Native Americans frequently face unique health challenges, and in the past often received inadequate care from the federal Indian Health Service. Oklahoma’s Chickasaw Nation leaders sought to remedy this issue by replacing the aging Carl Albert Indian Healthcare Facility in Ada with a new, state-of-the-art medical center that would provide a full spectrum of services to its members.

To do so, they enlisted the assistance of the FSB team, who served as the owner’s representative for the Chickasaw Nation Medical Center project. We provided technical assistance for both design and construction of the complex project, reviewing all designer and construction management submittals from start to finish.

In the process, FSB’s experts were able to make design adaptations that saved the tribe more than $1 million in building costs.

With a combined total of 370,000 SF, the Chickasaw Nation Medical Center project was divided into three components. The first, a three-story ambulatory care clinic, contains specialized spaces for assorted clinics, an on-site pharmacy, a surgery center, 165 exam/procedure rooms, and specialized clinic spaces for behavioral health, family medicine, cardiology/cardiology testing, pediatrics, diabetes care, eye care and dental care. The second added a three-story, 70-bed hospital, complete with two medical/surgical floors, an intensive care unit and a labor and delivery floor.

The hospital also incorporates a level-three emergency department, a surgery department with four operating rooms, a same-day patient care clinic and a cafeteria. Additional specialized spaces accommodate laboratory, diagnostic imaging and dietary services departments, while a “town center” public space provides a connection to the ambulatory care clinic building.

The third component of the Chickasaw Nation Medical Center project involved the design and construction of a central plant to serve both the ambulatory care clinic and hospital.