Rep. Trey Caldwell, R-Lawton, today celebrated the groundbreaking of a new hospital, Memorial Health of Tillman County Critical Access Hospital, in Frederick, Oklahoma. 

In 2016, Memorial Hospital and Physician Group in Frederick discontinued patient care and ER services. Since its closure, residents have driven between 30 minutes to an hour to receive hospital-level care. 

"When I took office in 2018, I knew bringing a hospital back to this area was a top priority of mine," Caldwell said. "Southwest Oklahoma has voiced how important this is, and I've done everything in my power to make it happen. Now, six years later, we're closer than ever to returning a hospital to Tillman County, and I couldn't be more proud." 

To support the construction of Memorial Health of Tillman County Critical Access Hospital, the Legislature appropriated funds through Senate Bill 20XX in 2022. The measure tasked the Rural Hospital Rebuild grant program with distributing American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to medical facilities in disproportionately impacted populations. 

Speaker Pro Tempore Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, led the charge to implement a transparent application process to distribute ARPA funds to targeted projects across the state. 

"For too long, rural hospitals have been left to wither on the vine," Hilbert said. "Thanks to Rep. Trey Caldwell’s leadership, we injected $25 million into rural communities to restore their access to healthcare. Lives are going to be saved thanks to this funding, and I’m particularly thrilled to join him in Frederick for the groundbreaking of the new hospital that spurred this investment across the state."

Additional funding included Congressman Tom Cole securing about $6 million in direct congressional appropriations, $1.8 million from the Oklahoma Department of Commerce's Public-Private Partnership (P3) program, and loans from U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs. 

The hospital will have five emergency treatment rooms, 10 inpatient beds, physical therapy, radiology, laboratory and space for additional support services.

Memorial Health of Tillman County will serve people in Tillman County and nearby residents of Comanche, Jackson, Kiowa and Cotton counties, totaling around 15,000 people. 

"This is the first time in fifty years that a hospital has been rebuilt after closure, except for one instance in Kansas following a tornado," Caldwell said. "This is a turning point for rural Oklahoma, and I hope it shows other communities that a lot of good can happen when people work together." 

Caldwell thanked Congressman Tom Cole; Brent Smith, CEO of Comanche County Memorial Hospital; Ryan Ade, a medical practitioner and Chairman of the Tillman County Trust Authority; former Oklahoma House Speaker Loyd Benson; Kenneth Corn, Oklahoma's USDA State Director for Rural Development; and numerous others who have played an instrumental role in making the groundbreaking possible.