“Our top priority of the Nation should always be the health, wellness, and long prosperous futures for our youth.” – Principal Chief David Hill
Morgan Taylor/Reporter
OKMLUGEE, Oklahoma – The Muscogee Nation Department of Health held a ribbon cutting ceremony celebrating the newly renovated third floor of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Medical Center.
The updated acute med surge floor offers 41 private rooms where the center can house more patients and expand services.
“This has been a long time coming and we are extremely excited for the way it turned out,” said MN Medical Center Chief Operating Officer Tim Hicks.
Members from the Okmulgee Chamber of Commerce, Okmulgee Area Development Corp Board, Highland Park Health Care, Baptist Village, along with tribal officials and Muscogee Nation Department of Health Administration.
“In a rural health care setting it truly takes a strong a community to keep a rural health setting alive,” Hicks said. “I know a lot of the community partners here today that refer to our hospital and vice versa.”
The Muscogee Nation Secretary of Health Shawn Terry claimed just eight years ago the hospital was “on its last leg.”
“Creek Nation came to the rescue,” Terry said. “Over the course of the last eight years, we have renovated the third floor of our Geri-psych (geriatric psych) program here. It had a complete remodel, we now have a completely remodeled surge floor, imaging department, we have made a lot of investment into our equipment, we have board certifications emergency room physicians, and we have stroke team and increased our ability to manage stroke care.”
According to Terry, the Medical Center is the closest hospital from south Highway 75 to Idabel.
“We have a lot to be proud for Okmulgee and for Muscogee (Creek) Nation Department of Health,” he said.
“Our top priority of the Nation should always be the health, wellness, and long prosperous futures for our youth. Today’s ribbon cutting is just another step in our commitment to those we serve,” Principal Chief David Hill said. “Commitment is the key word. We can’t just talk about our goals and visions, we have to execute with sound, planning, and strategic decisions. We have to make choices and move forward.”
Hill stated the Muscogee Nation made a choice in 2013 to acquire the hospital as a commitment to the community.
“Our investment now hasn’t only been to our citizen but to the general public who receives care here also. We have grown, updated, expanded and we will continue to seek out ways to continue this progress,” he said. “If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything its that our Muscogee Nation Department of Health can handle anything thrown its way and we are in good hands moving forward.”
