NEWS
TULSA, OKLA. - Oklahoma Complete Health has designated Fostering Hope of Tulsa, staffed by OU School of Community Medicine providers, as the first Foster Care Center of Excellence (FCCOE). The designation recognizes the clinic’s commitment to providing trauma-informed care to youth and their families impacted by foster care.
FCCOEs serve as a “one-stop shop,” working closely with caseworkers and families to quickly connect children and youth to behavioral and physical health services.
“This launch marks a major step forward in addressing health disparities and ensuring continuity of care for some of Oklahoma’s most vulnerable children,” said Oklahoma Complete Health CEO and President Clay Franklin. “We are proud to partner with the University of Oklahoma to bring this level of care to Tulsa and find ways to apply even more expertise in trauma-informed care.”
Oklahoma Complete Health’s FCCOE program is designed to close gaps in care by ensuring that foster youth have access to providers who are clinically skilled and trained in the effects of trauma and the importance of stability in care.
“We surround each child and family with comprehensive support,” said Michael Baxter, DO, OU School of Community Medicine Child Abuse Fellowship program director and pediatrician at Fostering Hope of Tulsa. “This includes developmental screenings, early intervention referrals, mental health evaluations, on-site psychiatric care and social work support, referrals for individual and family counseling, and access to a strong network of community resources. Our goal is to serve as the primary medical home and a source of stability for our patients as they navigate foster care placement, reunification or adoption.”
The event naming Fostering Hope of Tulsa as the first FCCOE by Oklahoma Complete Health brought together state agency partners, health care leaders, community-based organizations and foster families to highlight the importance of consistent, specialized care for foster youth who often face barriers to access to care, missed preventive services and long-term health disparities.
Youth impacted by foster care often experience inconsistent health care access, resulting in missed well-child visits, delayed immunizations, and a lack of preventive care. These gaps in care can contribute to long-term health disparities. Those who have earned the FCCOE designation are addressing these gaps for better health outcomes.
“Being in foster care is a traumatic experience, no matter the reason for placement,” said Lauren Conway, DO, OU School of Community Medicine associate professor of pediatrics and pediatrician at Fostering Hope of Tulsa. “At Fostering Hope of Tulsa, we recognize this trauma. Our staff and physicians provide care through a trauma-informed, culturally compassionate lens.”
For more information about Fostering Hope of Tulsa visit:
https://www.ouhealth.com/oklahoma-childrens-hospital/childrens-services/primary-care-for-children/fostering-hope-of-tulsa
About the University of Oklahoma
Founded in 1890, the University of Oklahoma is a public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. As the state’s flagship university, OU serves the educational, cultural, economic and health care needs of the state, region and nation. For more information about the university, visit www.ou.edu.
About Oklahoma Complete Health
Oklahoma Complete Health is a Care Management Organization that serves the needs of Oklahomans through a range of health insurance solutions. Oklahoma Complete Health serves our communities by focusing on under-insured and uninsured individuals through its federal insurance marketplace plan (Ambetter) and its Medicare Advantage Plan (Wellcare). Oklahoma Complete Health is a subsidiary of Centene Corporation, a leading healthcare enterprise. For more information visit www.oklahomacompletehealth.com.
Three University of Oklahoma graduate students have been named winners of the 2025 Three Minute Thesis competition, which challenges participants to explain their research in three minutes to a non-specialist audience.
Sarah Sharif, a researcher with the University of Oklahoma, has been awarded funding from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to create innovative light detectors that pick up mid-wave and long-wave infrared signals at higher temperatures than previously considered achievable.
A team from OU and WVU recently earned a five-year, $3.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study how concept cigarillos influence the potential for addiction. The results will be used to inform the FDA’s impending flavor ban on cigar products and could have wider-reaching implications for other tobacco products that come in flavors, such as e-cigarettes and tobacco-free nicotine pouches.
