Emergency Medicine Program Approved at University of Oklahoma

Oct. 26--LAWTON -- University of Oklahoma Regents on Wednesday approved the establishment of a Department of Emergency Medicine at the OU College of Medicine campus in Tulsa.

Funded by the Legislature, the $3 million program will provide residency training programs for emergency room doctors and establish the Institute for Disaster and Emergency Medicine.

The institute will focus on research and education in emergency medicine, trauma care, disaster preparedness, child injury prevention and public health.

State gets low grade

Oklahoma is the most populous state without a residency program in emergency medicine, earning it a grade of D-plus in the 2006 National Report Card on Emergency Medicine. A study by the University of Oklahoma found more than 40 vacancies statewide for emergency physicians.

"The establishment of this department will not only greatly upgrade the quality of emergency and trauma care in Tulsa and eastern Oklahoma, it will train emergency professionals who will serve the entire state," said University of Oklahoma President David Boren.

Six residents a year

The three-year residency program will accept six residents per year, beginning in July 2008.

"Oklahomans make more than 1.5 million emergency room visits a year, and currently our graduates who wish to be emergency physicians must leave the state for training in an M.D. program," said Dr. Gerard Clancy, president of OU-Tulsa.

"This new residency program will give them the opportunity to stay in Tulsa and eventually practice in Oklahoma, which will be a benefit to all of us," he said.

St. Francis Hospital will be the sponsoring hospital and will serve as the main facility for training emergency residents.

Dr. John Sacra, medical director for EMSA and the Medical Control Board, is interim chairman of the department. Vice chairman is Mark Brandenburg, a doctor of emergency medicine at St. Francis Hospital and clinical associate professor in the department of internal medicine.

Regents also approved design plans by Rees Associates Inc. for the second phase of Gaylord Hall, which houses the University of Oklahoma Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication.

The $19 million, three-story addition will add 42,000 square feet to the building, including computer labs, offices, an auditorium and studio. Funding includes $10 million from a bond issue and $9 million from private donations.

Also approved were plans for the third phase of Gaylord Family -- Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, a project not to exceed $10 million and from athletic department funding.

The project will put in additional rest rooms, concessions, and offices, along with fencing around the practice field.

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