RAPID CITY, SD – Beginning on January 20, 2020, the Oyate Health Center will change the hours of its operations. Services provided will be available daily from 6 am-12 midnight, the facility will close from 12:00 Midnight to 6:00 AM to accommodate the new innovations at the Oyate Health Center. We are committed to improving the patient experience and expanding comprehensive care to our relatives. A fully functioning walk-in clinic will be available to our patients during our open hours as well as Urgent Care.

From August-November of 2019, the urgent care clinic at the Oyate Health Center saw 5000 patients. Each day the urgent care sees on average 33 patients. From 12 AM to 6 AM the Urgent Care Clinic on average only provides care to 2 people. Despite only seeing 2-patients a night, the facility had been fully staffed with medical providers, nurses, lab and x-ray technicians, security, and housekeeping. This is an inefficient use of the people’s resources. We believe that we could better serve our relatives if we reallocated these resources to the times of day where we have the most people attempting to access care.

Instead of staffing an empty urgent care clinic from midnight to 6 am every single day, we will now use that staff, and providers, to see more of our relatives during the busiest of times. All services that were offered at Urgent Care will continue to be available from 6 am to midnight.

Benefits of Our New Hours

• More Providers & Resources
• Reduced Waiting Times
• Easier Appointment Schedule
• More Same Day Access

What If You Need Services From Midnight To 6 am?

The Oyate Health Center does not have an Emergency Room. The Emergency Room services at the Sioux San Hospital were revoked by accreditors two years ago while under the management of the Indian Health Service. It was at that time that the Urgent Care model was introduced.

The difference between urgent care and emergency room care is the severity of the health problem. If the condition is life-threatening, go to an emergency room. If the condition is a minor illness or injury, then it can be handled at our walk-in primary clinic that is now available from 6 am to midnight.

If someone is seen at a local emergency room for a service that is not provided at the Oyate Health Center, federal law allows for payment of those services. The Oyate Health Center must be notified within three days of the trip to the emergency room. Elderly patients have 30-days to notify the Oyate Health Center of the visit.