RAPID CITY: In front of an audience of elected tribal leaders, community members, and healthcare workers, the Great Plains Tribal Leaders Health Board and the Oyate Health Center honored Richard “Dick” Boyd for advancing tribal healthcare in Rapid City.
“Mr. Boyd has provided the Health Board and the Oyate Health Center with invaluable guidance and support. His vision for better healthcare for tribal citizens helped create the current movement towards a healthier future for the Rapid City Native American community,” said GPTLHB President/CEO Jerilyn Church.
In the spring of 2012, Richard Boyd and his close friend, the late, Jim Shaw first approached the Great Plains Tribal Leaders Health Board with concerns regarding healthcare for tribal citizens living in Rapid City. The two community advocates had long argued that services provided at Sioux San were inadequate and failed to meet the Rapid City Indian community’s needs. This first meeting came on the heels of the recently released Senate Committee on Indian Affairs report, “In critical condition: The urgent need to reform the Indian Health Service’s Aberdeen Area,” and laid the seeds for a new vision of tribal healthcare in the area.
Since then, Mr. Boyd has not wavered in his tireless advocacy for improving healthcare for tribal-citizens in Rapid City. He currently sits on the Mni Luzahan Wicozani Advisory Committee, building a communication bridge between the Oyate Health Center and the community.
On January 28, the GPTLHB and the OHC presented Richard Boyd with a plaque honoring his work.
