Community Leadership Guided by Wellness and Cultural Tradition
At United Indian Health Services, community partnership and tribal leadership remain central to our work.
The UIHS Board of Directors is made up of elected representatives from the American Indian community throughout Humboldt and Del Norte counties and tribal representation from: the Yurok Tribe, Wiyot Tribe, Bear River Band of Rohnerville Rancheria, Big Lagoon Rancheria, Blue Lake Rancheria, Cher-Ae-Heights Indian Community of the Trinidad Rancheria, Elk Valley Rancheria, Pulika Tribe of Yurok People, and Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation.
The Board helps ensure that UIHS remains connected to the voices, traditions, values, and priorities of the communities it serves.
Together, these leaders support culturally grounded decision-making that honors both modern healthcare practices and Indigenous approaches to wellness. This representation reflects an understanding that healthcare is about relationships, responsibility, culture, and caring for future generations together.
UIHS’s purpose statement reflects this shared direction clearly:
“To work together with our clients and community to achieve wellness through health services that reflect the traditional values of our American Indian Community.”
That commitment continues to guide programs, services, and long-term planning across the organization. Whether supporting medical care, behavioral health, dental services, community wellness initiatives, Traditional Health programs, or youth and elder services, the focus remains centered on whole-person wellness.
For many Native communities, health has always been understood as something broader than physical care alone. Wellness includes mind, body, spirit, family, culture, language, and connection to community. The UIHS Board of Directors helps carry those values forward through thoughtful leadership and collaboration.
The organization’s vision statement speaks to that larger understanding of health:
“Healthy mind, body and spirit for generations of our American Indian Community.”
Those words reflect an ongoing commitment to protecting and strengthening the health of our communities for both today and future generations.
Much of the Board’s leadership happens through meetings, planning, advocacy, policy discussions, and long-term decision-making. Board members bring leadership experience, cultural understanding, lived experience, and accountability to the communities they represent. Their collective leadership has helped UIHS continue expanding services while staying connected to the values that first shaped the organization.
As healthcare continues to evolve, maintaining those cultural connections remains an important priority. At its core, UIHS was created with the belief that communities deserve healthcare that respects identity, honors tradition, and supports the whole person.
Today, the Board of Directors continues that commitment through partnership, leadership, and a shared vision for future generations. They help ensure that the path forward remains guided by culture, compassion, and responsibility to our local American Indian community.
