CLAREMORE, OK – Cherokee Nation leaders gathered to break ground on the new Claremore Outpatient and Emergency Health Center, a $400 million facility that will replace the current health center and significantly expand healthcare access across the Claremore service area.
Funded entirely with Cherokee Nation general funds, the 400,000 sq. ft. facility is expected to open in summer 2029 and will be designed to accommodate a future inpatient unit. Once fully operational, it is expected to employ approximately 750 people, nearly double the current facility’s 375 employees. A 29,000 sq. ft. wellness center is also included in the project.
“When we took over operations at Claremore, we promised the Cherokee people and all Native families in this region that we would deliver a healthcare facility worthy of their trust,” said Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. “This groundbreaking is a major step toward fulfilling that promise, and it ensures we can build a facility that not only meets today’s standards, but is designed to serve our growing community for generations to come.”
Cherokee Nation assumed operations of the former Claremore Indian Hospital from the federal Indian Health Service in October 2025. Since then, the tribe has expanded hours, recruited providers and added services to meet growing demand. The facility recorded more than 13,000 patient services in January 2026, while its primary care clinic grew from 3,990 patients in October 2025 to 5,486 in January.
The new center will expand primary, pediatric, women’s, behavioral, dental and specialty care. Planned additions include a same-day clinic, medication-assisted treatment, pediatric psychiatry, endocrinology, nephrology, tele-neurology and tele-stroke services, rehabilitation services and expanded cardiology, audiology and imaging capacity. Pediatrics will grow from seven exam rooms to 24, while additional space will support future specialty services, medical residents and students.
“Cherokee Nation has always held itself to the highest standards of healthcare, and this groundbreaking is a reflection of that commitment,” said Deputy Principal Chief Bryan Warner. “We are not cutting corners. We are building a facility that will provide the quality of care that Native people in Northeast Oklahoma deserve, one that matches the excellence our patients already experience across the Cherokee Nation health system.”
“With every new service line and every additional exam room, we are directly addressing the needs our patients have told us matter most,” said Wayne Coldwell, Cherokee Nation Health Services COO. “This facility allows us to bring more specialty care closer to home and reduce the need for our patients to travel long distances for the treatment they need.”
The Claremore service area includes 126,891 eligible beneficiaries, including 78,829 Cherokee Nation citizens, according to 2023 user data.
Cherokee Nation operates the largest tribally operated health system in Indian Country, providing more than 3.3 million patient services annually across 12 health facilities. A 2025 economic impact report found Cherokee Nation Health Services generated more than $2 billion in statewide economic output and supported nearly 11,500 Oklahoma jobs in fiscal year 2025.
Cherokee Nation will research future uses for the existing Claremore Health Center property.