Indian Health Care Resource Center to celebrate major expansion

Written By: Rachael Schuit 

Native Commerce News is sponsored by the American Indian Chamber of Commerce of Oklahoma (AICCO), dedicated to expanding Indian Country commerce across the globe.

(TULSA, Okla.) Indigenous community members in Northeast Oklahoma will soon have better access to healthcare, thanks to a major expansion of the Indian Health Care Resource Center (IHCRC) in Tulsa. 

A ribbon-cutting will be held on July 2 at 530 S. Peoria Avenue in Tulsa to celebrate the completion of the facility’s two-phase expansion project. The event will include a Cedar Blessing by Bill Wamego. 

The first phase, finished in 2011, increased the facility's size from 27,000 to 52,400 square feet. The newly completed second phase adds another 62,000 square feet, more than doubling the center’s total space. The two buildings are now connected by a breezeway. 

“I’m very proud,” said Carmelita Skeeter, CEO of IHCRC. “It’s taken several years to come to closure, and I’m very proud that we can offer the community these services.”

The expanded space will allow IHCRC to increase its offerings to Indigenous community members, including new services like occupational, physical, and speech therapy, as well as the addition of a third dentist. 

“We wanted extra office space so we could call in specialists…say, for cardiology, one or two days a week, or podiatry,” Skeeter said. “We wanted space for that, and we wanted space for a walk-in clinic, which [would allow us to see] patients that we couldn’t get on our regular scheduled list during the day. They could come in if they needed to be seen, like an urgent care.”

The pharmacy will also undergo a major upgrade.

“We have a very busy pharmacy, and we only had two drive-thru lanes, which got to be very complicated with our patient load,” Skeeter explained. “So, we wanted to expand our pharmacy, and now, we have five drive-thru lanes, and they are very busy.”

IHCRC also has plans to expand maternal and child health services through a redesign of the original facility. 

Beyond healthcare, IHCRC has played an important role in supporting Native business development in Oklahoma. In the early 1990s, a grant awarded to the IHCRC led to the founding of the American Indian Chamber of Commerce in Oklahoma (AICCO). The grant’s primary goal was to connect Native business owners, tribes, and resources across the state. 

To RSVP to the IHCRC 530 Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, click here.