Assisted Living Benefit Program
The assisted living benefit program provides payment assistance to elders residing in an assisted living facility, Established in 2006, the program was expanded in 2009 to include provision to Chickasaw living at-large. Because of this program, many elders are now able to afford independent living with the safety of living assistance.
Chickasaw Nation Boys & Girls Club of Tishomingo
In 2009, the Chickasaw Nation collaborated with Murray State College to open a new Chickasaw Nation Boys & Girls Club in Tishomingo, Oklahoma. The facility provides a safe place for local children to participate in after school activities, socialize and receive healthy snacks. The location serves 50 to 60 students daily and contains a computer lab, game room and a “Power Hour” room where students complete their homework before participating in recreational activities.
Chickasaw Cultural Center
Located on 109 acres of rolling hills, woodlands and streams near Sulphur, Oklahoma, the Chickasaw Cultural Center, opened in 2010, is the culmination of a vision conceived more than twenty years ago. The center utilizes the latest technology, live demonstrations, ancient artifacts and natural outdoor spaces to tell the Chickasaw story. It serves as a place of education, enlightenment, inspiration and preservation of Chickasaw culture, history and traditions. The campus includes an exhibit area, an art gallery, a research center, a large-format theater, and amphitheater, a traditional village, café, gift shop and more.
The Chickasaw Press
The Chickasaw Press began as an initiative launched by Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby in 2005. The first Native American tribal press of its kind, the Chickasaw Press was established to publish books about Chickasaw history, culture, art, and people. Sharing this knowledge is critical to the preservation and continuance of Chickasaw cultural identity both within and outside of tribal boundaries.
Chickasaw.tv
In January of 2011, the Chickasaw Nation launched Chickasaw.tv, an online portal where Chickasaws and others can view hundreds of videos about Chickasaw history, culture, language, services and news. This network gives Chickasaws around the world access to important information about the tribe, and serves as a place to share the Chickasaw story through educational, accurate and entertaining productions.
Chickasaw Nation Child Development Center
The Chickasaw Nation Child Development Center is a one-of-a-kind facility where the tribe offers year-round care to approximately 250 children from six weeks to five years of age. The center, which opened in 2009, features an award winning design created specifically to promote learning and development through imagination and creativity. The center includes themed classrooms, an outdoor playground, two indoor playgrounds, a family-style dining room, a multi-purpose gymnasium, a teachers’ resource room and computer lab, two storm shelter “safe rooms” and SMART board technology in each classroom.
Chickasaw Nation Medical Center
The state-of-the-art Chickasaw Nation Medical Center features a 72-bed hospital, level 3 emergency department, ambulatory care facility, diabetes care center, dental clinic, pharmacy, diagnostic imaging center and women's health center. Opening in 2010, this facility almost tripled the tribe’s health care space helping to better meet the health needs of Chickasaws and Native Americans. The medical center added approximately 250 new jobs in the area including doctors, nurses and support staff.
Chickasaw Nation Aviation and Space Academy
The Chickasaw Nation began offing the Chickasaw Nation Aviation and Space Academy (CNASA) in the summer of 2003. Fifth through 12th grade Chickasaw students are eligible to attend this academy designed to inspire student participation in the science and technology career fields. Students gain knowledge from professionals in these career fields through hands-on activities and demonstrations. Activities include building rockets and robots, flying in actual airplanes and conducting other science experiments.
Chickasaw Nation Compressed Natural Gas Station
The Chickasaw Nation opened the first tribally-owned Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) station in Oklahoma in 2010. The station is open to the public for fleet or privately owned vehicles. The station is part of the tribe's effort to conserve energy by moving its fleet toward CNG fueled vehicles. With lower fuels costs, lower emissions, decreased maintenance costs and an abundant supply of natural gas in the United States, CNG is not only economical but helps reduce dependence on foreign oil.
Duncan Senior Nutrition Center
In 2008, the Chickasaw Nation opened the doors to a new senior nutrition center in Duncan, Oklahoma. The center serves Chickasaw and Native American seniors in the Duncan and Marlow communities. The center became the Chickasaw Nation’s 11th facility dedicated to servicing the needs of seniors. The centers provide free, healthy lunches, health screenings, exercise and wellness classes, computer labs, lounge areas, social activities and senior services.
Health Spending Account
The health spending account, established in 2007, gives Chickasaw elders living at-large the opportunity to receive reimbursement for up to $100 of approved health care expenses per month. This benefit enables citizens to obtain insurance coverage that may otherwise be unaffordable, receive reimbursement for expensive prescriptions or cover insurance premiums and deductibles.
Chickasaw Nation Internship Program
Through the Chickasaw Nation Internship program, Chickasaw students ages 18 to 25 have the opportunity to gain skills in the workforce to achieve future employment. The program was created in 2003 to encourage Chickasaw students to build relationships with employers in career fields that are of the student’s interest. Interns have the opportunity to work with business leaders, policy makers and Native American organizations across the nation.
KCNP Community Radio
KCNP 89.5 FM is a non-commercial, community radio station owned and operated by the Chickasaw Nation. KCNP first went on air in 2009 broadcasting through local airwaves in central and southeastern Oklahoma and online worldwide. The station airs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and provides programming and information that covers Chickasaw and Native American issues as well as local, state and national news. KCNP also features community weather and sports and a diverse mix of music and talk shows.
Prescription Mail Order Program
The prescription mail order program was established in 2006 and includes benefits for Chickasaws of all ages. This program allows Chickasaws from across the country to submit prescription orders from their private provider to the Chickasaw Nation Division of Health pharmacy. The prescriptions are then filled and mailed back to the citizen free of charge.
Chickasaw Reading Program
In 2009, the Chickasaw Nation partnered with the Dollywood Reading Program to provide free books to Chickasaw children ages zero to five. Children receive one, free book each month by mail. This program not only expands literacy but encourages parents to read to their child and creates a love for reading.
Chickasaw Nation ReUse Center
In efforts to help the community while helping the environment, the Chickasaw Nation ReUse Center was opened in 2010. This center receives donations from the community in the form of everything from clothes and home items to building materials and office equipment. These items are then made available to the community, free of charge. This service helps citizens who may otherwise be unable to afford such items while also protecting the environment by recycling thousands of pounds of materials that would otherwise end up in community landfills.
School to Work Program
Beginning in 2005, the Chickasaw Nation began offering the school to work program to Chickasaws wishing to pursue higher educational goals. This program provides full-time employment and benefits to citizens while they work to complete their GED, obtain training from a technical school or earn a degree from a college or university. Students split their 40-hour work week between time in the classroom and time on the job. This allows Chickasaws, which would otherwise be unable to pursue higher education because of financial obligations, the opportunity to do so.
Chickasaw Nation Sick Child Care Center
When the Chickasaw Nation’s Sick Child Care Center opened in 2008, it was so unique that is was one of only a few facilities of its kind in the country. The center remains a creative and unmatched alternative for working parents. The Sick Child Care Center is licensed for approximately 35 children and designed to protect the health, safety and well-being of mildly-ill children. The center allows children to be cared for by trained caregivers while parents remain at work.
Storm Shelter Program
Since 2003, Chickasaw families have benefited from the storm shelter program. This program provides fully-installed storm shelters for privately owned homes of Chickasaw citizens. The program, which expanded to include Chickasaw homeowners living at-large in 2006, aids in providing safe shelter to families living in areas where severe weather threatens.
WinStar World Casino Expansion
A monumental expansion to the WinStar World Casino was completed in 2008. The project doubled the size of the facility making it the fifth largest casino in the world and the third largest in the United States. The expansion also included the addition of a 12-story, on-site hotel and a state-of-the-art RV park adjacent to the casino. The improvements made helped expand the draw of patrons from across Oklahoma, Texas and surrounding states, and provided hundreds of new jobs in the community. As business operations and economic development continues to succeed, the tribe continues to increase and enhance benefits and services provided directly to the Chickasaw people.
