The project: A 400,000-sf state-of-the-art replacement healthcare facility designed to replace a 40-year-old hospital and meet the needs of a rapidly growing tribal community. The project also includes a parking garage, a skybridge, and a 13,000-sf central energy plant.

The goal: To provide a modern, high-capacity hospital capable of serving more than 500,000 patients annually, far exceeding the original facility’s design of 60,000 patients per year while incorporating sustainable design features and meeting LEED certification standards.

Design approach: IMEG provided comprehensive mechanical, electrical, low-voltage, plumbing, and medical gas/vacuum system design along with commissioning services for the hospital, parking garage, skybridge, and central energy plant.

• Medical gas and vacuum systems were engineered to sup-port critical care operations and ensure safe medical waste disposal, allowing the facility to accommodate high-de-mand usage.
• Electrical and lighting designs highlight abundant natural daylight, supplemented by emergency lighting and power generators for safety and reliability.
• The two-story central energy plant includes a 2,500-ton capacity with four 625-ton magnetic-bearing chillers, cooling towers, a pump system, and a 43-million-BTU natural-gas-powered, dual-fuel boiler plant, all meeting ASHRAE standards for energy efficiency.
• The architect-designed skybridge features floor-to-ceiling glass panels for maximum daylight, LED evening illumination, and energy-efficient HVAC to maintain comfort while linking the hospital to the new outpatient facility—creating a unified campus.
• The remaining portions of the former Hastings building will be renovated into a dedicated behavioral health center to support the tribe’s expanding mental health services.

Project outcome: The completed hospital delivers a cutting-edge medical campus featuring an emergency department, urgent care, intensive care unit, medical-surgical facilities, pediatric inpatient care, obstetrics/newborn services, inpatient and outpatient surgery, an infusion clinic, pharmacy, laboratory, and radiology. The new W.W. Hastings Hospital now provides advanced, sustainable healthcare services, significantly increasing patient capacity while reflecting the Cherokee Nation’s commitment to community well-being and environmental stewardship.