Cherokee Nation Health Services adopts a program to educate patients on alternative ways other than antibiotics to heal common illnesses. According to the U-S Centers for Disease Control, antibiotics are often misused for illnesses like flu and the common cold. Medical Director for W.W. Hastings Indian Hospital, Dr. Sharon Smallwood, says the tribe is using the CDC guidelines to help educate patients and staff on the proper use of antibiotics.
The tribe will use the guidelines to more closely monitor the use of antibiotics by patients in all Cherokee Nation health facilities.