Lenzy Krehbiel-Burton

Tulsa World Reporter

After a year of negotiations, the federal government has transferred operations of the Claremore Indian Hospital to the Cherokee Nation.

Officials with the Cherokee Nation and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced Tuesday that the Indian Health Service has officially handed over operations of the Claremore Indian Hospital to the Tahlequah-based tribe effective Wednesday.

Tuesday’s transfer comes more than a year after Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin first announced the tribe’s intent to assume operations of the federally-run facility during his 2024 State of the Nation address.

However, surgery and inpatient services will no longer be offered at Claremore Indian Hospital and will instead be contracted out to other health

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