The Commonwealth Fund report gives CRLTRG strong evidence that Cheyenne River needs community-led health equity infrastructure — not just clinics, but responders, outreach, transportation, prevention, resilience hubs, and trusted local coordination

 

The Cheyenne River Long-Term Recovery Group serves one of the most health-disparate regions in the United States. The Commonwealth Fund’s 2026 State Health Disparities Report identifies American Indian and Alaska Native residents of South Dakota as among the populations with the highest avoidable premature death rates of any group in any state. South Dakota Department of Health data show that American Indian residents die at a median age of 58, compared with 80 for white residents — a 22-year gap. Dewey County, a core part of the Cheyenne River service area, has a life expectancy of only 65.3 years compared with 78.2 years statewide. These outcomes are compounded by rural distance, transportation barriers, behavioral health workforce shortages, poverty, emergency response gaps, and limited access to preventive care. CRLTRG’s work directly responds to these conditions through CERT and EMS training, opioid and behavioral health outreach, KIPI radio education, resilience hub development, emergency supply distribution, transportation support, and trusted community coordination in rural Tribal communities, health access is shaped by distance, transportation cost, weather, road conditions, and time away from work. CRLTRG’s outreach model reduces these barriers by bringing education, response training, supplies, and coordination closer to families.