BREAKING NEWS: Claremore Indian Hospital Staff to Be Terminated
BREAKING NEWS: Claremore Indian Hospital Staff to Be Terminated October 1, 2025, as Cherokee Nation Leadership Plans Shift to Tahlequah
By Cara Cowan Watts | Cherokee 411
CLAREMORE, Okla. — Just one day after a sweeping win in the Cherokee Nation Mid-Term Elections by candidates aligned with the Hoskin-Warner administration, more than 400 staff at Claremore Indian Hospital received the news: their employment under Indian Health Service (IHS) will end October 1, 2025, and most services will be moved to Tahlequah under the direct control of Cherokee Nation Health Services.
This development comes months after the Cherokee Nation announced it would assume operations of Claremore Indian Hospital from the federal government. Now, many community members and staff feel blindsided.
The move is expected to dramatically reduce services at the Claremore facility. Multiple employees speaking anonymously due to fear of retaliation confirmed that all inpatient services—including labor and delivery—will be eliminated. Only outpatient and emergency services are expected to remain.
“When Cherokee Nation assumes operational control on October 1, 2025, we will continue providing care in the emergency department and outpatient clinics,” wrote Dr. Stephen Jones, CEO of Cherokee Nation Health Services, in a memo sent to staff yesterday.
Below is the full memo obtained by Cherokee 411:
Subject: Workforce Transition Plan for Claremore Indian Hospital Employees
Claremore,
On behalf of Dr. Stephen Jones, CEO and Cherokee Nation:
Osiyo,
As Cherokee Nation prepares to assume operations of Claremore Indian Hospital from the Indian Health Service (IHS), our top priority is the health and wellbeing of American Indian and Alaska Native patients and access to quality care in the Claremore Service Unit. Equally important is the continued involvement of the dedicated workforce currently serving tribal patients.
The Cherokee Nation announced in the fall of 2024 it would take control and assume operations by the end of 2025.
We are committed to supporting a smooth transition for current Claremore employees. Our Human Resources team developed a process to prioritize hiring existing Claremore Indian Hospital staff. Job postings will be made available exclusively to current employees for a period of time, and our hiring managers will work diligently to expedite these selections and minimize disruption for a seamless transition.
We will also provide detailed information about our employee benefits package. Additionally, a dedicated navigator will be on-site at Claremore Indian Hospital to assist with the application process and address any questions.
Commissioned Corps Officers assigned to Claremore Indian Hospital will be able to continue to serve via memorandum of agreement (MOA) between Cherokee Nation and the IHS.
When Cherokee Nation assumes operational control on October 1, 2025, we will continue providing care in the emergency department and outpatient clinics.
We deeply value the skill and commitment of the Claremore Indian Hospital workforce and hope that you will choose to continue serving our community as members of Cherokee Nation Health Services.
The Cherokee Nation operates the largest tribal health care system in the country and invests in not only our patient citizens, but our workforce and facilities and are looking forward to working with you.
We will share additional details about the application and onboarding process soon, and leadership will remain available to support you throughout this transition.
Respectfully,
Dr. Stephen Jones, CEO
Cherokee Nation Health Services
Community Impact and Staff Reaction
Despite assurances from Cherokee Nation leadership during early 2024 stakeholder meetings that "nothing will change," the internal memo—and whispers from inside—tell another story.
According to multiple sources familiar with the internal transition plans, services to be cut include:
With these services eliminated, families in the northern and western counties of the Cherokee Nation—and those of neighboring tribes—face hours-long drives to Hastings Hospital in Tahlequah for essential care.
“Elders will have to drive an hour and a half just for surgery. Mothers will deliver babies up to three hours away from home,” said one employee who asked not to be named due to fear of job loss.
The Claremore Indian Hospital currently serves a population of more than 128,000 Native Americans across 12 counties in northeastern Oklahoma. Tribes served by the hospital include Muscogee (Creek), Shawnee, Delaware, Ottawa, and more.
Of the estimated 430 hospital staff, approximately 50% are Cherokee Nation citizens. Many expressed concern about lower wages under Cherokee Nation’s pay scale compared to federal IHS positions. Others voiced fear over the four-month timeline to find new jobs in an already short-staffed healthcare environment.
“We were told repeatedly this would be an investment in Claremore. Now it feels like an extraction,” another source said. “I trusted them. I even voted for them. But this feels like betrayal.”
One Service Already Gone
In March 2025, the hospital’s chiropractic clinic quietly closed.
Economic Fallout Expected
The loss of more than 400 federal-level salaries will likely deliver a blow to Rogers County’s economy, reducing consumer spending, property investment, and tax revenues.
“This is a brain drain. Highly skilled doctors, nurses, and specialists will leave for better-paying jobs elsewhere—or retire early,” said Cara Cowan Watts, former Chair of the Claremore Indian Hospital Tribal Advisory Board and Cherokee Nation Tribal Councilwoman from 2003 to 2015.
While Cherokee Nation’s health system is the largest tribally operated system in the country, it remains to be seen how this transition will affect long-term care access for tribal citizens and other patients in the region.
Are You Affected?
If you are a current or former patient, staff member, or citizen of a tribe served by Claremore IHS, we want to hear your story. Email [email protected] with your experience, concerns, or questions.
Cherokee 411 will continue to update this story as more details emerge.
