UKB Signs Agreement With IHS to Expand Health Services

By Staff, Cherokee 411

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. — The United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians announced that Chief Jeff Wacoche signed a historic agreement Sept. 16 with the Indian Health Service to expand the UKB Health System beyond its current scope of Behavioral Health and Purchased & Referred Care programs.

According to a statement released by the tribe, the agreement brings the Hospitals and Health Clinics Program under UKB control, allowing the tribal health system to deliver direct patient care. While the Purchased & Referred Care program is limited to serving enrolled UKB members, the Hospitals and Health Clinics funding permits UKB facilities to serve any Native American citizen enrolled in a federally recognized tribe.

UKB leaders said the expansion is critically needed to strengthen tribal health services in northeastern Oklahoma, particularly within the Cherokee Reservation.

The tribe previously assumed management of the Purchased & Referred Care program in August 2024 and has advocated for greater access to federal health funding in testimony before Congress earlier this year.

Officials with IHS have not yet issued a public statement on the new agreement.