Health

SD has high rate of death due to liver diseases

South Dakota ranks second in the nation for the rate at which its residents die of liver diseases, and the fatality rate is rising overall with many experts now blaming poor lifestyle and eating habits in addition to heavy alcohol use as causes of the illnesses. While heavy alcohol consumption

South Dakota medical community battling dangerous antibiotic-resistant illnesses

South Dakota medical community battling dangerous antibiotic-resistant illnesses

South Dakota health and medical officials are fighting an uphill battle to prevent the spread of potentially deadly infections that are increasingly resistant to antibiotics. The state in recent years saw a pair of outbreaks of CRE, an intestinal bacteria that is almost completely resistant to antibiotics and that has

Public vaping ban passed in South Dakota amid some controversy

On July 1, the use of e-cigarettes or other vaping products will become illegal in almost all South Dakota workplaces and public buildings, including bars, restaurants and casinos. After a somewhat hurried process, lawmakers in March voted to treat e-cigarettes the same as combustible tobacco products when used in public

South Dakota infants still dying at a high rate due to sleep issues

South Dakota infants are dying in their sleep at a rate far higher than the national average and above neighboring states, but new efforts are underway to save babies from a cause of death that health experts say is mostly preventable. From 2013 to 2017, more than 70 percent of

Rural health initiatives fill life-saving gaps in remote areas

BISON, S.D. – Obtaining quality medical care is difficult for the roughly 350 residents of Bison and studies show that they and others living in remote rural areas of America have a higher mortality rate as a result. The northwestern South Dakota town lies about 30 miles from the North

Thousands of South Dakota children are trapped in poverty

RAPID CITY, S.D. – More than 40,000 South Dakota children, from infants to teenagers, live in families with incomes low enough to qualify for the federal food stamp program, creating challenges for a fruitful childhood and a prosperous adult life. The number of children in South Dakota families receiving

Little-known law forces adult children to pay for nursing home care for parents

Little-known law forces adult children to pay for nursing home care for parents

An obscure South Dakota law can force adult children to pay the cost of long-term care for their parents if the elder family members cannot pay on their own. The civil law has been on the books in South Dakota since 1939, and is rarely used. But as the cost