Broadcaster Press 3 December 24, 2019 www.broadcasteronline.com Why Are Rural Nursing Homes Closing? By Richard P. Holm, MD During one of our weekly hospice meetings, the discussion turned to the burden of finding an opening in a facility for one of our patients. Mr. A belongs to the working-poor segment of our society, just above official levels of poverty and yet he cannot afford health insurance and primary care, let alone the private cost of an assisted living center or nursing home. Our patient is still living at home, has no family support and is in trouble. His progressive cancer has caused an inability even to do activities of daily living such as bowel and bladder care. He now only has Medicaid and his hospice nurse and social worker is not able to find an assisted living center or a nursing home that will take him in. It’s no surprise that care facilities in South Dakota find it financially difficult to accept Medicaid patients like Mr. A. Without Medicaid expansion, facilities lose money when caring for them. If a nursing home has too many Medicaid patients, it simply can’t stay afloat. This explains why nursing homes, especially in rural areas, are closing. The national solution was to expand Medicaid coverage to increase payments for services using federal dollars. Some states initially elected not to expand Noem Re-Appoints Team To Assist Counties In Mitigation Efforts PIERRE, S.D. - On December 10, Governor Kristi Noem signed an executive order reappointing the Hazard Mitigation Team. The team consists of representatives from 11 state agencies and other non-governmental If Medicaid was expanded in South Dakota, more personnel and is designed than two billion dollars of federal health care funding to assist counties in would come into the state, helping healthcare coverage mitigation planning efforts. to 55,000 South Dakotans, in turn, helping to prevent “As a State, we need rural nursing homes from closing. This would help Mr. A, to make sure we’re doing and people like him, get comfort care during their dying everything possible to help days. communities recover from this year’s devastating Medicaid expansion passed last year in some majorstorms, but we also need ity Republican states indicating that this is a bipartisan to better prepare for issue. A recent poll revealed that approximately 80 percent of South Dakotans want Medicaid expansion. In my extreme weather in the opinion, fearing dependence on federal money does not future,” said Noem. “The Hazard Mitigation Team justify letting our rural nursing homes close or letting is an interagency effort to the working-poor go without care. come alongside counties, communities, and tribes Bottom Line: It is time for those within the political in order to reduce future arena to expand Medicaid. damage from natural disasters. I’m confident Richard P. Holm, MD is founder of The Prairie Doc® and this approach, along author of “Life’s Final Season, A Guide for Aging and Dying with Grace” available on Amazon. For free and easy access to with the infrastructure disaster recovery program the entire Prairie Doc® library, visit www.prairiedoc.org and previously announced, will follow Prairie Doc® on Facebook featuring On Call with the be incredibly beneficial to Prairie Doc® a medical Q&A show streaming on Facebook local governments as we and broadcast on SDPB most Thursdays at 7 p.m. central. link arms in this effort. Governor Noem has charged the team with reducing or eliminating the physical, financial, and psychological impacts Medicaid, for fear they would become dependent on this money. However, many states have changed their position, and to date, 36 states now accept the national funding from expanded Medicaid, including North Dakota as of 2014, and Nebraska in 2018. So far, 14 states have not expanded Medicaid, including, South Dakota, Kansas and Wyoming. The Magic Of Christmas By Sen. Mike Rounds As we celebrate the holidays with our loved ones, we are reminded of the true reason for the season: the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ. His teachings remind us to be kind to others, share our gratitude for all the good things in our lives and give back to those less fortunate. Through these acts, we can experience the real magic of Christmas. You may be surprised to hear that Christmas magic is alive and well even in the most unlikely of places—the United States Capitol. Despite what you too often see in the news, we don’t always disagree and bicker. We certainly have our differences, but I have made many friends in Washington on both sides of the aisle. The camaraderie we share as legislators seeking to improve the lives of all Americans is amplified during the Christmas season, and we enjoy taking time out of our busy days to celebrate. Since joining the Senate, I’ve been a regular member at weekly prayer breakfast meetings. Our group is made up of both Republicans and Democrats—we leave our politics at the door and focus on what we have in common, which is our shared faith. At a recent prayer breakfast, we celebrated Christmas by singing some of our favorite carols. I have made good friends through our prayer breakfasts— men and women I may not have gotten to know on a personal level otherwise. The annual bipartisan Secret Santa gift exchange is another holiday tradition we celebrate on Capitol Hill. Each of us is given the name of a senator from the other party, and we all get together for a reception to exchange small gifts. This year, I was able to wrap up some of my favorite chocolates from Deadwood’s Chubby Chipmunk to give to Senator Jacky Rosen of Nevada. Senator Tom Carper of Delaware gave me a baseball cap commemorating USS Delaware SSN 791, a nuclear attack submarine that was commissioned shortly after USS South Dakota SSN 790. Of course, none of us Turn Yo ur Clutter i nto Cash! would be able to celebrate the holidays freely if not for our men and women in uniform. This time of year we are reminded of those who are spending the holidays away from home as they fight to protect our freedom. Our servicemembers deserve our eternal gratitude for the sacrifices they make on behalf of our country. I spent some time this month writing holiday cards to our troops stationed overseas thanks to the American Red Cross’s Holidays for Heroes event. They set up tables in the Capitol each year for members of congress and our staffs to send warm wishes to our armed forces. This year, our family is grateful for God’s many gifts, including our ten wonderful grandchildren who all live in the Pierre/ Fort Pierre area near our home. We’re also grateful for Jean’s team of hardworking doctors and nurses who have given us hope that she will beat her cancer diagnosis. Thank you to everyone who has said a prayer for her this year. We wish all South Dakotans a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. of natural disasters by implementing programs to reduce the amount of damage incurred following major storms. The South Dakota Hazard Mitigation Team consists of representatives from the following departments and offices: • Office of the Governor • Governor’s Office of Economic Development • Department of Agriculture • Department of Education – Historic Preservation Office • Department of Environmental and Natural Resources • Department of Game, Fish, and Parks • Department of Health • Department of Public Safety – Office of Emergency Management • Department of Transportation • Department of Tribal Relations • Bureau of Administration – Risk Management • State Climatologist This team is led by the state Office of Emergency Management. BE SMART. Scan our QR code with your smart phone and discover the Broadcaster Online! Experience you can count on. Tyler Mohr - Service Technician Tyler has been with Kalins Indoor Comfort over two years and is a graduate of the HVAC program from Northeast Community College. Tyler excels at communicating complex information to customers. 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