Ascension St. John Owasso Hospital Opens New ICU And Progressive Care Unit

People in Owasso will now have the option to stay closer to home if they end up in the ICU.

Hospital officials at the Ascension St. John Owasso Hospital cut the ribbon on their $8 million new ICU and Progressive care unit Monday morning.

Cathy Cunningham, the Chief Nursing Officer, is from Owasso and is excited for the new upgrade.

"Nursing has been my passion,” said Cunningham. “I've been a nurse for going on 30 years now, and started out at the medical center, and to be able to be a part of the growth here in Owasso, is just something that Owasso and the community here desperately needs."

The second floor of the hospital used to be a storage closet and now has four ICU beds and 14 Progressive Care beds.

Progressive Care beds are a step down from ICU beds.

Dr. Wyatt Hockmeyer, the president of the hospital, said this new floor means people from the Owasso area won’t have to go to Tulsa or Oklahoma City.

"When family members are nearby, not only does satisfaction improve, but also health outcomes improve,” said Hockmeyer. “Being right here where the family member can keep an eye on the care they're receiving.”

This new unit in Owasso will help when emergencies happen outside of the Tulsa area.

"It's also really important for the first responders to be able to take patients to a local community hospital and then know that they're going to be safely cared for,” said Jeff Nowlin, the CEO of Ascension St John. “And then those responders can get back out on the road responding to other needs."

Cunningham said it means the world to her to be able to help people in the town where she came from.

"I'm just loving it,” said Cunningham. “There's a lot of familiar faces. Owasso's a small community, so it's good to know that we're taking care of our neighbors."

The new unit will start seeing patients Thursday.