A view of the Winnebago Hospital on the Winnebago Reservation in Nebraska. Image from Google Maps
The Indian Health Service is looking for new management for three emergency rooms in troubled Great Plains Area. The agency solicited bids for the emergency rooms at the Winnebago Service Unit in Nebraska, the Pine Ridge Service Unit in South Dakota and the Rosebud Service Unit, also in South Dakota, The Sioux City Journal reported. "At this time, IHS is unable to disclose any additional information regarding the Emergency Department Services procurement," a spokesperson told the paper. The emergency room at the Rosebud Hospital, which serves the Rosebud Sioux Tribe has been on "diversion" since December. Mary Smith, the acting director of the IHS, has said it could reopen this summer. The unit itself has been threatened with a loss of certification from the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Service. The Pine Ridge Unit is facing the same situation but IHS hopes to reach an agreement to prevent that from happening. The Winnebago Hospital, which serves the Omaha Tribe and the Winnebago Tribe, lost CMS certification last summer. Tribal leaders and tribal members have long complained about quality of care issues at the facility. Get the Story:
IHS takes bids to run ER at Winnebago tribal hospital (The Sioux City Journal 4/20) Also Today:
Mary Smith: Meetings with Tribal Leaders in the Great Plains Area Focus on Quality of Care (IHS Blog 4/13) Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Report:
In Critical Condition: The urgent need to reform the Indian Health Service’s Aberdeen Area (December 2010)
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