A police investigation is underway after a Native American man’s family said hospital staff cut his hair without consent during his stay at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora.
Arthur Janis, 65, a member of the Oglala Lakota Nation, was hospitalized in August after suffering a stroke. According to his brother, Keith Janis, he was unable to care for himself, and staff neglected his basic hygiene needs. He says hospital workers cut Arthur’s hair without permission—an act that deeply violated their cultural traditions.
“For Lakota people, hair is sacred. Each strand holds power,” said Keith. “Cutting it is a memorial act, not something done casually.”
UCHealth spokesperson Dan Weaver said Arthur’s care team trimmed his hair due to a medical concern, but they were unaware of his Native American heritage at the time. He said the hospital conducted a thorough internal investigation.
Weaver also claimed that staff interviews revealed Arthur did not have waist-length hair upon arrival. Keith Janis disputed this, saying his brother’s hair was long in the back, a style common among Native men.
Nolbert Chavez, a regent at the University of Colorado, accused UCHealth of misleading officials and the Janis family. He said hospital leaders initially told the Board of Regents that video evidence showed Arthur arriving with short hair—only to later reverse the claim, saying the footage showed him leaving with long hair.
“No video has been shown,” Chavez said. “UCHealth lied to the board, the community, and most importantly, the family.” He added that such treatment echoes the trauma of Native American boarding schools, where children were forcibly shorn to erase their cultural identity.
Both Arthur and Keith Janis were subjected to forced haircuts as children in such schools. Now, Keith is calling for policy changes to protect Native patients.
Last month, he led a protest outside UCHealth with support from the American Indian Movement. He has also launched an online fundraiser to cover legal fees and further investigations.
Sydney Edwards, a spokesperson for the Aurora Police Department, confirmed that an investigation is active following the report Keith filed.
Arthur Janis remains at UCHealth, but his family is looking to move him to another care facility. “It’s awful knowing he’s still there,” Keith said.
Chavez, meanwhile, plans to push for reforms in how UCHealth board members are appointed and to increase diversity on the board. “If it better reflects our community, maybe they’ll finally start to listen,” he said.
