April 2026 | Coming Soon: Even Stronger Cultural Programming at SDUIH
April is National Minority Health Awareness Month, a time when folks like South Dakota
Urban Indian Health might highlight the health disparities and disease burden felt by
people of color in our nation.
In my own family, we talk a lot about health and wellness specifically in our tribal
communities. My auntie Ophelia was a long time Indian Health nurse at Cheyenne
River, her daughter Karla following in her footsteps and going on to teach nursing at
Augustana after getting a PhD in Nursing. My oldest daughter Meredith is within weeks
of completing her medical residency and will be going to practice at Rosebud Indian
Health Service.
As a family, we don’t always agree on everything, even as it relates to solving the
alarming disease burden in our own tiospaye. But the one thing we do agree on is that
childhood trauma often leads directly to disease in our population and that one way to
combat that trauma is by taking part in activities that connect us back to our culture.
In 2026, South Dakota Urban Indian Health will be taking an honest look into our past,
current and future cultural programming so that we might make an even bigger dent in
those awful disease statistics. Happy Spring and stay tuned!
Lila Pila Ya Unpi Ksto!
Colette Keith
Executive Director
