Tribe opens $17 million clinic

COWETA, Okla. (AP) The Creek Nation hosts the grand opening of a multimillion dollar Indian health care clinic that should reduce caseloads at other area Indian health centers.<br/> <br/>The Koweta Indian

Friday, June 16th 2006, 8:22 am

By: News On 6

COWETA, Okla. (AP) The Creek Nation hosts the grand opening of a multimillion dollar Indian health care clinic that should reduce caseloads at other area Indian health centers.

The Koweta Indian Health Facility, located east of Coweta, is a 60,000 foot clinic that will be opened to patients June 20th.

The facility was funded by the Creek Nation and Indian Health Services. Creek Chief A.D. Ellis says the tribe funded $18 million for the building and land, and IHS is paying for staffing of the clinic, which will cost about $11 million per year.

The clinic has 94 employees, a majority of which are tribal citizens. Ellis said yesterday the Koweta clinic will be the largest and most modern of all of the tribe's five health clinics.