Ruth Heinert (Sicangu Lakota), director of nursing, grew up in Rosebud, South Dakota, and is an enrolled member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. She holds a certificate in data processing from Sinte Gleska University in Mission, SD. She earned an associate's degree in nursing from Oglala Lakota College in Pine Ridge, SD, and a bachelor’s degree in nursing from South Dakota State University. Ruth Heinert has been a nurse with the Indian Health Service since 2008, spending a year in the private sector. She joined EMHC in 2015, enjoys her work, and values the ability to make changes and improve healthcare in her day-to-day responsibilities. Her interest in nursing began when she saw her relatives—some of whom were also nurses—help keep ill family members comfortable. Heinert was inspired to be gentle and compassionate with her patients, treating them as she would want her family to be treated. In other aspects of her life, her hobbies mainly involve everything related to her children, including their sporting activities.