Agency official says Hastings Hospital will double inpatient capacity, add NICU and cath lab
July 11, 2026 | Cherokee Nation, Oklahoma
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An agency official said the Cherokee Nation's new Hastings Hospital will double the health system's inpatient capacity and begin transferring patients on Saturday at 6 a.m., adding a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and a cardiac catheterization lab as part of the facility's opening.
"It's a major expansion of our health system," Presenter said, describing the project as the culmination of decades of building tribal health sovereignty. The official said the facility initially will operate with mostly the same staff, with some additions and new service lines as the transition continues.
The official said patient transfers will begin at 6 a.m. on Saturday. "So all this practice culminates to Saturday morning, 6AM, patients start getting transferred," Agency official said. The new hospital will open a NICU "for the 1st time ever," and a cath lab, the official added.
The official noted the region delivers more than 100 babies per month on average and said keeping mothers and infants closer to home helps patients "heal and keep them close to their families." The hospital also is planned to support residency training, with officials citing interest in surgical and obstetrics residencies and the addition of a nursing school to complement an existing medical school.
"It's monumental for the history of our nation," Agency official said, framing the project as part of a long-term effort to expand health services and infrastructure so they match the Nation's resources and population growth.
A staff member linked the expansion to tribal sovereignty and self-determination, saying, "All of these things have culminated today because individuals have taken hold," and emphasizing that control over health systems is an exercise of self-determination.
Officials credited earlier leadership for launching the effort: the expansion "started under former principal chief Bill John Baker," Agency official said, and more recent leaders—Chief Hoskin and Deputy Chief Warner—have continued to advance facilities and staffing planning.
The opening is positioned as both a clinical-capacity increase and a workforce-development step for the Cherokee Nation, with officials highlighting the NICU, cath lab, planned residencies, and a forthcoming nursing school. Patient transfers and the facility's operational ramp-up will be the next concrete steps in the rollout.
No formal votes or policy decisions were recorded in the transcript of these remarks.
"It's a major expansion of our health system," Presenter said, describing the project as the culmination of decades of building tribal health sovereignty. The official said the facility initially will operate with mostly the same staff, with some additions and new service lines as the transition continues.
The official said patient transfers will begin at 6 a.m. on Saturday. "So all this practice culminates to Saturday morning, 6AM, patients start getting transferred," Agency official said. The new hospital will open a NICU "for the 1st time ever," and a cath lab, the official added.
The official noted the region delivers more than 100 babies per month on average and said keeping mothers and infants closer to home helps patients "heal and keep them close to their families." The hospital also is planned to support residency training, with officials citing interest in surgical and obstetrics residencies and the addition of a nursing school to complement an existing medical school.
"It's monumental for the history of our nation," Agency official said, framing the project as part of a long-term effort to expand health services and infrastructure so they match the Nation's resources and population growth.
A staff member linked the expansion to tribal sovereignty and self-determination, saying, "All of these things have culminated today because individuals have taken hold," and emphasizing that control over health systems is an exercise of self-determination.
Officials credited earlier leadership for launching the effort: the expansion "started under former principal chief Bill John Baker," Agency official said, and more recent leaders—Chief Hoskin and Deputy Chief Warner—have continued to advance facilities and staffing planning.
The opening is positioned as both a clinical-capacity increase and a workforce-development step for the Cherokee Nation, with officials highlighting the NICU, cath lab, planned residencies, and a forthcoming nursing school. Patient transfers and the facility's operational ramp-up will be the next concrete steps in the rollout.
No formal votes or policy decisions were recorded in the transcript of these remarks.
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