photo by: Bremen Keasey/Journal-World

The Haskell Indian Health Center, 2415 Massachusetts St., is seen on June 3, 2026.

A new healthcare facility on Haskell Indian Nations University’s campus is expected to be built in the next “three to five years,” the CEO of the Haskell Indian Health Center told the Journal-World.

The university and the Indian Health Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, announced in June an agreement that would support the construction of a new clinic on 4.4 acres of land on Haskell’s campus, as the Journal-World reported. Shannon Lowe, the CEO for the Haskell Indian Health Center, told the Journal-World via email on Monday that it would be new construction, not a rebuilding of the current center at 2415 Massachusetts St.

Lowe said both the university and the health center currently are focused on the planning phase, with the official land transfer and other planning activities happening over the next year. Once those steps are done, Lowe anticipates the new facility will open by 2031 at the latest, pending the completion of design and federal approval processes.

The Haskell Indian Health Center will continue providing services at the current location during construction, Lowe said. Once construction is complete, its operations will move to the new site.

The current facility would then be used to expand Haskell’s education and workforce training programs in health professions. Lowe said that in the long term, the project could allow Haskell to add new health-related certificate and degree programs, but the “immediate focus” is helping students to gain practical experience working in healthcare administration, in fields such as medical records and healthcare technology.

Even before work begins on the new facility, Lowe said the health center and university will be implementing new programs for students. One example of a program that would be expanded under the agreement is the Indian Health Service Pathways Program, which gives students job opportunities at healthcare facilities and federal service credit for future employment. Lowe said these types of opportunities ensure that Native students can “learn in the communities they serve” and give students greater awareness of careers that serve Tribal communities.

Both the new facility and the new programs will “support Native student success and strengthen the future healthcare workforce,” Lowe said.