By SCOTT MCKIE B.P.
One Feather Asst. Editor
CHEROKEE, N.C. – The Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority (CIHA), providing health care to the members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), has not been affected by the recent cuts to funding and staffing to some programs and departments at the federal level.
Casey Cooper, CIHA chief executive officer, told the One Feather, “At this time, Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority has experienced minimal disruptions due to decisions made at the federal level. This underscores the importance of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ decision to pursue self-governance, which has significantly reduced our reliance on the Indian Health Service (IHS) compared to many other tribal nations. We have not lost any staff due to federal funding decisions, and we continue to operate efficiently. In fact, we are actively working within our networks to inform federal employees within IHS who may be impacted that we have openings here at CIHA.”
He did say that the hospital is planning to be prepared for any possible issues going forward. “While we have not been directly impacted at this point, we are working closely with tribal leadership to stay informed as federal decisions continue to evolve. As we have seen with this administration, things can change daily. There have been rumors of future federal-level cuts, particularly related to Medicaid, which could have an adverse effect on our operations. However, as of today, we remain stable. CIHA continues to take a proactive approach to workforce planning and financial sustainability to ensure that we can maintain high-quality care for our patients and support our staff regardless of potential federal changes.”
Ugvwiyuhi (Principal Chief) Michell Hicks testified before the House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies on the morning of Wednesday, Feb. 26. During his testimony, he praised CIHA, “We’ve expanded that hospital to not be just your normal pharmacy and just general services, but we have a lot of physical therapy services. We’ve included an extension around mental health services…we just finished a new 100-bed senior services that provides wonderful care to our people.”
