The tribe already operates the largest health system in Indian Country. The proposed measures are a part of the 21st Century Cherokee Healthcare Workforce plan, earmarking millions of dollars for the nursing campus as well as healthcare scholarships available to tribal citizens nationwide.
Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Junior and Deputy Chief Bryan Warner proposed the legislation, noting that this investment would support Cherokee Nation citizens and those living in rural Oklahoma communities.
"We cannot create a world class system of wellness if we do not maximize our healthcare workforce," Hoskin Jr. said in a statement. "The package sent to the Council to consider is a generational investment to ensure we have Cherokees entering the health profession in record numbers now and deep into the 21st Century."
The tribal council is expected to review the legislation later this month.
If approved, the W.W. Hastings hospital facility in northeast Oklahoma would be remodeled to hold the Cherokee Nation Nursing and Allied Health Education Center. Hospital operations are moving from Hastings to a brand new facility this summer, freeing up the space for this project.
The remodeled facility is estimated to open its doors to the satellite OU nursing school in Tahlequah in 2027. In the meantime, the Cherokee Nation and OU hope to begin online classes this fall.
Currently, the Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine at Cherokee Nation is the only tribally affiliated medical school in the U.S. and recently received the Harvard Project on Indigenous Governance and Development's Honoring Nations Award.
OSU and OU would have neighboring education facilities in northeast Oklahoma if the legislation becomes law.
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