The Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribal Health Clinic is a Joint Venture Agreement between the Tribe and Indian Health Services (I.H.S.). User population determines the size and services that I.H.S. will financially support as terms of the agreement. DSGW Architects facilitated administrative duties necessary to secure the contract agreement on behalf of the Tribe.

The 38,000 sf building provides space for dental, optical, pharmacy, medical and behavior health clinic, radiology, lab, physical therapy and community health services. As part of the Joint Venture Agreement, I.H.S. requires the building to achieve a LEED silver certification rating.

The design of the building incorporates a number of cultural features, as dictated by the project’s cultural committee. For example, the “Turtle” in Sioux culture symbolizes health and longevity. The turtle symbol can be found throughout the building but most prevalent in the drop-off canopy design, which takes on the image of a turtle shell. In addition, the seven council fires are represented as sculptural elements in front of the windows of the large community room near the front entrance of the building.