Sioux San Hospital facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sioux San Hospital |
|
|---|---|
| Indian Health Service | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Rapid City, South Dakota, United States |
| Coordinates | 44°04′28″N 103°16′18″W / 44.074350°N 103.271669°W |
| Organization | |
| Funding | Public hospital |
| History | |
| Closed | 1960s |
The Sioux San Hospital, also known as the Rapid City Indian Health Service Hospital, is a special hospital in Rapid City, South Dakota. It helps Native American people with their health. This building has a long history. It started as a school in 1898. Later, it became a hospital for people with a serious illness.
Contents
A Building with a Past
From School to Hospital
The Sioux San Hospital building is located in Rapid City, South Dakota. It first opened in 1898. Back then, it was not a hospital. It was a school called the Rapid City Indian School.
A Difficult Time for Students
Many Native American children were sent to this school. They came from tribes like the Sioux, Cheyenne, and Arapaho. The government wanted them to learn European American ways. Life at the school was very hard for the students. They were not allowed to speak their own languages. The school closed in 1933.
A Hospital for Healing
After the school closed, the building was empty for some years. In the early 1900s, a serious lung illness called tuberculosis (TB) was common. Many people got sick. In 1939, the building became a large hospital. It was called the Sioux Sanitarium. It helped Native American patients with TB.
Life at the Sanitarium
Life at the sanitarium was very tough for patients. A Lakota woman named Madonna Swan wrote about her time there. She was a patient from 1944 to 1950. Patients were often kept inside. They did not get to go outdoors much. The hospital closed in the 1960s. This happened after new medicines for TB were found.
Sioux San Today
The building was empty again for several years. In 1966, Native American elders and community members worked hard. They wanted better health services. Because of their efforts, the building reopened. It became an Indian Health Service clinic.
Modern Care and Changes
In 2009, the hospital had to cancel some appointments. This was because of a serious flu outbreak. In 2016, the government gave $117 million to improve the hospital. There are plans to update the old buildings. Some people who died at the school or hospital were buried on the grounds.
