The Cherokee Nation will replace W.W. Hastings Hospital in Tahlequah, Okla., with a new $400 million facility after Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. signed legislation Dec. 15 to make the investment.
The current facility is 180,000 square feet and was built to serve around 60,000 patient visits per year, but has recently been serving over 500,000 patient visits per year, according to a news release.
The new building will about double the space and will have more beds for critical care patients, though plans are still being considered. It will also have inpatient dialysis and more room for the labor and delivery department because of an increased number of births recently.
"After a decade of dramatic expansion of our Cherokee Nation health system, we must keep investing to ensure Cherokee citizens have access to the best in health care," Mr. Hoskin said.
The legislation also includes $35 million for a new outpatient health center in Salina, Okla., and a donation of up to $5 million to Tahlequah-based Northeastern State University's college of optometry.