Health
Nursing home ban advances without tribal provision


A bill to ban new nursing homes in South Dakota was passed by the state Senate on Monday after an amendment to carve out an exception for tribes was rejected.

The amendment would have allowed Gov. Mike Rounds (R) to approve as many as three new nursing homes on reservations. But opponents said tribes could build the homes without state support.

Sen. Stan Adelstein, a Republican who chairs the Legislature's State-Tribal Relations Committee, counted that state approval is needed in order for tribes to be eligible for Medicaid money. Other supporters of the measure said Native elders need nursing homes closer to their families.

The bill passed the Senate by a 24-10 vote. It goes to the House for consideration.

Get the Story:
Ban on more nursing homes clears Senate (The Rapid City Journal 2/1)
Tribes push for nursing homes (The Sioux Falls Argus Leader 1/30)