- Details
- By Brian Edwards
- Health Care
The Chickasaw Nation has begun construction on a major medical campus in Newcastle, Okla., a project that will expand healthcare access for Native patients through a partnership with the Indian Health Service.
Gov. Chris Anoatubby led groundbreaking ceremonies July 31 for the Chickasaw Nation Health Newcastle Medical Center, the first phase of a planned 160-acre campus southwest of Oklahoma City.
The project was selected by the Indian Health Service's Joint Venture Program in 2020, and the two parties signed a 20-year joint venture agreement in late 2024.
Under the program, the Chickasaw Nation is financing the design and construction of the facility, while IHS will provide a portion of the staffing and operating costs once it opens.
The Chickasaw Nation Legislature approved a revised $1 billion development budget for the project's first phase in June, according to General Resolution No. 42-034. The first phase includes about 690,000 square feet of facilities with 50 inpatient beds, an emergency department, surgical suites, labor and delivery services, specialty clinics, behavioral health, dental services and a pharmacy.
Plans also call for a tribally operated medical research program and physician residency training.
When complete, the campus will total nearly 2.5 million square feet with 140 inpatient beds, employ more than 5,500 people and serve more than 100,000 Native patients across the region, according to the Chickasaw Nation.
Construction is planned in three phases over roughly 11 to 12 years, according to KOCO 5- News. The first phase is expected to take about three years to complete.
Among those attending the groundbreaking were U.S. Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., a Chickasaw citizen, and Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
