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The following pages are representative of the various programs operating in the clinical service sites of the Cherokee Nation Health Service. A description, brief history, and summation of program's purpose is presented.
Basic family practice medicine is offered from each of the clinical access points. This is the routine health care every person needs, and includes services ranging from childhood immunization to blood pressure checks in older people. This type of care requires, at a minimum:
- Physicians, nurses and other clinical staff
- A medical records department
- A laboratory
- A pharmacy
An estimated 254,000 patients are registered to receive these services from the eight locations combined.
Comprehensive care far beyond that available from the average family practice clinic is provided through coordination for services rendered by the individual "programs" which make up our health care systems. This is why the Cherokee Rural Health Network has been referred to as a "model" for rural health care nationwide. These auxiliary services are available at *most locations, and include: *(Currently, dental services are not available at Nowata, Muskogee or Salina, and optometry is not available at Nowata.)
- Behavioral health services (assessments, referrals, counseling)
- Dietetics and nutrition
- Dental services
- Optometry care
- Preventive health services (education/sponsorship of wellness activities)
Eligibility for program services is dictated by the particular funding source. However, our patients are not required to sort out the details for program eligibility when they visit our clinics. Referrals are made to various programs within the system by the clinical providers, as needed, and administrative staff is responsible for communication of eligibility and other related issues to the patient. Our system includes services provided by the following "programs."
- Behavioral Health Services
- Community Health Representatives (CHR)
- Early Cancer Detection Program (CDC)
- Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
- Health Promotion/Disease Prevention (HP/DP)
- Public Health Nursing (PHN)
- Rural Eye Program
- Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
The Jack Brown Center is a separate "program within a program" of the Cherokee Nation Health Service. Administered through Behavioral Health Services, JBC is a residential facility for the treatment of substance abuse in Indian youth; it is funded by IHS independently from clinical facilities operation. And, like JBC, health clinic on site at the Talking Leaves Job Corps Center is staffed by and receives medical direction form the Cherokee Nation Health Service.
Finally, in addition to the basic clinical service, auxiliary services and the various program services, some departments within the Cherokee Nation Health Service have been developed to coordinate care and to make it easier to access for the patients. These include:
- Office of Managed Care
- Elder Services Project
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