The Tulsa Forum by TulsaNow

New project that is getting ready to start at Hwy 51 (BA Expressway) & 129th E. Ave. next to QuikTrip's corporate campus.  Is that in Tulsa or Broken Arrow right there? 

The Tulsa Cancer Institute is building a new $60 million oncology and wellness center that is to open in 2012.

The 86,000-square-foot building will be on the north side of the Broken Arrow Expressway at the 129th East Avenue exit.

The Tulsa Cancer Institute was formerly known as Cancer Care Associates.

"The new facility will let us treat and prevent cancer at a whole new level for our patients," Mark Olsen, president of Tulsa Cancer Institute, said in a statement. "We will have the very best treatment and technologies and a wellness center, all to help our patients through a very difficult time in their life."

The center will create about 100 permanent jobs, and its construction will employ about 500 people, according to the statement. Groundbreaking is expected next month.

Patients are now treated in three facilities, but consolidating them into one building will help with the delivery of medical care, said Scott McHam, leader of the building project.

"This gives us a whole new way to deliver the finest treatment in the country to our patients in Tulsa," he said.

The building will be LEED-certified for environmental design and will include healing gardens, a mentoring area and bright, open spaces, according to the statement. Project development is led by Formaation LLC, and Flintco will be the builder, officials said.

(http://www.tulsaworld.com/articleimages/2010/20101208_CancerCenter1208.jpg)

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=17&articleid=20101208_17_A13_CUTLIN244733 (http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=17&articleid=20101208_17_A13_CUTLIN244733)

I'm curious if this facility will result in a drop in the net operational costs to TCI, and is that a net gain of 100 jobs or simply consolidating jobs already in place at their three facilities.

One of the biggest problems we've got in the cost of health care is just like government: far too much decentralization of services and too many facilities to maintain and operate.  I hate to rain on the parade, but people seem to miss the point that physicians and physician groups getting into the real estate business is one of the driving factors in higher HC costs. 

I"m trying to picture where this would be exactly.  The only parcel I can think of is that lot south of the old HSBC Building on the NW of 51st and 129th across the street (to the north) of the GenIII QuikTrip.  I have a slight interest, since I work about 1/4 mile to the north of this.

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=36.090855,-95.835274&spn=0.007057,0.009645&t=h&z=17

that's right on...

the secondary problem with this sity is it sees empty land and goes "ooh ooh, we need to build something there"

I saw where this project finally broke ground last Friday.  I believe this will be at the NW corner of 129th E Ave & E 51st east of the State Farm campus.