STILWELL, Okla. — Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. and Deputy Chief Bryan Warner along with other tribal leaders and members of the Stilwell community gathered to celebrate the grand opening of the state-of-the-art, 49,000 square foot Mary L. (Holland) Carson Wellness Center in Stilwell.
The $21.2 million two-story wellness center has a fitness center with weight and cardio space, fitness classrooms, an indoor track, a child watch room, a congregation room with a Kawi café, a kitchen, a basketball court, locker rooms, batting cages and office space. Outdoor amenities include walking trails, gathering spaces, a covered fitness area and pavilion, a water feature and an outdoor field for the traditional Cherokee game of marbles.
Even before the official opening Tuesday, more than 1,000 Cherokee citizens had signed up for membership.
“Today signifies an important day in the Cherokee Nation. The opening of the Mary L. (Holland) Carson Wellness Center indicates that we are on the right track to help Cherokees to a healthier life,” Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said. “Deputy Chief Warner and I have made it a priority to find urgent spots across the reservation that need physical and wellness attention, and this was the first stop. We are just extremely proud to open this center, as it will not only help Cherokees, but also other citizens in the county as well. This is a place for physical health and wellness, but also a place for people to come and have community too. In order to take care of our people, we have to start at the core and that’s with physical and mental well-being and I can’t wait to see the success in this area.”
The Mary L. (Holland) Carson Wellness Center was funded through the Public Health and Wellness Fund Act of 2021, amended most recently in 2023, which dedicates $100 million in settlement funds from opioid and e-cigarette lawsuits for a variety of public health programs.
The act also dedicates 7% of the tribe’s annual third-party health insurance collected to physical and mental wellness programs.
This is the first public wellness building operated by the tribe and is free for Cherokee Nation citizens and memberships are open to the community for a small fee. Classes include Yoga, Senior Fitness, Zumba, Cycling, Hip Hop Step, Burn, CNFIT and more.
“This wellness center has been a long time coming and it’s a blessing to see it come to fruition. Cherokee citizens will have the opportunity for physical health here, but this is also a great place for them to gather with each other and have community,” Deputy Chief Bryan Warner said. “When we put those two things together, we can achieve overall wellness for a person and it's just a beautiful day to celebrate that here at the grand opening of the Mary L. (Holland) Carson Wellness Center in Stilwell. I know this center will bring so many positive changes to folks daily lives.”
In October 2021, Chief Hoskin signed an executive order creating the Cherokee Nation Task Force on Physical Wellness to assess the availability and effectiveness of existing physical wellness programs for Cherokee citizens across the tribe’s reservation and to identify new programs or facility needs to address gaps that may exist. The Task Force, led by Deputy Secretary of State Canaan Duncan, issued a report to tribal leadership that can be viewed here.
The 2021 Executive Order helped implement the funding source for the wellness center, the Public Health and Wellness Fund Act of 2021. The landmark tribal law, which earmarks 7% of Cherokee Nation’s third party health revenue for health and wellness initiatives and construction, full funded the Mary L. (Holland) Carson Wellness Center construction and its operations.
Since, enacting the Public Health and Wellness Fund Act, the tribe has actively been funding buildings and programs for health and wellness across the reservation.
“I want to thank Chief Hoskin and Deputy Chief Warner. We are at the strongest we’ve ever been under their administration,” Councilor for District 7 Joshua Sam said. “This wellness center will be a resource for us to be strong the next seven generations. This is the preventative measure we want to take as a tribe.”
In 2021, Cherokee Nation Public Health conducted a study with a focus on increasing access to physical activity in the Cherokee Nation Reservation. The study identified Adair County as being a priority area.
“In traditional Cherokee culture, health is more than exercise and nutrition, it’s about harmony. We are taught to care for the body, the mind, the spirit and community as one,” Councilor for District 8 Codey Poindexter said. “This wellness center is more than a gym. It’s a space where strength will be built, but also a place where healing will begin also, where movement becomes mindfulness and where taking care of our bodies becomes a way of honoring our ancestors.”
Hours of operation for the Mary L. (Holland) Carson Wellness Center are Monday through Thursday 5 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“Cherokee Nation is leading the country, not just in Indian country, but the entire country in wellness,” Cherokee Nation Public Health Executive Director Lisa Pivec said. “It’s an honor to work with the public health team, who bring heart and commitment every day and citizens will see that here at the wellness center.”
Blue River was the architectural firm and MASKA was the contractor for the Mary L. (Holland) Carson Wellness Center.
The Carson Family Foundation donated the land for the Mary L. (Holland) Carson Wellness Center.
“Congratulations on an excellent facility. This is part of the Cherokee Nation pushing forward on a healthy nation vision,” Jim Carson said. “Cherokee Nation is stepping in and doing things no one else does for Adair County.”
A 75,000 square foot wellness center is currently under construction in Tahlequah to replace the Male Seminary Recreation Center and is expected to open in 2026. The tribe also has wellness spaces located in Marble City and Kenwood. A wellness space is also located in the new Salina Health Center and will open later this year.
For more information and events on the wellness center, visit https://www.cherokeepublichealth.org/Tiles/wellness or the Cherokee Nation Public Health Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CNPublicHealth/.