Yale New Haven Health System will serve as the "preferred provider" for all Mohegan Tribal Citizens, employees and their families, and will develop health care facilities on the Mohegan Reservation, under a new partnership announced Thursday.

The health care center, which will serve employees and families and also will be open to the public, will include primary care, walk-in care, patient care navigators, a patient resource center, musculoskeletal specialty care, physical therapy, x-ray and blood draw with space for minor surgical procedures. The clinic, which is expected to open in the fall of 2020, will include a walk-in center for immediate and same-day appointments, as well as extended access after business hours and on weekends, the release states.

"This new partnership with Yale New Haven Health, which includes an on-reservation (health care) center, is an exciting way for Mohegan to provide for the health not just of our tribal citizens and team members, but to the community at large," James Gessner, Interim Chairman for the Mohegan Tribe, said in a statement. "An individual's health is their number one asset. I can't think of anything better to commit to."

Mohegan's Sun's professional sports teams, the WNBA Connecticut Sun and the NLL New England Black Wolves, also will be able to access health services on site, the release states. It was announced in April that YNHHS would be "the official health partner and sports medicine provider" for the teams.

Yale New Haven Health "will provide care coordination to holistically manage the health of those with chronic disease in collaboration with all members of the (health care) team with the goal of providing safe, compassionate, person-centered care that is high quality and achieves cost effective outcomes for Mohegan Sun’s employees, their dependents and members of the Mohegan Tribe."

 “This is a unique partnership and we know that by providing easy access to Yale Medicine and our Northeast Medical Group physicians, as well as our System hospitals, we will improve the overall (health care) experience for employees of Mohegan Sun and members of the Tribe,” Marna P. Borgstrom, CEO of YNHHS and YNHH, said in a statement.