Health

Successful opioid addiction treatment slow to catch on in South Dakota

South Dakotans battling addiction to opioids are increasingly relying on medication-assisted treatments to overcome their cravings for the dangerous drugs and to avoid potentially deadly overdoses. However, access to the life-saving medications is limited in South Dakota and some physicians in the state are reluctant to prescribe the drugs that

Experts urge youth vaccinations, but COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy is strong in South Dakota

Healthcare professionals say vaccinating young people against COVID-19 this summer is critical to reaching herd immunity against the virus and to protect youth against potentially devastating long-term effects of the virus. But many teenagers in South Dakota and other states have been slow to warm to vaccination, with some facing

Experts fear child abuse rose and was more severe in SD during COVID-19 pandemic

Child protection advocates are worried that the COVID-19 pandemic led to a spike in child-abuse cases in South Dakota and that the abuse of children was more severe than in the past. They are also concerned that the pandemic led to an increase in child-on-child abuse that was more rare

Arena operators in South Dakota hope financial losses from COVID-19 are now behind them

Civic centers and arenas across South Dakota suffered significant financial losses during the COVID-19 pandemic but are seeing indicators of the potential for a return to profitability. Auditoriums sat empty for a few months or more in the early days of the pandemic in early 2020, and bookings remained slow

Vaccine hesitancy in South Dakota could prolong pandemic and delay a return to normal

Medical experts in South Dakota and across the country are concerned that reluctance among some people to get vaccinated against COVID-19 may prolong the pandemic, delay a return to normal life and possibly lead to more deaths. Health officials say that the U.S. and individual states are in a

Medical marijuana in Oklahoma: ‘A mess’ or a potential model for South Dakota?

As South Dakota moves forward on creating a regulatory system for medical marijuana by the end of 2021, some people have looked to Oklahoma for guidance on how — or how not to — develop a functioning framework. Oklahoma voters approved the legal sale, possession and use of medical marijuana on a

How medical marijuana is playing out among South Dakota’s neighbors

If medical marijuana becomes legal starting July 1, 2021, in South Dakota, as proposed so far, the state will join 36 other U.S. states where medicinal pot is legal, including neighboring states North Dakota, Montana and Minnesota. Nebraska does not allow marijuana in any form, while Iowa has a