Oklahoma Heart Hospital opens in Poteau, partnering with EOMC
The Poteau Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Oklahoma Heart Hospital clinic on Thursday.
The clinic, which is brought to the area through a partnership between the Eastern Oklahoma Medical Center and Oklahoma Heart Hosptial, will keep local residents from having to drive to Fort Smith to see a heart specialist. The clinic is located near the main Eastern Oklahoma Medical Center building on Wall Street.
Two doctors will be seeing patients as the clinic, Dr. Talla Rousan and Dr. Jay Franklin Oaks.
Dr. Rousan specializes in cardiovascular disease, interventional cardiology, and nuclear cardiology.
Dr. Rousan, who had already started seeing
patients in the clinic, said that the people in Poteau seem excited about it. He said that he has been happy with the process of opening the clinic.
“We are very happy,” he said. “Taking care of patients has been exciting.”
Dr. Oaks specializes in general cardiology and vascular surgery. He
said that EOMC and the community have been very welcoming.
“I’m really glad about the clinic being here,” he said.
When he first approached Oklahoma Heart Hospital with the idea, he said, “I’m looking to try to provide care in a place where it really needs it.”
Dr. Oaks said that rural parts of the state often lack specialty medical care. Additionally, he said that outside of Tulsa and Oklahoma City, “it’s a real challenge to acquire specialty physicians.” Dr. Oaks lives in Oklahoma City, and he and his staff will be flying once per month at first, and eventually twice per
month, to see patients at the Poteau clinic.
Dr. Oaks says that they expect their patient list to grow quickly, and that he doesn’t want people to have to drive to Fort Smith for health services.
“This is an opportunity for us to come and provide those services,” he said.
The new heart clinic is now accepting patients.