In his new Fiscal Year 2021 budget proposal, President Donald Trump has appropriated $120 million to fund a veterans’ hospital in Downtown Tulsa.

The total cost for the project would be $173 million

The veterans’ facility would be a 275,000-square-foot, 58-bed medical-surgical hospital and would be built where the Kerr Edmondson Building stands, next to the Oklahoma State University Medical Center (on Houston Avenue between 3rd and 6th streets.)

The City of Tulsa would contribute $8 million and the rest of the difference is expected to come from private donations.

“I am proud of Oklahomans uniting together to serve our veterans more effectively and efficiently,” Gov. Kevin Stitt said in a news release “This hospital will be a perfect use of the Kerr Edmondson buildings, and the partnership with OSU Medicine will ensure greater access to specialty physicians. This is a true example of how we can leverage public-private partnerships in order to ensure we are providing our veterans with the quality care and support they deserve, and I am thankful for the collaboration of all involved, especially U.S. Senators Inhofe and Lankford.”

The Veterans Administration would operate the hospital. The VA already has an outpatient clinic, a behavioral medicine clinic and a dental clinic in Downtown Tulsa.

Also, the Jack C. Montgomery Medical Center in Muskogee will get $28 million for improvements under the plan. That includes adding beds and the move to becoming a behavioral health center. There is also a VA hospital in Oklahoma City.

“Building a new hospital in Tulsa to serve a greater number of veterans in the region and installing a new behavioral health center in the Muskogee facility cements eastern Oklahoma’s importance to providing high-quality care for our veterans and addressing specialized care needs,” said U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Oklahoma.