Wind River Service Unit

Mission Statement

In partnership with American Indian and Alaskan Native People, is to raise their physical, mental, social, environmental and spiritual health to the highest level.

Vision Statement

Through compassion, excellence, and teamwork, we are devoted to improving your health!

Addresses

Fort Washakie Health Center
P.O. Box 128
Fort Washakie, Wyoming 82514
Main: (307) 332-7300
Fax: (307) 332-3949

Arapahoe Health Center
P.O. Box 1310
Arapahoe, Wyoming 82510
Main: (307) 856-9281
Fax: (307) 856-1630

Services Offered

Community Information

The user population is comprised of 10,964 Native American people. We have two outpatient clinics, one located in Arapahoe and one located in Ft. Washakie. We are staffed with family physicians, pediatricians, physician assistant, family nurse practitioners, psychologists, dentists, dietician, public health nurses and optometrists. Specialty clinics are also held at our facilities ranging from orthopedic, podiatry, nephrology, obstetrics, audiology, women’s health and cardiopulmonary services. Inpatient care is covered by a close working relationship with the excellent community hospitals in nearby Lander, Wyoming that has an 83-bed hospital, fully staffed inpatient psychiatric hospital and also Central Wyoming Rehabilitation Unit and Riverton Memorial Hospital has a fully staffed 70-bed hospital.

The Wind River Service Unit is accredited by Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC).

The reservation is an area about 3,500 square miles or 2,268,000 acres, just east of the Continental Divide. It is bordered roughly on the north by the Owl Creek Mountains that join the Rocky Mountains and east to the Wind River Canyon.

The Wind River Reservation serves as the contemporary home of the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapahoe tribes. The reservation covers more than 2.2 million acres in central Wyoming's beautiful Wind River Basin. The Wind River Basin, the traditional home of the Shoshones for centuries, is called "The Warm Valley of the Wind River" by its native inhabitants. The reservation is the third largest in the United States. You are encouraged to visit the websites listed on the menu to the left for the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapahoe tribes to find out about the cultural activities that take place in our community.

If you love the outdoors, you will appreciate the location of the Wind River Service Unit. We are nestled at the foot of the Wind River Mountain Range, approximately 4 hours from Yellowstone Park (Old Faithful), 3 hours from Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Traveling Northeast about 1 ½ hours you will find the worlds largest mineral hot springs in Thermopolis, Wyoming. South of Lander about 1 hour is the site of historical South Pass City where gold was found in earlier years. If you like to hike, camp, snow ski, water ski, hunt, fish you name it, there is a wide range of outdoor activities available in the immediate and surrounding area.

Schools
Public schools are available for grades K-12 on the reservation, or in any of the surrounding towns of Lander and Riverton. For those choosing to go further in school, but do not want to leave the area, Riverton’s Central Wyoming College offers a number of associate degree programs in association with the University of Wyoming.

Housing
Housing is located on the agency compound but availability fluctuates depending on the staffing needs and current housing market. Government housing is assigned on an individual basis. The housing arrangements are administered via the Administration Officer, Wind River Service Unit.

All are within walking distance of the Fort Washakie Clinic and the Wind River. Personnel are responsible for rent and utility costs in government housing.

Staff may also elect to live in the surrounding communities of Lander which is 16 miles South of Fort Washakie or Riverton which is 10 miles east of Arapahoe. Local realtors in those communities can be contacted regarding rentals or purchase of homes.

Shopping and other services can be done in Lander (population of approximately 7,500) or Riverton (population of approximately 9,600). Casper, WY is located in the central part of the state and is our largest city in Wyoming. It is approximately 2.5 hours from Lander.

Wind River Reservation Tribes
The Reservation is jointly owned with each tribe holding 50% interest in the land, water and other natural resources. Each Tribe is committed fully to the welfare of their members. Job creation and economic development are a high priority for each tribe. Joint meetings are held with regard to jointly owned resources for the economic benefit of each Tribe.

Eastern Shoshone Tribe Website
Visit the Eastern Shoshone Tribe Website Exit Disclaimer: You Are Leaving www.ihs.gov 

Northern Arapaho Tribe Website
Visit the Northern Arapaho Tribe Website Exit Disclaimer: You Are Leaving www.ihs.gov