Chickasaw Nation Gov. Chris Anoatubby led groundbreaking ceremonies on July 31, 2026, for the $1 billion Chickasaw Nation Health Newcastle Medical Center, marking a significant investment in First American health care access in the Oklahoma City area.
When complete, the 160-acre Chickasaw Nation Health Newcastle Medical Center campus at the intersection of Southwest 16th Street and U.S. 62, will contain 12 buildings, including a hospital, outpatient clinic and more than 23 medical specialties. It will be one of the largest and most comprehensive First American hospitals in the United States, according to the Chickasaw Nation.
“Today is the next step in our journey to provide quality, accessible health care,” Anoatubby said. “This will be more than just a hospital; this campus will propel health care forward.”
Anoatubby said the medical center is another step in meeting the mission of the Chickasaw Nation, “to enhance the overall quality of life of the Chickasaw people.”
“Once again, the mission extends to the community and other First Americans we will serve right here in Newcastle. When Chickasaws first arrived in this territory, they built schools, churches and hospitals so the generations coming after them would persevere and have even more,” Anoatubby said. “Today, we do the same. We build for families and communities today and for a bright future for the generations that will follow.”
The groundbreaking signified the beginning of the first phase of construction, consisting of about 700,000 sq. ft., including 50 inpatient beds, an emergency department, surgical suites, labor and delivery, family medicine, pediatrics, specialty clinics, behavioral health, dental clinics, a full pharmacy and the beginnings of a research program.
A contractor wasn't named.
Upon completion, the facility will grow to include a nearly 2.5 million-sq.-ft. medical campus with 140 inpatient beds and will employ more than 5,500. It is expected to serve more than 100,000 First Americans in the region.
“This campus will do things most hospitals cannot,” Anoatubby said. “We are building medical residencies, training the next generation of doctors right here in Oklahoma, and in Newcastle. We are building a First American research center owned and operated by a tribal nation — the first of its kind anywhere in the country.”
This project is a collaboration between the Chickasaw Nation and the Indian Health Service (IHS) Joint Venture Program. Through the program, the Chickasaw Nation finances the design and construction of the facility, and IHS commits to fund a portion of staffing and operational costs.
