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| Expansion of an emergency room at the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Medical Center in Okmulgee was announced Thursday. Creek nation Health Department Secretary Lt. Cmdr Seneca Smith made the announcement at a press conference in Okmulgee. At the same time, Creek nation Chief George Tiger said the $5.2 million debt assumed from the Okmulgee Memorial Hospital just over a year ago has been paid off. | |
| "We saw the need for a good health care system and wanted to see how to improve our health facilities," Tiger said. "We heard the hospital was struggling and was afraid it was going to close its doors." | |
| Tiger described a meeting with hospital and city officials that resulted in the Creek Nation taking ownership of the facility. He pointed out an effort has been made to improve health care throughout the 11 counties that make up the Creek nation. That includes opening of a new MRI facility in Okmulgee, taking over operations of the former George Nigh Rehabilitation Center, construction of a new hospital in Okemah and health facility in Eufaula. The emergency room expansion will add 7,407 additional square feet to the current emergency room space and is expected to create a tremendous impact for Okmulgee and the surrounding areas for both Native and non-Native patients. Currently the facility operates in 4,856 square feet with one large trauma room divided by a curtain. When completed, the new emergency room expansion will include a total of 18 additional emergency rooms consisting of three trauma rooms, 10 fast track treatment rooms, four observation/treatment rooms and one isolation/decontamination room. An additional entrance into radiology will be created to assist with the flow of patients through the emergency area. The project will create a covered ambulance entrance that can accommodate multiple ambulances at one time. Ambulance services will also be added for MCNDH inter-facility transports. MCNMC has implemented a fast track emergency care service Monday-Friday, 3-11 p.m. to care for lower acuity patients to allow existing emergency space to care for critical care patients. The facility plans to expand the fast track service in the future. Additional nurses and a provider have been added to the facility for the fast track service and to meet the rise in patient numbers. | |
