Bristow trustees enter executive session to discuss ARPA grant reimbursement and potential Carrus Lakeside claims

Chairman Kris Wyatt opened the Bristow Hospital Authority meeting Dec. 1, 2025, and trustees voted to enter an executive session to discuss legal claims related to an ARPA grant and reimbursement requests by Carrus Lakeside Hospital, LLC. The motion, made by Trustee Jeff Roberts and seconded by Trustee Judd Johns, passed on a roll call with Trustees Church, Deshazo, Fletcher, Green, Groom, Johns and Roberts voting Aye.

According to the public minutes, the executive session was authorized under 25 O.S. §307(B)(4) for "confidential communications and discussions with legal counsel" about "claims and potential claims by the Oklahoma State Department of Health involving the ARPA grant and reimbursement of expenses for hospital construction and administration, and claims for reimbursement by Carrus Lakeside Hospital, LLC, including the potential for litigation and declaratory judgment actions." The minutes say legal counsel advised that public disclosure could seriously impair the trustees' ability to process the potential claims and litigation in the public interest.

The minutes do not record substantive deliberations from the closed session. Trustees present at the meeting were Chairman Kris Wyatt and Trustees Joe Church, Kevin Deshazo, Jeryn Fletcher, Heather Green, Frank Groom, Judd Johns and Jeff Roberts.

Next steps were not stated in the executive-session motion; a separate motion later in the meeting authorized counsel to offer a proposed settlement to close the contract with Carrus Lakeside (see related article). The minutes do not report a public vote on any settlement terms.