- Details
- By Chez Oxendine
- Health Care
Cherokee Nation will undertake its first economic impact study of its health care system, a review tribal leaders say is long overdue for a network that has grown into one of the largest medical providers in Indian Country.
Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. ordered the analysis in a new administration memorandum, directing that the study quantify how the tribe’s hospitals, clinics and health programs shape the regional economy.
“The economic impact of our health system is surely staggering,” the memorandum states. “Analyzing and measuring the economic impact of our health system as a stand‑alone study has never been undertaken.”
The directive assigns Chief Economist and Special Envoy to the U.S. Treasury Tralynna Scott to lead the work. Her role is administrative: she is authorized to design the study, determine the methodology, request internal and external data, and bring in consultants as needed. The report is due to tribal leadership by May 30, unless the chief extends the deadline in writing.
Cherokee Nation Health Services includes W.W. Hastings Hospital in Tahlequah, the Cherokee Nation Outpatient Health Center, eight additional outpatient and ambulatory clinics, behavioral health facilities, public health programs, emergency medical services and a range of specialty care programs.
The system handles more than 3 million patient visits annually, according to the memorandum, and represents the largest share of the tribe’s operating budget and workforce.
The memo notes that capital investments under the Hoskin/Warner administration are approaching $750 million, with hundreds of millions more invested by previous administrations. It frames the study as a way to measure the return on those investments and to document how tribal control of health care infrastructure affects the broader region.
“It no doubt represents a large share of our annual total economic impact that exceeds $3 billion annually,” the memorandum states. It adds that policymakers at all levels “will benefit from knowing that policies which favor robust funding and self governance helps us achieve shared goals of wellness, economic development and fiscal responsibility.”
Deputy Chief Bryan Warner said the study will help clarify the economic effects of building and operating clinics, expanding services and maintaining a large medical workforce.
“The true measure of our health system is whether it helps the Cherokee people and other patients in our system lead healthier lives,” Warner said. “But, without a doubt there is a positive economic impact in our communities when we build and operate clinics and recruit and retain the best and brightest health care workforce.”
The study builds on a trend of tribal pushes to disclose the economic impact of their businesses on their own reservations and surrounding communities. Cherokee Nation itself released a wider impact statement in 2025, per prior Tribal Business News reporting.
Cherokee Nation is also expanding investment in its health infrastructure. In February, Hoskin signed legislation increasing the construction budget for the new Claremore Outpatient and Emergency Health Center to $400 million, up from $255.5 million.
The facility will replace the former Claremore Indian Hospital and is scheduled for completion in 2028, part of a broader expansion of Cherokee Nation’s tribally operated health system.
Hoskin said the findings of the health impact report will support planning and strengthen the tribe’s case for federal policies that support tribal self‑governance in health care.
“Understanding how all of that improves economic conditions across our region helps us plan future projects and sends a message to local, state and federal officials that when tribes are in charge of their own health care systems, everyone wins,” he said.
