Cherokee Nation and the University of Oklahoma are partnering to establish a $30 million satellite campus of the University of Oklahoma College of Nursing in Tahlequah, Okla.
The current W.W. Hastings Hospital facility will be remodeled into the Cherokee Nation Nursing and Allied Health Education Center to house the new campus, according to a Jan. 21 news release from Cherokee Nation. The transition will begin after hospital operations move to the tribe’s new $450 million facility later in 2026.
The initiative is part of the tribe’s 21st Century Cherokee Healthcare Workforce Initiative. The new campus aims to address regional nursing shortages and the underrepresentation of Native Americans in the nursing workforce. Cherokee Nation estimates its new hospital will require 145 additional registered nurses and nine licensed practical nurses.
OU will begin offering online nursing courses in fall 2026, with the first student cohorts starting before the remodeled physical campus opens in 2027, the release said. The initial focus will be on associate-degree RNs and licensed practical nurses seeking bachelor’s degrees.
The $30 million facility is part of a broader legislative package signed by the tribe in January,
More information is available here.
