The Chickasaw Nation has officially turned dirt on its next big health project in Ada, breaking ground Tuesday on a new pediatric clinic at the Ada South Campus that leaders say will reshape care for children across the nation.
The three-story, 95,000-square-foot building is designed to pull general pediatrics and pediatric specialty services onto a single campus so the system can better keep up with a steady climb in young patients. Plans call for dedicated areas for well-child visits, along with separate entrances and waiting rooms so sick and well kids are not sitting side by side.
According to a press release from the Chickasaw Nation, the stand-alone clinic will also support drive-up appointments and testing, a setup meant to make quick visits and diagnostics less of a hassle for families. The new facility is intended to expand sub-specialty services and therapies that are already offered at the Chickasaw Nation Medical Center.
Tribal officials say the clinic is being built to support children from infancy through adolescence by concentrating diagnostics, early intervention and therapy in one place. The project is described as a direct response to growing pediatric demand that has been building since the tribe opened its original pediatric clinic in 2010.
What’s inside the building
The Journal Record reports that the first floor will be home to general pediatrics, the day-to-day front line for most families. The second floor is slated to host a pediatric developmental clinic alongside the Empowered Living Clinic, which blends medical, behavioral, nutrition and physical therapy services for youth in a single coordinated program.
The pediatric developmental clinic is described as one of the few comprehensive programs in the country where families can find diagnostics, early intervention, therapy and long-term management all under one roof. When the time is right, the third floor is planned to be built out for pediatric dentistry in a future phase of the project.
Leaders weigh in
Governor Bill Anoatubby described the project as the next phase in strengthening pediatric care, stating that it aims to provide connected, accessible, and seamless services for families, according to the tribe’s release.
Anoatubby led the groundbreaking ceremony on the Ada South Campus, framing the clinic as a long-term investment in the health infrastructure that supports Chickasaw youth. Tribal officials say the new building will extend the services that have been added since 2010 and provide badly needed room for growing pediatric specialty care.
Construction activity and next steps
Procurement records tied to the project show that early contracting has already started. The Chickasaw Business Network has listed a request for proposals for HVAC commissioning for the pediatric clinic, and a federal contracting portal has posted a request for bids for special materials testing at the site.
Those solicitations line up with the tribe’s announcement and indicate that systems work and testing will move forward alongside construction. Neither the tribal release nor local coverage has put a target date on when the doors will open.
Why it matters locally
The new pediatric building follows a string of investments on the Ada campus that include expanded wellness initiatives, pharmacy projects and the Chickasaw Nation Medical Center, underscoring a multiyear push to boost health services for tribal citizens, according to the Chickasaw Times.
Tribal leaders say that by keeping more pediatric care close to home on the Ada campus, families will be spared some of the long drives to larger cities for specialty appointments. As bids and contracts advance, local providers and parents are watching for details on the construction schedule and future hiring to staff the growing pediatric footprint.
-2.webp?w=160&h=400&fit=crop&crop=edges)