The Cherokee Nation says the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians lacks authority to manage the W.W. Hastings Indian Hospital in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.
Both tribes want to run the facility through an Indian Health Service contract. But the Cherokees say the UKBs can't do it.
“The UKBCIO has no right or ability to run a hospital. They don’t have the governmental authority to dispense aspirin, much less do surgery," Cherokee spokesperson Mike Miller told The Tahlequah Daily Press.
The Cherokee Nation has a lot of experience with self-determination contracts.
UKB Chief George Wickliffe says services would suffer if the Cherokees ran the hospital.
Get the Story:Cherokees discuss HIMC takeover; UKB announces bid (The Tahlequah Daily Press 1/16) Relevant Links:
Cherokee Nation - http://www.cherokee.org
United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians - http://www.keetoowahcherokee.org
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