TAHLEQUAH, Okla. — The W.W. Hastings Hospital celebrated its grand opening Thursday.
Cherokee Nation said this brand-new facility has been in the works for several years.
Kristen Fourkiller is a member of the Cherokee Nation, and she said this hospital is a game changer.
WATCH: Cherokee Nation celebrates grand opening of new $470M W.W. Hastings Hospital:
“I’m just excited about the opportunity, cause it's got state-of-the-art services and facilities, so it's amazing," Fourkiller said. "It’s amazing that they done this for our people.”
She is one of many people at the grand opening of the brand-new W.W. Hastings Hospital.
The original W.W. Hastings Hospital opened in 1936, now the location of Northeastern State University. In 1984, the hospital moved to its current location on Bliss Avenue, and there it was 180,000 square feet and housed 56 beds according to the Cherokee Nation.
Now, the $470 million hospital has 127 beds, a NICU, and a helipad, and it sits at 400,000 square feet.
Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said this new facility is just the beginning.
“Well, joyful number one because all of these folks that made this possible so many of them were here today, just to get to see them and have them bear witness to this makes me joyful," Hoskin said. "I think collective pride really. I’m looking at all these Cherokees, these everyday citizens, people in leadership, they all have the same look on their face. We’ve done it.”
For more information, visit their site here.
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