- Details
- By Chuck Hoskin Jr
Guest Opinion. Navigating a complex health system can be difficult, especially for those living far away from their provider. Cherokee Nation is working hard to make it easier. Within the Cherokee Nation reservation, we have invested to make sure no Cherokee is more than a half-hour drive away from a clinic. Now, for Cherokee Nation citizens — particularly the many Cherokees living outside our 7,000-square-mile reservation in northeast Oklahoma — the new Patient Experience Team can ease the stress of getting care.
We know that Cherokees are cared for best by other Cherokees within our award-winning health system. The three-person Patient Experience Team will help at-large patients navigate that system to get the care they need and deserve. They will be a one-stop shop for help with arrangements at Cherokee Nation’s health clinics and hospital. They can also provide additional information about tribal facilities and health clinics that may be available in other states.
Cherokee Nation Health Services operates the largest health care system in Indian Country, serving more than 1.5 million patient visits annually. We are growing our health care infrastructure and services — and we are making sure to include at-large Cherokees, who make up more than two-thirds of our tribal citizens.
The at-large members of the Council of the Cherokee Nation, Julia Coates and Johnny Jack Kidwell, have both been champions for many areas, but health care is a special priority for them. Together, we've been able to expand hearing aid access to at-large Cherokees. Now, thanks to their leadership and creative problem solving, the Patient Experience Team is making health care access even easier. The team has already begun visiting at-large community gatherings to better understand the needs of those communities.
Any Cherokee Nation citizen across the globe can now pick up the phone and talk to another Cherokee about their health care. Cherokees can find guidance for their health or even the health of a family member. And, as we continue to grow our telemedicine capabilities, we will be able to provide citizens even more quality care, no matter where they live.
Today, Cherokee Nation is a national leader on Native American health care. Other tribes and health care systems can look to us for new ideas, like the Patient Experience Team. We must keep up that momentum, because we've got a great deal more work to do. Healthy Cherokee communities are strong and prosperous Cherokee communities, and that’s true in Tahlequah, Sallisaw, Texas, California, or anywhere else on the planet.
Chuck Hoskin. Jr. is the principal chief of the Cherokee Nation.
More Stories Like This
“No Kings” Rallies Across America: This What Democracy Looks Like to MeLeading the Way in Rare Disease Advocacy
For Native Communities, Medicaid Is a Promise Washington Must Keep
“One Beautiful Bill” Would Be a Tragic Setback for Indian Country
Federal Courts Left (Not) to Protect Sacred Sites
Help us tell the stories that could save Native languages and food traditions
At a critical moment for Indian Country, Native News Online is embarking on our most ambitious reporting project yet: "Cultivating Culture," a three-year investigation into two forces shaping Native community survival—food sovereignty and language revitalization.
The devastating impact of COVID-19 accelerated the loss of Native elders and with them, irreplaceable cultural knowledge. Yet across tribal communities, innovative leaders are fighting back, reclaiming traditional food systems and breathing new life into Native languages. These aren't just cultural preservation efforts—they're powerful pathways to community health, healing, and resilience.
Our dedicated reporting team will spend three years documenting these stories through on-the-ground reporting in 18 tribal communities, producing over 200 in-depth stories, 18 podcast episodes, and multimedia content that amplifies Indigenous voices. We'll show policymakers, funders, and allies how cultural restoration directly impacts physical and mental wellness while celebrating successful models of sovereignty and self-determination.
This isn't corporate media parachuting into Indian Country for a quick story. This is sustained, relationship-based journalism by Native reporters who understand these communities. It's "Warrior Journalism"—fearless reporting that serves the 5.5 million readers who depend on us for news that mainstream media often ignores.
We need your help right now. While we've secured partial funding, we're still $450,000 short of our three-year budget. Our immediate goal is $25,000 this month to keep this critical work moving forward—funding reporter salaries, travel to remote communities, photography, and the deep reporting these stories deserve.
Every dollar directly supports Indigenous journalists telling Indigenous stories. Whether it's $5 or $50, your contribution ensures these vital narratives of resilience, innovation, and hope don't disappear into silence.
The stakes couldn't be higher. Native languages are being lost at an alarming rate. Food insecurity plagues many tribal communities. But solutions are emerging, and these stories need to be told.
Support independent Native journalism. Fund the stories that matter.
Levi Rickert (Potawatomi), Editor & Publisher