Cherokee Nation W.W. Hastings Hospital Opens $470 Million Facility
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Cherokee Nation W.W. Hastings Hospital Opens $470 Million Facility In Tahlequah
The new Cherokee Nation W.W. Hastings Hospital is officially opening its doors in Tahlequah following a $470 million investment in tribal healthcare. The six-story, 400,000-square-foot hospital will begin accepting patients at 6 a.m. Saturday, July 11, expanding medical services and replacing the aging W.W. Hastings Hospital built in the mid-1980s.
Cherokee Nation leaders celebrated completion of the state-of-the-art facility Thursday, calling the project a major investment in the health of Cherokee citizens and communities across northeastern Oklahoma.
Cherokee Nation W.W. Hastings Hospital Expands Patient Care
The Cherokee Nation W.W. Hastings Hospital includes 127 beds and significantly expands the medical services available on the tribe's health campus.
The facility includes an emergency room, intensive care unit, surgical center, imaging services, pharmacy, laboratory and a rooftop helipad. New services include a neonatal intensive care unit, or NICU, and hospice care.
The hospital also connects directly to the Cherokee Nation Outpatient Health Center through a second-floor bridge, allowing patients and healthcare workers to move between the two facilities more easily. Cherokee Nation Health Services lists the hospital's expanded inpatient and emergency services through its official health system.
"For years, we envisioned a hospital that was worthy of the staff and the patients they care for, and today that vision is a reality," Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said.
Hoskin said the new hospital represents the tribe's continued effort to build a world-class healthcare system focused on long-term wellness.
Healthcare Investment Reaches Communities Across Oklahoma
The hospital's opening comes as Cherokee Nation Health Services continues expanding its economic and healthcare footprint across the state.
The tribe says its health system generated more than $2 billion in statewide economic output during Fiscal Year 2025 while supporting nearly 11,500 Oklahoma jobs.
Over the past decade, Cherokee Nation has invested approximately $1.12 billion in healthcare facilities and equipment. That includes the new Hastings Hospital, the $200 million Cherokee Nation Outpatient Health Center and approximately $270 million in expanded health centers in communities including Stilwell, Muskogee, Vinita, Ochelata, Jay and Salina.
Cherokee Nation operates the country's largest tribal health system and provides more than 3 million patient services annually across 12 healthcare facilities. The tribe describes healthcare as one of its core government services for more than 475,000 Cherokee Nation citizens worldwide.
The new hospital currently employs nearly 700 healthcare workers, with another 200 employees expected to be added in Fiscal Year 2027.
Old Hospital Will Help Train Oklahoma Nurses
The opening of the new facility does not mean the former W.W. Hastings Hospital will sit empty.
Cherokee Nation is developing plans to transform the aging hospital into the Cherokee Nation Nursing and Allied Health Education Center through a partnership with the University of Oklahoma.
The $30 million project will include an OU College of Nursing satellite campus and is scheduled to open in 2027. Tribal leaders say the effort is designed to help address a projected shortage of nearly 6,000 registered nurses in Oklahoma by 2038.
Dr. R. Stephen Jones, CEO and executive director of Cherokee Nation Health Services, said the new hospital marks a turning point for both patients and employees who spent decades working within the limitations of the older facility.
"Our team has shown incredible dedication caring for our patients in a building that no longer reflected the level of care we provide, and now they finally have a facility worthy of their work," Jones said.
The previous Hastings facility dates to 1984, with Cherokee Nation assuming its operation and management in 2008.
Construction on the new hospital began in April 2023. Childers Architects and Foreman Manhattan Construction oversaw the project, which was funded through Respond, Recover and Rebuild funding.
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