Boyd Street Magazine June 2021

BY: LINDSAY CUOMO

COMMUNITY

75 years and Counting

Norman Municipal Hospital opened June 1, 1946.Norman Regional Health System celebrates 75th anniversary, breaks ground on new facilities.

The cafeteria was enlarged and a coffee shop was added during a building project funded by a bond issue approved by Norman residents in 1962.

In the 1950s, mothers could talk on a color-coded telephone that matched the gender of their baby.

In 1955, an expansion was added that increased in-patient capacity including two nurseries.

In the 60s, Norman Municipal Hospital expanded three times, adding a fourth floor, an intensive care unit and more than 60,000 square feet.

A change in policies in 1976 allowed new mothers to choose “rooming-in” with their babies and fathers were first allowed into delivery rooms.

On Sept. 1, 1984, Norman Municipal Hospital was renamed as Norman Regional Hospital.

The Cancer Management Center opened in July 1989.

In 2004, Norman Regional opened a medical professional building at Tecumseh Road and Interstate 35, followed by the HealthPlex in 2009.

The Next Phase - Inspire Health

Following an expansion expected to be complete in 2023, Norman Regional’s HealthPlex campus will house acute care services including a new Cancer Center.

Crews will add a temporary, emergency entrance on the west side of the building for patients, their families and the public to use during construction.

This June, the health system broke ground on Norman Regional Nine, a new freestanding emergency department at Highway 9 & 24th Avenue SE.

The final step in the Inspire Health plan, the Porter campus will shift from “sickness to wellness” and become a mixeduse facility with physician clinics, senior center and more.

Learn more about the expansion projects at InspireHealthOK.com. – BSM