Oklahoma Dept. of VA to cease operations at Talihina Veterans Home

The Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs says it has decided to end operations at a veterans home in Talihina.

TALIHINA, Okla. (KFOR) - The Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs says it has decided to end operations at a veterans home in Talihina.

On Thursday, the Oklahoma Veterans Commission voted to cease operations at the Talihina Veterans Home.

“The operational challenges in Talihina are to a point of greatly impacting the rest of the agency,” said Deputy Director Shawn Kirkland after the conclusion of the Thursday meeting. “While a difficult one, the decision today is the fiscally responsible thing to do for the ODVA.”

Initially, there were plans to replace the Talihina Veterans Home with the State Veterans Home, which is currently under construction in Sallisaw.

However, construction has slowed and the Sallisaw facility will not be completed until October 2024.

In addition to that, officials say there have been budget complications at the Talihina home.

“This is not something that is going to happen overnight,” Jennifer Bloomfield, communications director for ODVA, said. “We will be making sure that our residents and their families, as well as staff, are fully informed and assisted throughout the entirety. Ideally, we would hope to see all of them elect to transfer to one of our other Homes as we await the completion of Sallisaw.”

Officials say all current residents and staff of the Talihina Home will hold priority status for transfer to the Sallisaw Home when it is finished.

“Our first priority is of course the residents and staff who are currently at the Talihina Home,”
Interim Executive Director Greg Slavonic added. “There will be many conversations with them in
the days to come as we work to provide the best possible outcome for all involved.”