to replace inpatient services currently provided at Griffin Memorial, a facility that has operated in Norman for more than a century.

What opens now, and what remains under construction

The annex is designed to house up to 32 inpatients. Officials said a wing of patients from Griffin Memorial will be transferred, but did not specify how many patients would move immediately at the start of operations.

The annex renovation focused on technology upgrades and cost $1.3 million. The unit is expected to be staffed by about 60 people, with most staff shifting from Griffin Memorial. The agency said it is recruiting and hiring additional nurses to support the annex and to fill positions left open at Griffin as personnel are reassigned.

Officials said the annex will not accept walk-in members of the public. The facility also will not directly admit patients until the full campus is operational; admissions will continue through Griffin Memorial during the transition period.

A larger campus built from an existing hospital site

The Oklahoma City project is centered on a former SSM Health hospital campus in southwest Oklahoma City that the state has purchased and is renovating in phases. The agency has said up to $60 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funding will be used to purchase and renovate multiple buildings on the site.

When renovations are completed across the full campus, the inpatient complex is expected to have capacity for 197 beds. That would exceed Griffin Memorial’s 120-bed capacity, according to state officials. The annex is intended to be an early operational component while renovation work continues on the main hospital building and other structures.

How the plan changed from earlier proposals

The state’s approach to relocating inpatient psychiatric care has shifted in recent years. Earlier plans called for a new-build replacement facility in Oklahoma City, but lawmakers later moved to stop that construction effort and pursue a purchase-and-renovation strategy instead. State discussions cited cost increases, schedule delays and a large funding gap as factors in abandoning the original construction plan.

Key points at a glance

• Transfers from Griffin Memorial Hospital are expected to begin the week of March 2, 2026.
• The annex has capacity for 32 inpatients and is the first phase of the Oklahoma City campus transition.
• The full renovated campus is planned for 197 beds, compared with 120 beds at Griffin Memorial.
• Admissions will continue through Griffin Memorial until the entire Oklahoma City campus is open for direct intake.

State officials said the expanded capacity and location are intended to ease pressure on emergency rooms and reduce burdens on law enforcement response during behavioral health crises.

The agency has said Griffin Memorial’s future includes an eventual sale of the Norman property once services are fully replaced, though officials have also indicated the Norman hospital could keep beds available depending on demand during the transition.