Residents of the Wind River Indian Reservation in central Wyoming understand adversity. Poverty, low wages, and high unemployment are widespread. Until recently, services that most Wyoming residents take for granted were limited or nonexistent on the reservation. For example, tribal members lacked access to many essential healthcare services, including dental surgery, behavioral health services, addiction counseling, and obstetrics. In 2018, only two small outpatient clinics serviced the 2.2 million-acre reservation. In addition to the health disparities, childcare was almost nonexistent. Riverton’s one small daycare center had 32 slots, not nearly enough to accommodate the more than 10,000 people in the Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone tribes. In 2018, local organizations and decision-makers came together to address these challenges. They developed plans for a healthcare clinic expansion and the construction of a new childcare center.
