RAPID CITY –The Oyate Health Center is set to host a community-wide COVID-19 testing event in its additional location at 725 North LaCrosse Street in Rapid City. Testing will be available from 8 AM-6 PM, December 28-31, 2020, for all who wish to be tested. 

“While we have seen a decline in new cases across the state this the past week, we believe that there is still a high number of positive cases in Pennington County. The Health Board hopes this four-day testing event will help to identify these positive cases and further isolate the virus in the hopes of slowing its spread,” said Brandon Ecoffey, Communications Director for the Great Plains Tribal Leaders Health Board. 

Anyone who wishes to be tested will need to present with an ID and provide basic demographic information. All information related to positives will need to be reported to the South Dakota Department of Health. There will not be healthcare staff present to provide services. All individuals should follow-up with their primary care provider. 

Employees from the Great Plains Tribal Leaders Health Board Central Office, Oyate Health Center, and the We Are Warriors EOC will provide the manpower and resources to conduct the event. 

The Oyate Health Center continues to provide services at its primary location, located at 3200 Canyon Lake Drive. The LaCrosse Street building will eventually serve as a temporary location for clinical services during the new Oyate Health Center’s construction. The Health Board also intends to expand behavioral health services at the new site. The new facility will be three times as large as the current Oyate Health Center and open in the spring of 2023. 

* Established in 1986, the Great Plains Tribal Leaders Health Board is an organization representing the 18 tribal communities in the four-state region of South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, and Iowa. Serving as a liaison between the Great Plains Tribes and the various Health and Human Services divisions including the Great Plains Area Indian Health Service, GPTCHB works to reduce public health disparities and improve the health and wellness of the American Indian peoples who are members of the 18 Great Plains tribal nations and communities.