South Dakota

$20 million injected into support for South Dakota emergency medical services

Published

2 years ago

January 20, 2024

million injected into support for South Dakota emergency medical services

PIERRE — The South Dakota Department of Health pushed out $20 million for improvements to emergency medical services across the state in the past two years, putting much-needed funding toward a number of vital areas, such as telemedicine and grants for local services.

Highlights of the initiative were outlined in the recently released 2023 South Dakota Department of Health annual report.

The influx of dollars should help keep emergency medical services vital in communities across the state, Marty Link, administrator for EMS and trauma programs for the department of health, told the Mitchell Republic.

“Not only was the $20 million instrumental in advancing EMS, but the ongoing support and advocacy for EMS demonstrated the commitment to our pre-hospital care providers,” Link said. “The $20 million provided South Dakota to lift up a one-of-a-kind Telemedicine in Motion initiative, replace 308 LIFEPAK monitor/defibrillators and conduct a statewide sustainability assessment of the state of EMS in South Dakota.”

Telemedicine in Medicine is a program unique to South Dakota, Link said. It connects physicians and nurse medical professionals with first responders in the field, improving efficiency in patient assessment, treatment and transfer to definitive care centers.

The $1.7 million in funding specifically for the program has helped provide tablets for EMS providers, training and telehealth services, including unlimited data, software, professional support services and project implementation.

Such improvements are important in a primarily rural state like South Dakota, where patients can often find themselves a long way from a treatment center.

“Telemedicine in Motion is a one-of-a-kind pioneering initiative first developed in South Dakota specifically for EMS providers. No where else in the country is there a statewide initiative of its kind,” Link said. “(It) is instrumental in ensuring patients have the best possible care, especially in such a vast frontier and rural state as South Dakota.”

South Dakota lawmakers approved funding to add video systems to ambulances that let medics get help from more advanced providers.

Arielle Zionts / KFF Health News

Benefits of the system were highlighted in December when medical responders used it to treat Gann Valley rancher Jim Lutter, who had been attacked by a bison at his ranch. The communication system connected the rural ambulance personnel with an emergency medicine physician in Sioux Falls,

who assessed the situation, provided guidance and contacted the receiving hospital in Wessington Springs and advised them on how to prepare.

She also was able to arrange for a helicopter to transport Lutter to Sioux Falls, where he could receive high-level treatment. Ambulance crew members said they were able to devote all their attention to Lutter as the emergency physician advised them, took notes and coordinated responses in Wessington Springs and Sioux Falls thanks to the system.

Link said 92 of the 122 ambulance services in South Dakota are live and active with the technology, and there have been approximately 900 encounters of its use since November 2022.

Another $11.6 million in funding went to replacing LIFEPAK monitors for local ambulance services.

The monitors help emergency responders identify when patients are experiencing an ST elevated myocardial infarction, aka heart attack, in transport and allows an EKG reading to be transmitted to the receiving hospital and allow the staff there to prepare for the patient.

Time is critical in such medical cases, and detailed communication between ambulance and hospital personnel can make the difference in saving a patient’s life. The monitors help improve that communication.

“The quicker an EMS clinician can identify if a patient is having an ST elevated myocardial infarction and alert hospital staff, the quicker a patient can receive definitive care,” Link said. “Time is of the essence to ensure patients not only get the care they need, but maintain a high quality of life post event.”

Link said the department has been extremely pleased with participation in both the Telemedicine in Motion and LIFEPAK programs, including cooperation with Indian Health Services that helped supply the Pine Ridge and Eagle Butte ambulance services with equipment from both programs.

In addition, another $8 million went into a regional service designation assessment on the current state of EMS in South Dakota, with $7.5 going toward grants for the development and implementation of systems and solutions to support the sustainability of critical services throughout the state.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem budget address — The South Dakota Department of Health has infused $20 million into programs to improve emergency health services in South Dakota. Gov. Kristi Noem praised the initiative in her state of the state address earlier this month.

The assessment is helping officials better understand the current ambulance system and identify its strengths as well as areas that need improvement. One objective, for example, is achieving ambulance response times of 30 minutes or less to any resident or visitor who calls 911.

The assessment is a first for South Dakota, Link said, being far more detailed than any previous review.

“Nothing like this has ever been done before. The department works with, engages and communicates with EMS stakeholders on a regular basis, but this is by far the most comprehensive assessment to date,” Link said. “The report provided several short, medium and long-term recommendations which will guide the department and align the grant opportunities for EMS services in a meaningful way.”

The applications for those grants were opened Jan. 16 and run through March 15. Applicants hoping to receive the grant must provide specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, relevant and time-bound solutions for improving long-term sustainability of EMS in South Dakota.

Funding for the grants must be obligated by the end of 2024, and grant recipients must spend the funding received by Nov. 1, 2026.

“This will be a competitive grant opportunity for our EMS providers across the state,” Link said. “The department will have approximately $7.5 million to distribute to these providers for a variety of activities that may include, but are not limited to, billing software solutions, supply procurement systems, workforce recruitment and retention, training programs or the development and implementation of regional hubs.”

A second round of grant funding will open and be announced later this summer.

The approximately $20 million in funding for the programs was approved by Gov. Kristi Noem and the South Dakota Legislature in 2022. Noem praised the initiative in her annual state of the state address earlier this month.

“In South Dakota, we value living a healthy life, no matter where you live. Every South Dakotan should have the Freedom to live where they want — but they shouldn’t have to choose between a rural way of life and good health outcomes. In our rural communities, emergency responders are sometimes the only local healthcare providers. They often show up in our very worst moments. But the nationwide EMT turnover rate is 36%. And in South Dakota, nearly 90% of our emergency medical services are done by volunteers,” Noem said in her address.

Noem said the funding is an investment in the long-term health of emergency medical services in the state. And a healthy EMS community means healthier South Dakotans, she said.

“These efforts are an investment in the future of EMS. More importantly, they are saving lives,” Noem said.

The 2023 South Dakota Department of Health annual report can be found at doh.sd.gov/health-data-reports/annual-report.

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South Dakota

28 SD school districts to receive literacy grant

Published

6 hours ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

28 SD school districts to receive literacy grant

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Nearly 30 school districts in the state of South Dakota will receive the Elevating Literacy Across South Dakota (ELA-SD) grant from the South Dakota Department of Education. The purpose of the ELA-SD grants is to help create a comprehensive program to advance literary and pre-literary skills, reading and writing for […]

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South Dakota

Rep. Dusty Johnson backs Senator Rounds push for investigation into mail service in South Dakota

Published

18 hours ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

Rep. Dusty Johnson backs Senator Rounds push for investigation into mail service in South Dakota

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) -Congressman Dusty Johnson is backing Senator Mike Round’s push for an investigation in postal service delays in South Dakota.

Johnson took to social media saying Senator Mike Rounds was right to ask for an investigation into postal service delays in South Dakota. Rounds had previously sent a letter to the postal service’s inspector general asking for her to find the cause of mail delays in South Dakota. Rounds said in his letter he has heard from hundreds of constituents across South Dakota. Johnson opened up with KOTA Territory News about his support for the investigation.

“I think the postal service is a terrible disaster,” said Johnson.

Johnson noted that in the past the service did what he said was a pretty good job. Johnson says despite sending letters and making phone calls with the postal service, he has not gotten any answers.

“I have asked if I can come down to one of their facilities, get a tour so I can better understand what’s going on behind the walls. They have refused to even let me, a member of congress, come learn about how they conduct their business. And so, this appears to be an enterprise that A, is not improving, B, isn’t communicating why there, why there failing and C doesn’t even appear to be particularly interested in getting better,” explained Johnson.

Rounds has pointed to the problem as being that mail traveling across or into South Dakota taking indirect routes. Rounds previously took a meeting with the postmaster general however the senator appears not satisfied with the outcome.

Rounds wrote in part in his letter, “I expressed my concerns about this to the Postmaster General (PMG) Steiner who downplayed such issue existed in South Dakota.”

In a letter sent to Rounds in October, Postmaster General David Steiner said that fixing issues at central region plants in Chicago, St Louis and Kansas City will likely improve outcomes and that at the time it was something the USPS was actively working on. The postmaster general acknowledged poor performance for first class mail at the beginning of the year and mid-summer but noted that it has since improved. During the week ending September 19th for South Dakota’s postal district, about %93 percent of first-class mail was delivered on time and roughly %97 percent was delivered within one day of its expected arrival. The postmaster general said he wanted to focus on the %3 percent that’s not getting to its destination on time.

“It may be only a small percentage of the mail, but because we deliver hundreds of millions of pieces each day nationally, the raw number is large,” wrote Steiner.

Steiner emphasized that some mail in South Dakota has always left the state for processing before going to another part of the state. The postmaster general explained that some mail requires certain sorting equipment and therefor some mail travels to plants with the right equipment.

The postmaster general also maintained in his letter that mail going to and from the same area in South Dakota is not leaving the state.

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South Dakota

Best steakhouse in South Dakota? Top spots for premium cuts and sides

Published

1 day ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

Best steakhouse in South Dakota? Top spots for premium cuts and sides

Step inside a few of South Dakota’s most iconic steakhouses, where the baked potatoes are foil-wrapped and the wood-fired grill is crackling.

Don’t mess with South Dakota’s red meat.

With some of the best, high-quality cattle in the country raised right here in the Mt. Rushmore state, you’ll easily find a ribeye nearby.

But not all steaks are the same. We compared the cut, the prep and the presentation and narrowed down a few of our favorite steakhouses for our carnivores.

Hartford Steak Co. Tavern

The concept for a small and affordable menu began with a burger sold for a nickel by Diane Friese’s great-grandfather in the 1920s. A family tradition untouched over the decades, you can still buy a filet mignon for an easy $15 at the Hartford Steak Co. today. But that’s about it. The filets are sized up to 24 ounces, then there’s steak tips or a hot beef sandwich to choose from. All come with a crisp, cold lettuce wedge, baked potato, and warm French bread. On the weekends, they spice it up with a $20 prime rib dinner (meaning the filets are off the menu, only one choice for you). Order a margarita on the side and enjoy a no-fuss night.

The Hartford Steakhouse has a second location in Vermillion, South Dakota.

Details: 709 N. Mundt Ave., Hartford, S.D., 605-528-6185, hartfordsteakcotavern.com.

Morrie’s Steakhouse

It’s giving Old Hollywood glam, some soft jazz and extravagance. Namesake Morrie Richards was a humble farmer from Ipswich, South Dakota, but Mama taught the family hospitality, and now the steakhouse is an experience for families and business diners. Steak is the star, but what comes with it elevates the night. Shared sides include loaded hash browns or smoked pork mac, and steak accompaniments include a 75-day-old cave-aged blue cheese slab or a three-day veal demi-glaze. Morrie’s honors community ranchers as well, bringing to the table local grass-fed butcher cuts and bone-in Tomahawk wagyu ribeyes.

Details: 2507 S. Shirley Ave., Sioux Falls, S.D., 605-362-8125, morriessteakhouse.com.

Mad Mary’s

Along the Big Sioux River in South Dakota is Mad Mary’s Steakhouse, a classic mom-and-pop in Flandreau, South Dakota, that’s been attracting hunters for more than 30 years. It’s changed hands a few times, but has been led now by Christina Ramos since 2018, who served at Mad Mary’s for more than a decade. She’s got a “secret seasoning” in the kitchen for her prime rib and sirloins, but come for the Butcher’s Trio to try it all: a plate of beef, chicken and pork served with a twice-baked potato and buttered toast for $50.

Mad Mary’s has a second location in Pierre, South Dakota, under different ownership, where you get a free T-shirt if you order a margarita. Size up after all that hearty South Dakota beef.

Details: 306 N. Veterans St., Flandreau, S.D., 605-997-9901, madmaryssteakhouse.com.

Ironwood Steakhouse

A bespoke contemporary experience in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the Minneapolis-based restaurateurs of Ironwood Steakhouse bring to town their crisp white linens, sparkly chandeliers and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Big Sioux River and Falls Park.

The maître d wears a suit and tie, so maybe you should, too.

The two-story, upscale supper club brings in its prime-aged beef from Snake River Farms in Idaho and cooks over coals for that unmistakable sear. Try the eight-ounce wagyu Zabuton, steak tartare or the steak Diane: an eight-ounce teres major cut with mushroom cream sauce.

Then return for their mushroom pierogis, rabbit stroganoff or even just an espresso martini at the bar, served with your own picture printed atop the foam.

A toast to our steak victors.

Details: 150 E. Fourth Place, Sioux Falls, S.D., 605-937-0280, ironwoodsf.com.

Delmonico Grill

Another for the upscale diners, Delmonico Grill in Rapid City, South Dakota, has been serving its in-house, dry-aged “Kona” Hawaiian style ribeye for nearly 20 years. It’s classic steakhouse fare in a comfortable atmosphere: Choose from intimate booths or red velvet benches, with a view of downtown Main Street always abuzz.

Details: 609 Main St., Rapid City, S.D., 605-791-1664, delmonicogrill.com.

Did we miss your favorite steakhouse? Drop us a line at ageorge@usatodayco.com with details.

Angela George is the trending news reporter for the Argus Leader in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, part of the USA TODAY Co. network. Email ageorge@usatodayco.com.

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