CLAREMORE, Okla. — The Cherokee Nation is buying the Claremore Indian Hospital, spelling big changes to the facility’s operations.
2 News listened to a former employee, and current patient of the hospital. In the spirit of accountability, 2 News asked the pertinent questions to Cherokee Nation leaders.
WATCH: TAKING OVER: Cherokee Nation set to manage Claremore Indian Hospital
“They need to rethink this whole deal. That they need to have patient care in mind,” Crystal Harrell said.
Harrell used to work at the hospital, and still seeks her own medical care at the facility.
The services she and others use are in limbo.
“[The hospital has] been in disrepair and dilapidated for several years,” Dr. R. Stephen Jones said.
Dr. Jones is the CEO and Executive Director of Cherokee Nation Health Services. His team will oversee the facility starting Oct. 1. Once the tribe takes over, the hospital will only serve outpatients and emergency room visitors.
“Due to patient safety concerns, due to our level of accreditation that we hold ourselves accountable to and the patient safety that we hold ourselves accountable to, we had to make these decisions to move forward with outpatient emergency room services only,” Dr. Jones said.
Harrell says the inpatient services are too valuable to disappear.
“I don’t [think it is sustainable],” Harrell said, “Not at all.”
Dr. Jones says few people will lose inpatient services; the roster is small.
“It’s less than four patients. It’s around three patients a day,” Jones said.
Though the Cherokee Nation will assume control of the hospital, it will welcome members of any federally recognized tribe.
Meanwhile, as the already strained hospital goes under new ownership, it is seeing workers leave.
“My original primary doctor and nurse practitioner have both left. Before it came down,” Harrell said.
More have no idea what will happen to the future of their careers.
According to Jones, each existing employee will have the chance to apply for jobs and to continue their career in tribal medicine. The exact look of the operations remains to be seen.
“In healthcare, there’s no absolutes,” Jones said, “We are going to take patient care into consideration and we’re gonna make sure that the needs of patients that may be in that facility at that time are totally cared for before we move forward.”
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere --
- Download our free app for Apple, Android and Kindle devices.
- Sign up for daily newsletters emailed to you
- Like us on Facebook
- Follow us on Instagram
- Watch LIVE 24/7 on YouTube
