Construction firm Robins & Morton, McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture and Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority staff members gathered Oct. 19 in Cherokee, North Carolina, to mark the topping out of a new long-term care facility, the Tsali Care Center, devoted to the care of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
The ceremony was held just one day shy of the one-year anniversary of the groundbreaking for the facility. The final element was a metal truss signed by many members of the EBCI at the recent Cherokee Indian Fair.
Adjacent to Cherokee Indian Hospital, the 135,000-square-foot care center will stand two stories and consist of 120 private rooms. The facility will house skilled nursing, assisted living and memory care units, in addition to a dialysis center.
The new building replaces an existing facility approximately three miles away. The move allows CIHA to increase bed capacity by 50 and to further consolidate CIHA services closer to the hospital’s campus, supporting the care continuum.
Once complete in fall 2024, the center will feature five courtyards, as well as communal dining spaces. This project represents a $120-million investment by CIHA.
