Nations, Inc. · Episode 7 of 10 · 20 min
The Nuka Revolution: The Alaska Native Health System the World Studies
In Anchorage, Southcentral Foundation's Nuka System of Care, run by and for Alaska Native people, became the only health system in America to win the Baldrige Award twice, with roughly half the ER visits and hospital admissions. The episode also covers the largest tribal health organization and the Cherokee Nation's new $470 million hospital.
Who's who
- Chuck Hoskin Jr.Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation
- Stephen JonesCEO named in connection with the new W.W. Hastings Hospital
Where it happens
- Anchorage, Alaska+6 more episodesHome of Southcentral Foundation and the Alaska Native Medical Center
- Tahlequah, Oklahoma+1 more episodeSite of the new $470 million W.W. Hastings Hospital
- Claremore, OklahomaPlanned site of a $400 million Cherokee Nation clinic
Timeline
- 1975Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act lets tribes run federal health programs
- 2000Congress makes the IHS Tribal Self-Governance Program permanent
- 2011Southcentral Foundation wins its first Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award
- 2017Southcentral Foundation wins a second Baldrige Award, the only health care organization to do so
- July 2026The new W.W. Hastings Hospital opens in Tahlequah
Still debated
The Nuka outcome figures come from award-era applications in 2011 and 2017, not current performance. Whether the model's success transfers elsewhere, whether through its method or its ownership by the people served, is genuinely debated.
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