Cherokee Nation News Release 918-459-5990 E-mail: [email protected]
Date: April 6, 2016
Ritchie, Loyd Join Redbird Smith Health Center Staff
SALLISAW, Okla.— Cherokee Nation is pleased to announce the addition of Christopher Ritchie and
Heather Loyd to the professional healthcare provider staff at the tribe’s Redbird Smith Health Center in
Sallisaw. Ritchie joins the team as a doctor of physical therapy and Loyd as a nurse practitioner.
Originally, from Stilwell, Ritchie received his Doctor of Physical Therapy degree in 2013 from the
University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center and his bachelor’s degree from Northeastern State
University in Tahlequah. He has previously worked for Campbell Clinic Orthopedics in Collierville,
Tennessee, JS McCarty Center for Children in Norman, Methodist University Hospital in Memphis, and at Sports Plus Central in Jackson, Tennessee. He also serves as a Public Health Technician and an F-16
Weapons System Specialist for the Tulsa Air National Guard as a Technical Sergeant.
Loyd was raised in Cameron and received her Master of Science degree in nursing from Gonzaga
University in Spokane, Washington, and her Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from Oklahoma
Wesleyan University in Bartlesville. She has worked as a family nurse practitioner for Sallisaw Health and Wellness, a nursing instructor for Carl Albert State College and Arkansas Tech University, and as a
Registered Nurse for Sparks Health Systems in Fort Smith, Arkansas.
“We are pleased to welcome Dr. Ritchie and Heather to our Cherokee Nation family of healthcare professionals,” said Connie Davis, Executive Director of Cherokee Nation Health Services. “ They will be a great addition to our staff at Redbird Smith Health Center, and will provide great service to our patients and the Cherokee people.” -30-
Photo Cutline: . Pictured l-r: Dr. Roger Montgomery, Cherokee Nation Medical Director; Christopher
Ritchie, DPT, Heather Loyd, APRN, Jerry Caughman, Health Center Director, and Dr. Skylar Steelberg,
Cherokee Nation Health Services.
About Cherokee Nation The Cherokee Nation is the sovereign operating government of the Cherokee people. It is a federally recognized tribe of more than 300,000 Cherokee citizens, with its capital located in Tahlequah, Okla. Employing more than 8,200 people, Cherokee Nation’s annual economic impact in Oklahoma and surrounding areas is more than $1.3 billion. To learn more, please visit www.cherokee.org.