OU is partnering with the Cherokee Nation to construct a $30 million OU College of Nursing satellite campus in Tahlequah.
The partnership establishes additional annual investments to train nurses and health care professionals for both the Cherokee Nation and rural Oklahoma. The project is designed to support nursing education while addressing regional health care staffing shortages, according to a press release.
According to a release, the campus will operate out of the former W.W. Hastings Hospital facility. The W. W. Hastings Hospital is moving to a new facility later this year.
Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr., an OU alum, said the investment reflects Cherokee Nation’s growing health care system and the urgent need for more nurses.
“Our health system is the largest in Indian Country and it's projected to grow even larger,” Hoskin said. “The goal we have at Cherokee Nation is a world-class system of wellness, and we know to do that we need a pipeline of professional talent … to operate a great health care system. Nursing in particular is a profession in which everyone is experiencing a shortage.”
The U.S. currently has about 78,000 fewer registered nurses than needed, and Oklahoma is expected to require roughly 2,200 new registered nurses per year over the next decade to keep up with demand.
According to the release, the campus is expected to launch online coursework in the fall, serving registered nurses with associate degrees and licensed practical nurses who are seeking a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. The physical campus is expected to open 2027, with plans to expand programming as enrollment increases.
Hoskin said the school will be open to all qualified applicants, not only Cherokee Nation citizens, and the program will be highly competitive.
“This is a highly competitive, open to everybody based on merit, nursing school, …” Hoskin said. “The only difference between this school and every other OU nursing school campus is Oklahoma taxpayers had to pay exactly $0 for this one.”
While the $30-million investment is a one-time contribution, the Cherokee Nation will also make substantial ongoing investments in health care education, including just over $5 million in an endowment through the Cherokee Nation Foundation to fund nursing scholarships for Cherokee Nation citizens, according to the release.
The Cherokee Nation will also invest $1 million annually to nursing and other health-related scholarships, as well as youth career exploration programs, the release reads. An additional $1 million per year will support non-degree health care training, including career-tech pathways such as certified nurse assistants and other certification programs.
Hoskin said the nursing school’s location on the Cherokee Nation’s health campus will give nearby residents access to Cherokee Nation health care facilities and proximity to other institutions, such as the Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine.
“They’ll see amazing facilities, and we think they will increasingly want to be the doctors and nurses of tomorrow,” Hoskin said.
Hoskin said the partnership represents Cherokee Nation’s growing leadership role in addressing Oklahoma’s health care challenges.
“I think this is really a win for the entire state, …” Hoskin said. “Cherokee Nation has made a decision to be a leader in meeting one of … the state of Oklahoma’s great challenges.”
This story was edited by Natalie Armour and Macey Thaxton. Andrew Higgins and Sophie Hemker copy edited this story.
