Concerns over health care on Indian Reservations continues as solutions are being sought on how to make improvements.

After seven months of no emergency room services, South Dakota Senator Troy Heinert of Mission is relieved the IHS facility there is offering those services again.

“I think we’re in a better place. Our emergency room is back open and urgent care is working. As far as quality and access we still have a long ways to go.”

Heinert is among many who identify a lack of funding for health care on the reservation. He also knows the people are somewhat conditioned to having substandard care.

“Our population has really lived through inadequate health care so we’re sicker, longer. Those kinds of things are expensive. We really need a total reform of either IHS or something that still maintains our treaty rights and gets people healthier.”

According to Heinert, a good start to making big strides in this area would be more doctors and nurses plus having a specialist for treating diabetes.

Per capita, Heinert believes cases of amputations as a result of diabetes runs higher on the reservation as opposed to other rural hospitals and larger communities.

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