Tribal Leaders’ Health Board requiring COVID-19 vaccinations

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — The Great Plains Tribal Leaders’ Health Board is requiring all its employees to be vaccinated for COVID-19. The board’s CEO, Jerilyn Church, has sent a memo to staff that says those working under the Health Board banner, including the Great Plains Tribal Epidemiology Center, Oyate Health Center, and the We Are Warriors EOC will be required to be fully vaccinated by Sept. 21. Officials say 74% of the Health Board’s staff has received the vaccines. But, with numbers on the rise and the emergence of the delta variant, mandatory vaccinations for all staff is a logical next step for the organization.