About | Cherokee Indian Hospital Foundation

The Cherokee people’s Foundation.

The Cherokee Indian Hospital Foundation (CIHF) has a mission within a mission, you might say: Primarily, it’s to support the well-being of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, enriching their lives through better health and healthcare outcomes. We do that by strengthening the Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority (CIHA), including the individual clinics and hospital that comprise it.

How? By aligning forms of goodwill, for starters. Whether from the corporate level or through individual donations, our aim is to find new sources of financial help that expand successful Cherokee health services, fund innovative and new projects, assess the greatest needs and help us meet them, and lift CIHA’s healthcare services to meet the highest national standards.

All for the same reason: the Cherokee people.

A quiet, but large helping hand.

While The Foundation plays a traditional role of providing financial assistance to the CIHA healthcare system, we envision filling an even greater role in health education someday, assisting CIHA’s patients before they become patients. Individuals who receive CIHA services may be unaware of our current and ongoing efforts to assist in creating a healing atmosphere that is uniquely Cherokee, in ways that are authentic, historic, and even artistic.

As part of that ongoing effort, Kanvwotiyi, a residential treatment center, is a wonderful example of placing need-specific care conveniently within the Cherokee community. We’re proud to announce that the new Analensigi Inpatient clinic (formerly the Crisis Stabilization Unit) was opened in the fall of 2020. CIHA’s Women’s & Children’s home was also opened in 2020, followed the Men’s Home, which was opened in the Fall of 2023. CIHA’s new $120 million, state-of-the-art long-term care facility, Tsali Care Center, was opened in October 2024. We have broken ground on the new Cherokee County Clinic, which has an anticipated completion date of October 2025.

By adhering daily to our core values of Trust, Integrity, Stewardship, Quality, Accountability, Compassion, and Partnerships, we will realize our ultimate goal: to ensure the Cherokee community always has a world-class hospital system, one staffed with the most skilled doctors and nurses, and armed with the latest tools and techniques the medical world can offer.

Our Foundation’s Board.

We’re very fortunate to have this collection of experienced leaders, teachers, healthcare professionals, and volunteers as the CIHF Board. Chosen for their diverse expertise and backgrounds, they keep us singularly focused on our mission, vision, and values.