"the People's Paths!" Cherokee News Path - Facility Facelift Underway for CNHH

TAHLEQUAH, OK — Cherokee Nation Hastings Hospital is getting a facelift, including new equipment, furniture and more, to help make patients and guests feel more at home and give the doctors and health care staff updated equipment.

Last year, the hospital recorded approximately 244,000 patient visits in a space meant to accommodate 60,000 patient visits, resulting in nearly four-times the number of patient visits per year than was planned for the existing space. Even with the high number of patients seen at Hastings, there was no federal plan in place to expand the space or provide needed furnishings and equipment at the hospital. Recognizing the need for additional resources for patient care, Cherokee Nation began exploring ways to help and announced a long range health vision, which included bringing the hospital into the tribe’s existing health system. In October of 2008, the Nation assumed operations of Hastings from Indian Health Service.

Among changes being made thus far are new waiting room chairs, including children’s chairs in the pediatric unit, new hospital beds in the patient rooms, new ceiling tiles and fresh paint, and a new dining area, Café Hastings. New equipment is also on the way, including much needed mammography and ultrasound machines.

“This has been a welcomed change,” said Commander Lee Jackson, Facility Engineer for Cherokee Nation Hastings Hospital. “The changes have been well received by our patients and our staff. It’s great that Cherokee Nation is providing us with resources we need for these projects.”

Thus far, 200 new chairs have been added to waiting rooms throughout the hospital, with an additional 100 chairs on backorder, which will be placed in the pharmacy waiting area. Children’s chairs have also been placed in the Pediatrics area. The chairs replace the old plastic stadium-type seats that were in place for the past several years.

The hospital will soon be receiving new beds, which will be a welcomed addition to patients and hospital staff alike. The new beds will better protect patients who are less active and offer options for positioning patients better for examinations.

Another upgrade is the addition of Café Hastings, a dining area for the staff and guests. The café will continue to expand its menu, and in January will begin operating its own deli-style vending machines, offering meal options in the evenings and on the weekends.

“We are working to get much of the interior upgrades done during the winter months,” Jackson said. “Then in the spring, we will be ready to proceed with the landscaping and projects on the exterior of the building.”