Casey Cooper, Chief Executive Officer of the Cherokee Indian Hospital recently announced the Ribbon Cutting for the tribe’s $80 million 150,000 square foot hospital facility. The Ribbon Cutting Ceremony was held on October 15. The project was launched nearly two years ago using an Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) agreement and partnered the Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority with Design Strategies and Robins and Morton Construction Company, with CBRE Healthcare as the owner’s representative, to build the state of the art facility. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians assumed responsibility for the hospital operations, organized a governing board and began oversight of the healthcare for the tribe from the Indian Health Service in 2002.

Since 2002, the Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority has transformed the model of care, improved services for tribal members and worked with the tribe to secure funding for the new facility. The new facility is wholly owned and paid for by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. The Cherokee Indian Hospital has been led for the past ten years by tribal member Casey Cooper. “We believe that we can serve our community better than anyone else and we are committed to that goal,” stated Cooper. "Our tribal leadership has committed resources to improving the lives of our tribal members and this new facility is another example of that commitment. We believe that the new building will help us foster an environment of wellness so our patients don’t just come to us when they are sick, they come to us as friends and partners in wellness.”

Pharmacy will be the first department open for service in the new facility and will be accessible via walk up or a drive through window.  The new pharmacy will open on October 19th.