By 2 o’clock, there was not one person who really cared what happened with the weather. We were all smiles as Bill Lance, Administrator of the CNHS greeted the crowd with a welcome and Mr. Jay Keel offered an opening prayer as we thanked God for the blessings on the Chickasaw.
Bill continued by thanking the many participants who were involved in making the day a reality. Work on the project began more than 2 years ago. Many people can be attributed to the fulfillment of this dream. I have heard Governor Anoatubby being called a visionary more than once in the past few weeks. This is really a big project, and has the full support of the Legislature, Administration of the Chickasaw Nation, Indian Health Service, and the Chickasaw Nation.
I believe the health care we provide will be second to none. Right now, we provide the best care for our diabetic patients, and I think that you will continue to see improvements in every area. In dental alone, we will be increasing to 31 dental chairs compared to the 10 that we have now. That will cut waiting time down and help provide faster services for our patients.
At the end of the ceremony, we turned the historic first shovel of dirt from a count down of five. A camera person was lifted high above the crowd for an aerial photo, the sun broke through, and lady bugs graced the tent as leaves gently fell. Truely, it was a blessed day. Please go to www.chickasaw.net for more details.
