LAWTON — Gov. Kevin Stitt hailed Lawton’s new Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Red Rock as a prime example of what the public and private sectors can achieve if they work together.
“These private philanthropic dollars come in with a great vision and idea, and then the state will step in in a lot of cases,” Stitt said. “And that’s why myself, I’m here. We have leaders from the House and the Senate here to see how we can partner with them to make sure that this organization can open another one in Oklahoma City, potentially another one in Tulsa.”
Stitt joined other state and local leaders Oct. 21 at the clinic, located at 4202 SW Lee Blvd., to celebrate the facility’s first anniversary. The clinic opened for business in the fall of 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced officials to delay the grand opening until this fall.
The Lawton facility is part of the Cohen Veterans Network, a New York-based nonprofit organization focused on serving veterans and their families. The organization was founded in 2016 by financier and philanthropist Steven A. Cohen, who made a $275 million commitment to reduce the veteran suicide rate and boost care for military families by building 25 clinics across the country.
The clinic represents the next step in Cohen’s pledge, said Dr. Anthony Hassan, president and CEO of Cohen Veterans Network.
“This is a true public-private partnership that leverages collective capacity not only for clinical quality but also long-term financial sustainability,” he said. “In Oklahoma, this means that everyone is a steward of this gift and clinic and should take great pride in its success as we provide high-quality mental health care to 60,000 post-9/11 veterans, active duty and military families across the state. We invite the business community to join us in this important mission – saving lives, saving families and saving futures.”
The clinic has delivered more than 300 episodes of care – defined as a patient’s entire treatment for an illness or “episode” – since its opening, according to a news release from Cohen Veterans Network. Most sessions were conducted remotely through CVN Telehealth, a program offering face-to-face video therapy.
Cohen Veterans Network estimated that more than 7,000 post-9/11 veterans, 13,000 active-duty soldiers and 12,000 family members in the Lawton area are eligible for care at the clinic. Across the state, more than 67,000 veterans, 33,000 active-duty service men and women and 24,000 family members are eligible to seek care at the facility.
CVN has teamed up with Red Rock Behavioral Health Services, an Oklahoma City-based nonprofit organization that provides mental health services to clients in 20 Oklahoma counties, on the Lawton clinic.
Red Rock already works with veterans and their families, but the partnership with CVN allows the organization to serve even more veterans, said Red Rock CEO Verna Foust.
“It’s just a great partnership for us to use our clinical expertise and partner with them to bring these services,” she said.