Any member of the public, 6 months and older, regardless of where they live, is eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Walk-ins are welcome at any of the tribe’s outpatient health centers from 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Call 539-234-4099 to schedule an appointment or for more information please refer to the COVID-19 information page.
About the Program
The Cherokee Nation Family Medicine Residency Program offers Primary Care Track emphasis on a three-year curriculum as outlined by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). The objective of the CNHS Family Medicine Residency Program is to provide progressive learning experiences that develop the attitude, skills, and knowledge of a Primary Care Physician to efficiently provide quality patient care.
The family medicine residency training program has been present in Tahlequah, OK, since 2009. In 2020, our program received ACGME accreditation and became the Cherokee Nation’s Family Medicine Residency Program. In addition, our program received Osteopathic Recognition from ACGME in 2020.
The mission of Cherokee Nation Family Medicine residency training program is to provide exemplary medical care to our Native American patients with compassion, integrity, and skill. We support the mission of our sponsoring institution, OMECO (Osteopathic Medical Education Consortium of Oklahoma), of partnering with individuals, families, and communities to improve our health and quality of life.
Cherokee Nation
Cherokee Nation is the largest federally recognized Native American tribe with more than 400,000 registered tribal citizens. There are 258,789 citizens residing in Oklahoma, and 137,295 living within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation. Cherokee Nation Health Services (CNHS) is the largest tribally operated health care system in the United States. CNHS is a growing multifaceted health care system. In the clinical setting, the system serves over 100,000 patients throughout 11 health care facilities. These include nine tribal health clinics, one employee clinic, one tribal hospital and one Indian Health Service facility. Additionally, CNHS offers a wide array of community, social, mental and public health programs such as behavioral health, public health nursing, cancer prevention, diabetes prevention, Women Infants and Children, emergency medical services, environmental health, health research, emergency and risk management, clinical quality improvement and quality management. The Cherokee Nation Public Health programs work with a variety of tribal, public, private and community organizations to improve health outcomes. CNHS administers programs to ensure that we provide the most effective patient care, plans and coordination of services, manage information technology, and oversee facilities management. The departments addressed above include but are not limited to: Health IT, Health Privacy and Compliance, and Institutional Review Board (IRB)/ Research and Finance.
Our Facilities
Cherokee Nation Health Services (CNHS) is committed to providing the highest quality of care and the most advanced, effective treatments for our patients. With almost 160 full-time providers and over 2,200 health services employees, CNHS is the gem of the region in continuity of care. Committed to improving patient access, Cherokee Nation has invested substantially in technology, building new facilities and expanding existing locations. Our hospital and nine health centers are full of talented staff that are dedicated to providing world-class patient care.
W.W. Hastings Hospital is a 60-bed inpatient hospital that Cherokee Nation assumed on October 1, 2008. The continuity of care across the health system is now complete and this is evidenced by tangible improvements to the facility and to service delivery. In December 2020, legislation was signed that will provide $400 million to fund construction of a brand new, state-of-the-art hospital on the Tahlequah campus that will replace the existing W.W. Hastings building.
CNHS recently opened a new four-story, 469,000 square-foot outpatient health center on the Tahlequah campus in October of 2019. Some of the services offered include: optometry, audiology, physical rehabilitation, behavioral health, radiology, lab, pharmacy, primary care, and dental. The facility also features a new ambulatory surgery center, with five surgical suites, and two-endoscopy suites.
About Tahlequah
Tahlequah, Oklahoma is the capitol of the Cherokee Nation and home to Northeastern State University. Growth is on the rise in Tahlequah with the Nation's First Tribally Affiliated Medical School. OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine at the Cherokee Nation was completed in the fall of 2020.
Tahlequah is a community of about 17,000 and the area is rich in local history as well as Cherokee culture. A rich quality of life is the norm with a winning combination of outdoor life and charming communities alongside the winding rivers, expansive lakes, and rolling green foothills of the Ozarks. Tahlequah is only an hour commute from both the Tulsa metropolitan area and the Northwest Arkansas (Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers) metropolitan area, where there is fine dining, shopping, recreational parks, and two international airports (Tulsa, Northwest Arkansas).
Each year of residency will consist of four-week rotations that are completed within various clinics.
The residency program includes weekly academic sessions.
Resident benefits include a competitive salary, insurance, educational resources, professional memberships, and more.
Application requirements and information about the application, interview, and selection process.
CNHS Family Medicine Residency consists of medical school graduates that come from a variety of backgrounds.
After graduation, many of our residents pursue medical careers at CNHS and other prestigious health systems.
The core faculty is comprised of dedicated staff that works with the CNHS Family Medicine Residency Program.
Current medical students are invited to participate in clerkships, rotations, and site visits.
CNHS Family Medicine Residency Program contact information.
