Oyate Health Center is changing our COVID testing protocol in order to maximize available organizational resources to meet the needs of our relatives. Symptomatic patients—check into Urgent Care. Exposed patients with no symptoms will be given home tests. Patients with a positive home test—we consider a patient with a positive…
National Award for Oyate Health Center Optometrist
RAPID CITY – The head of the Oyate Health Center’s Optometry Department has been awarded a national award for his work serving our relatives in Indian Country and his contributions to improved care in Rapid City. Dr. Derek Almer, OD., is the 2022 recipient of the Lester Caplan Award. This…
South Dakota Tribes Formally Back Medicaid Expansion
RAPID CITY –Tribal Nations across South Dakota are putting their weight behind an upcoming ballot initiative that, if passed, will make affordable healthcare available to an additional 42,500 South Dakotans. At a press conference held at the Hilton Garden Inn in Rapid City, tribal leaders from South Dakota gathered to…
Oyate Health Center Physician Creates Scholarship Fund for Native American Graduates
Rapid City: The Oyate Health Center’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Mark Harlow, has created a scholarship fund that will provide five Native American High School Graduates from the Rapid City area with $1500 if they enter a healthcare field or a degree path that supports healthcare. “I was inspired to create…
Health Board Awarded $4.5 Million to Combat Youth Suicide, Sexual Assault, and Domestic Violence
RAPID CITY – The Great Plains Tribal Leaders Health Board is taking a step towards developing a comprehensive community behavioral health program in Rapid City. The Health Board was awarded three grants totaling 4.5 million from the Indian Health Service to address domestic violence, youth suicide, and rape. In 2019, when…
Seat Open on Oyate Health Center Governing Board
RAPID CITY –The Oyate Health Center is currently looking for individuals interested in representing the Rosebud Sioux Tribe on the Oyate Health Center’s Governing Board. On February 26, the Oglala Sioux Tribe, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe formally authorized the Great Plains Tribal Leaders Health Board to…
Great Plains Partner in Cancer Screening Conference
The Great Plains Partners in Cancer Screening Conference will provide an opportunity for individuals in the Great Plains region to learn more about cancer prevention, screening, and survivorship. The conference will bring together a diverse group of stakeholders across the Cancer Continuum, providing opportunities for discussion and exchanging ideas…
Health Board CEO Says Racism is a Threat to Public Health
The Great Plains Tribal Leaders Health Board and the Oyate Health Center would like to offer our thoughts and prayers to the victim and family from this past weekend’s shooting at the Grand Gateway Hotel in Rapid City, SD. The Rapid City Native American community has endured tremendous pain and…
Health Board Employee Selected for Prestigious Leadership Program
RAPID CITY –Sarah Beare, an enrolled member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and a five-year Great Plains Tribal Leaders’ Health Board employee, has been chosen to join this year’s Indigenous Public Health Leadership Program. The Indigenous Public Health Leadership Program is a leadership training institute created by the National…
Fill Out a Survey To Win a $500 Bugout Bag
Part of the mission of the We Are Warriors Emergency Operation Center is to help improve disaster readiness in tribal-nations across the Great Plains region. To help advance that goal, the Great Plains Tribal Leaders’ Health Board and We Are Warriors are gathering information about how Covid-19 has impacted your…
New Tactics Deployed to Fight Opioid Abuse
Rapid City – Every day 100 people die in the United States from opioid abuse. To fight this surging epidemic, the Great Plains Tribal Opioid Response Team is working to provide tribal citizens with the tools they need to prevent and overcome opioid addiction. Starting on February 14, 2022, the…
Tribes to Assume Control of all Tribal Healthcare in Pennington County
RAPID CITY –For the first time in history, healthcare for tribal citizens living in Pennington County will be 100% controlled by tribal nations, not the federal government, beginning February 26, 2022. On February 26, the Indian Health Service will officially step aside as the Oglala Sioux Tribe, Cheyenne River Sioux…
New App Gives Youth Access to Mental Health Resources
RAPID CITY –A newly created mobile app from the Great Plains Tribal Leaders’ Health Board and the Oyate Health Center will give young people access to mental health professionals on a mobile device. The Covid-19 Pandemic has created many obstacles for those needing mental health support. While quarantines, social distancing,…
Oyate Health To Only Test IHS Eligible Patients
In a proactive attempt to navigate a national shortage of COVID-19 testing supplies, the Oyate Health Center will only test patients who are symptomatic and eligible for Indian Health Service care, it announced Tuesday. The Oyate Health Center was one of the few locations in Rapid City where free…
Youth Program Succeeds at LNI
RAPID CITY – The Great Plains Tribal Leaders’ Health Board and the Oyate Health Center are celebrating the successes of its Connecting With Our Youth Program during the month of December. Connecting With Our Youth “Teca Kici Okijupi” (CWOY) is a values-based initiative intended to help reduce the rate of…
Oyate Health Center to Host Equine Therapy Event During LNI
RAPID CITY: The Oyate Health Center and the Great Plains Tribal Leaders’ Health Board have invested heavily into expanding behavioral health services for tribal-citizens living in Rapid City. During the Lakota Nation Invitational in Rapid City, the organization will host an Equine Therapy opportunity for patients and visitors. Christmas with…
Pfizer Boosters Available at OHC
RAPID CITY –The Oyate Health Center announced today that Pfizer booster vaccines are available by appointment for its patients at both its locations in Rapid City. Who is eligible for a booster? All individuals who are at least 65 years of age or living in a long-term care facility. High-risk…
Podcast Tells Story of the Oyate Health Center
RAPID CITY – The origins of the Oyate Health Center are on full display in a new podcast from the Great Plains Tribal Leaders’ Health Board (GPTLHB). The Circle Podcast, hosted by the organization’s Communications Department, is one of several new innovations that the Great Plains Tribal Leaders’ Health Board…
Texting Service Helps Reduce Patient Wait Time
RAPID CITY –Reducing patients wait times, limiting no-show rates, and maximizing provider productivity is an important mission of the Oyate Health Center. A new patient texting service helps to accomplish all three of these goals. We all know that in today’s busy world it is difficult to keep track of…
Advisory Committee Needs Two Additional Community Members
RAPID CITY – The Oyate Health Center needs two individuals to contribute to the organization’s development by participating in the Mni Luzahan Wicozani Advisory Committee. The advisory committee serves as a bridge between the community and the Oyate Health Center and consists of tribally elected leaders and community members. Two…