This is a factual overview of St. Katharine Drexel Retirement Center, an OSDH-licensed assisted living in El Reno (OSDH #AL0907) — what the record confirms, what it costs in the area, and how to evaluate it.
| Provider | St. Katharine Drexel Retirement Center |
|---|---|
| Type | Assisted Living (OSDH-licensed) |
| City | El Reno, OK 73036 |
| Address | 301 West Wade |
| Owner / operator | Johnson David J. () |
| OSDH license # | AL0907 |
| License status | Licensed |
| County | Canadian County |
| OSDH region | — |
| memory care | Not indicated |
| SoonerCare (Medicaid) | Not indicated |
| OSDH lookup | — |
How Oklahoma regulates assisted livings
In Oklahoma, assisted living is licensed by OSDH (the Long Term Care Service) under Title 63 O.S. §1-890.1 (the Continuum of Care & Assisted Living Act) and OAC 310:663. A facility's license can include endorsements — such as memory care — that let residents stay as needs increase. Always verify the exact license and endorsements; they determine how long your parent can remain as care needs grow.
El Reno location & hospital context
El Reno is the Canadian County seat, a historic railroad town of about 17,000 on the western edge of the metro, with very affordable housing, a settled older population, and SSM Health St. Anthony's El Reno hospital in town.
Nearby hospitals: SSM Health St. Anthony Hospital – El Reno, INTEGRIS Health Canadian Valley Hospital (Yukon, nearby), Mercy Hospital Oklahoma City (regional). Proximity matters for hospital discharges, emergencies, and specialist visits, so families weighing St. Katharine Drexel Retirement Center often factor drive time to these. Nearby areas: Downtown El Reno, Hillcrest, Legion Park area, Country Club corridor.
What assisted living costs near St. Katharine Drexel Retirement Center
Assisted Living in the El Reno area typically runs $3,450–$4,650/month (2026). Pricing at any specific provider depends on care level, room type, and size. Oklahoma's SoonerCare (Medicaid) with the ADvantage Waiver and VA Aid & Attendance can offset much of the care cost for those who qualify — ask us what applies.
How to evaluate St. Katharine Drexel Retirement Center
The strongest signals of quality at an assisted living community are staffing and transparency, not amenities. Find out the awake-overnight staffing level, the caregiver turnover rate, and the tenure of key leaders. Ask for an itemized, all-in monthly cost for your parent's specific care level, and what triggers a move to a higher (more expensive) tier. Probe how the community handles a decline — a fall, new incontinence, or memory changes — and how it communicates with families. Visit more than once, unannounced, at different times of day, and check the OSDH inspection and enforcement history on the oklahoma.gov/health lookup for a pattern of repeat deficiencies before you commit.
Is St. Katharine Drexel Retirement Center the right fit?
Assisted living fits an older adult who needs daily help — bathing, dressing, medication reminders, meals — but does not require round-the-clock skilled nursing. It's the most common first move when living alone stops being safe. St. Katharine Drexel Retirement Center is licensed for this level of care in El Reno; whether it's right for your parent depends on their specific needs, budget, and preferences. A free advisor can compare it head-to-head with other licensed El Reno-area options.
What's typically included at a assisted living like this
Usually included: housing, three meals daily, 24/7 awake staff, housekeeping, laundry, scheduled transportation, social and wellness programming, and a basic care plan. Typically billed separately: medication management above a basic tier, two-person transfers, incontinence care, on-site hospice coordination, and one-on-one aide hours. Ask St. Katharine Drexel Retirement Center for an itemized monthly rate sheet so you can compare it honestly against other El Reno options.
Questions to ask when you tour St. Katharine Drexel Retirement Center
- What is the staff-to-resident ratio overnight?
- What care changes would force a move-out?
- What is the all-in monthly cost for this care level — every line item?
- How do you handle a sudden change in needs, like a fall?
- What is your current resident average length of stay?
Common questions about St. Katharine Drexel Retirement Center
Is St. Katharine Drexel Retirement Center licensed in Oklahoma?
How many beds does St. Katharine Drexel Retirement Center have?
Does St. Katharine Drexel Retirement Center accept SoonerCare (Medicaid)?
What does it cost?
How El Reno families actually pay for care
Very few families cover senior care from a single source. In El Reno, the typical plan layers several of these, often shifting over a multi-year stay:
- Personal savings & Social Security. Most Oklahoma City metro families self-fund the first 12–24 months from savings, pensions, and monthly Social Security before tapping other sources.
- Long-term-care insurance. If a policy is in force, it can cover a large share of assisted living or home care — check the elimination period and daily benefit cap. Oklahoma's Oklahoma long-term care planning also provides a state long-term-care benefit for eligible workers.
- VA Aid & Attendance. Eligible wartime veterans and surviving spouses can receive roughly $1,800–$2,900/month toward care — a major lever in a metro served by the Oklahoma City VA Health Care System (Oklahoma City and the Oklahoma City VA Medical Center).
- SoonerCare (Oklahoma Medicaid) long-term care. Oklahoma's SoonerCare long-term care — delivered in the community through the ADvantage Waiver, administered by OSDH Home and Community Services — covers personal care and many community-based services for those who qualify by income and assets. Residential care homes are a common low-cost, Medicaid-contracted setting.
- Home equity. Selling the family home or a reverse mortgage frequently funds sustained care once a parent has moved.
- Family cost-sharing. Siblings often split the monthly gap; a written agreement keeps it fair and durable.
Because El Reno assisted living can run into the thousands per month, mapping the funding plan early — before a crisis — often saves a family tens of thousands of dollars. A free local advisor can tell you which of these you qualify for and which El Reno providers accept SoonerCare (the ADvantage Waiver).
The Oklahoma safety net behind your decision
Oklahoma licenses and inspects senior care through OSDH (the Long Term Care Service) (look up any provider at oklahoma.gov/health), funds in-home and community services through the regional Area Agency on Aging — Aging and Disability Services in Oklahoma County, the Areawide Aging Agency — and covers long-term care for those who qualify through SoonerCare (Medicaid) and the ADvantage Waiver. The Ombudsman and OSDH Adult Protective Services safeguard residents. These are the same programs we help families navigate for free.
How we help with St. Katharine Drexel Retirement Center
We're a free, local senior-care advisory service — families never pay us. If St. Katharine Drexel Retirement Center is on your shortlist, we can tell you how it compares to nearby licensed options on cost, care level, and availability, join the tour or the call, and help you read the OSDH record. We only earn anything if you choose to move in somewhere and are glad you did, so our incentive is a genuine fit, not a particular building. We'll also flag good alternatives in El Reno that don't compensate us.
About this page: the facility facts above come from current the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) (OSDH Long Term Care Service) licensing data. We don't publish unverified reviews or ratings — we share the public record and help you evaluate the provider in person. Confirm the current license at oklahoma.gov/health before you sign anything.