Our Timeline
1970- 2015 | A Need for Public Health
The Winnebago Public Health Department (WPHD) was formed by the Tribe in the late 1970s starting with Public Health Nursing and Community Health Representatives. Since then, it has grown to more than sixteen different programs that provide a vast array of health services to the Winnebago Community. The Health Department was operated as an internal program of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska. While the Omaha Winnebago Hospital was managed by Indian Health Services (IHS) the federal government agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services responsible for providing health care for Native Americans.
The bleak perception of the Omaha Winnebago Hospital and the care was well known within the community and surrounding region. Stories of negative experiences and rumors foreshadowed for several years prior so much so that in 2015, the Winnebago Tribe established a Self-Governance Steering Committee to plan and prepare for expanded public health services and eventual assumption of the hospital, formally known as the Omaha Winnebago Hospital.
In July 2015, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) made the decision to terminate the Omaha Winnebago Hospital’s certification after finding numerous deficiencies, including the death of a patient. The decision resulted in the loss of Medicare and Medicaid funding to the hospital. The loss of a CMS certification was a catalyst for the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska to take immediate action.
2015-2018 | Establishing WCHS & TCUH
For the next three years, IHS failed to restore Omaha-Winnebago Hospital’s CMS certification. In 2018, the Tribe completed negotiations with the Indian Health Service and entered a Tribal Self-Governance Compact, pursuant to Title V of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act, to carry out health programs for the Tribe.
On July 1, 2018, the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska assumed operations of the Omaha-Winnebago Hospital with a midnight ceremony. When the Tribe assumed management of the hospital through the IHS Tribal Self-Governance Program, the hospital was renamed Twelve Clans Unity Hospital in honor of the twelve traditional clans of the Winnebago Tribe. At the same time, they created Winnebago Comprehensive Healthcare System, an organization that would unite and align all health services in Winnebago into one organization.
2018 - Today | Looking Back
Since 2018, there have been many triumphs worth celebrating as we continue to create and sustain a health community in Winnebago and all the native individuals that we serve. From managing a pandemic, and establishing the Winnebago Health Foundation, to receiving our CMS certification and creating our own independent network - we continue to define who we are.
Explore the headlines and learn more about the last 5 years.
Read Our News
Tomorrow - The Next 7 Generations | Looking Forward
We are committed to leading the nation in health for Indigenous people with an integrated approach to healthcare. From organizational growth to expanding our services, we remain focused on improving and meeting the needs of our patients - or as we like to say, our relatives.
See where we are going by exploring our strategic plan.
Read Our Annual Plan