As the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services flag outside the W.W. Hastings Indian Clinic was lowered Wednesday morning and a Cherokee Nation flag was raised, it became official — the Cherokee Nation was operating the hospital. W.W. Hastings has served many American Indians of all tribes over the years, and officials expressed confidence that patients would continue to receive quality care. Dignitaries from the Cherokee, Muscogee (Creek) and Seminole nations, as well as Indian Health Services, tribal citizens and medical personnel attended the ceremony.
