Newly sworn-in Governor of the Chickasaw Nation Chris Anoatubby stood with a shovel full of dirt in a field in Newcastle, surrounded by other politicians, tribal and healthcare leaders. Among them were Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz and U.S. Representative Tom Cole, R-Moore, who is also a member of the Chickasaw Nation.
They, along with more than 300 others in attendance, celebrated the start of construction for a medical center serving more than 100,000 tribal citizens in the region, providing nearly 5,500 jobs.
“When we finished the medical center in 2010, it was a tremendous leap forward for our health system,” Anoatubby said. “And today we take another great leap into the future of First American health care.”…