PIERRE, S.D. (MITCHELLNOW) An investigation by South Dakota News Watch revealed many barriers to health care in rural and reservation areas of South Dakota leading to increased illness and higher mortality rates.
Wide variety of barriers: Long driving distances, a shortage of medical staff and the expense of maintaining medical facilities in low-population areas all prevent the estimated 46 million Americans who live in rural areas from getting the health care they need to live healthy lives.
A fragile rural health system: The health care system now in place in rural South Dakota — while staffed and led by caring providers — is quite fragile in that one small interruption or deficiency can lead to a host of new negative outcomes.
Major health disparities: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported that the death rate in rural areas of the U.S. was 21% higher than in urban areas in 2019, and the disparity grew larger over the past decade despite major improvements in medical care and technology.
Poor Native American health outcomes: State data show that life expectancy for Native American residents is far lower than for whites. Native Americans suffer higher rates of cancer, lung disease and diabetes, and infant mortality is four times higher for Indigenous infants compared to white babies in South Dakota.
Seeking solutions: Replicable solutions are hard to come by, but the South Dakota Department of Health recently dispatched five mobile health clinics to provide rural preventative care, and the agency is working to improve collaboration between multiple entities to improve medical access and outcomes.