Cherokee Nation, IHS sign agreement for largest tribal health center ever built

ROCKVILLE, Md., Feb. 24, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Cherokee Nation signed an agreement with Indian Health Service Wednesday to secure the largest joint venture funding project ever among tribes. The agreement allows for IHS to fund the hospital at an estimated $80 million or more per year. The funding would last a minimum of 20 years, or potentially for the life of the hospital.

IHS is the agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that funds and provides American Indians health care.

The historic agreement opens the door for the Cherokee Nation to pay more than $150 million for the construction of a 450,00- square-foot health center in Tahlequah that will be the largest ever built among tribes across the nation under IHS. In the agreement, IHS will request funding for staffing and operating expenses each year for at least 20 years once the hospital reaches capacity.

http://www.forextv.com/top-news/cherokee-nation-ihs-sign-agreement-for-largest-tribal-health-center-ever-built/