South Dakota awards $2M in grants for long-term care, but facilities sought $5M more

The South Dakota Department of Human Services recently awarded $2 million in grants for technology and equipment in the long-term care industry, which has been afflicted with closures and staffing shortages.

Funding for the grants was approved by the Legislature and Gov. Kristi Noem during the 2024 legislative session, after being recommended by an interim legislative committee studying the sustainability of long-term care. Lawmakers were motivated in part by the closure of more than 15 nursing homes in South Dakota since 2017.

Governmental investment will help stabilize the industry, said Good Samaritan Society Chief Operating Officer Aimee Middleton, especially on top of other recent efforts by the Legislature to provide relief . The Good Samaritan Society, owned by Sanford, plans to downsize its footprint to focus on a seven-state area in the Midwest.

“We’re a large organization that operates in different states and we don’t see this type of investment everywhere,” Middleton said. “This is historic and appreciated.”

Funded projects include food preparation and storage equipment; video monitoring and sensory technology systems, which can monitor patients remotely; telecommunications equipment; and diagnostic and interactive technology. All of which can help reduce the need for workers, industry officials say.

Long-term care facilities have struggled with staffing more than other health care fields since the coronavirus pandemic, and the industry expects facilities will have to take on more patients as baby boomers age . Technological advancements that replace human workers can help bridge that gap, administrators say.

Seventy-three facilities received awards, with the Good Samaritan Society receiving $347,465 between seven facilities — most of which are in Sioux Falls. The majority of that money is for technology-advanced food preparation, Middleton said. Good Samaritan was the only long-term care facility to invest in food preparation, according to the department.

The new technology will establish Sioux Falls as a hub to prepare patient meals days in advance and then transport the food to more rural facilities, Middleton said. The technology vacuum-seals or freezes the meal in a way that preserves the quality and nutrition before being reheated and served.

“With record unemployment rates, this is a creative solution so we can be creative in ways for residents to receive really good and high quality meals, but with less people available to us,” Middleton said.

Middleton plans to get the equipment and program up and running within nine months.

Edgewood Healthcare, based in North Dakota, has 14 long-term care facilities in South Dakota. Six locations received a total of $189,389 to invest in sensory and diagnostic technology. Specifically, the money funds interactive technology to improve physical activity and mental stimulation for cognitively impaired residents as well as an advanced call system called CarePredict.

The CarePredict pendant system tracks residents’ location and activity, allows for communication between residents and staff, and provides fall detection. The grant will completely cover upgrades at the Spearfish, Rapid City and Pierre locations, said Rich Ostert, a regional vice president for Edgewood.

Ultimately, the health care system hopes to use the CarePredict technology to measure blood pressure, oxygen and pulse rates and more efficiently upload it into a database.

Ostert said Edgewood plans to implement CarePredict at all 65 communities within its seven-state footprint.

“This funding allows us to get this technology a lot quicker than we might have,” Ostert said.

Of the $2 million pot, $1.2 million was distributed among rural long-term care facilities in the state. Over $788,000 was awarded to long-term care facilities in Sioux Falls or Rapid City.

The Department of Human Services estimates more than 4,000 South Dakotans will be impacted by the grants. The department received 104 applications totaling $7.47 million, so nearly $5.5 million in requests weren’t funded.

Lake Andes Senior Living, in south-central South Dakota, was awarded $13,502 to fund a radio system integrated with an updated call light system. The new call light system, which will cost nearly $90,000, wasn’t awarded.

“Something is better than nothing, that’s for sure,” said Clay Brouwer, Lake Andes Senior Living administrator.

Brouwer said the facility will “have to find a way to budget” for the $90,000 call light system to take advantage of the state granted funds.

The facility’s current call light system, which alerts nursing staff when a patient needs attention, is several decades old, Brouwer said, and only lights up outside of the patient’s room with a beeping noise. Alerting staff through a radio system will improve response times for patients.

“It’s doing a lot for facilities. Any time you can get a technology grant of any sort, you just have quicker access. Anything helps,” he said.

Awarded projects must be completed within one year from the date of the award. Grants were capped at $100,000.

Awarded 2024 long-term care technology grants

• Avera Mother Joseph Manor Retirement, Aberdeen, $40,430
• Prairie Height Healthcare, Aberdeen, $20,621.77
• Diamond Care Center, Bridgewater, $10,000
• Sun Dial Manor, Bristol, $9,571.97
• Wheatcrest Hills Healthcare, Britton, $13,261
• United Living Community Brookings, Brookings, $66,094.94
• Centerville Care and Rehab Center, Centerville, $5,000
• Sanford Health Chamberlain, Chamberlain, $12,099
• Avantara Clark, Clark, $24,672
• Fay Wookey Memorial Assisted Living, Clark, $2,447
• Roetell Senior Housing Clark, Clark, $5,281
• Good Samaritan Society in Corsica, DeSmet, Howard, Scotland, Tyndall, $17,509
• Avera Eureka, Eureka, $18,591.63
• Faulkton Senior Living, Faulkton, $2,175
• The Meadows Assisted Living, Faulkton, $3,535
• Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe Care Center, Flandreau, $36,909
• Riverview Healthcare Center , Flandreau, $13,261
• Palisade Healthcare Center, Garretson, $52,523
• Avantara Groton, Groton, $24,672
• Seven Sisters Living center, Hot Springs, $60,699.60
• Hudson Care and Rehab, Hudson, $3,776.17
• Sunset Manor, Irene, $30,828.62
• Lakes Andes Senior Living, Lake Andes, $13,502.20
• Avantara Lake Norden, Lake Norden, $24,672
• Bethel Lutheran Home, Madison, $15,809.83
• Tieszen Memorial Home, Inc., Marion, $63,808.96
• Avantara Milbank, Milbank, $10,000
• Wellshire Park Place, Millbank, $20,000
• Good Samaritan Society – Miller, Miller, $11,355
• Avera Brady Health and Rehab, Mitchell, $8,320
• Firesteel Healthcare, Mitchell, $15,939
• Edgewood , Mitchell, Sioux Falls, Watertown, $21,030
• Mobridge Regional Hospital – Assisted Living, Mobridge, $15,440
• Avera Bormann Manor, Parkston, $13,085
• Scotchman Living Center, Philip, $17,948.44
• Silverlead Assisted Living Center, Philip, $3,887.99
• Avera Maryhouse, Pierre, $71,200
• Edgewood Pierre, Pierre, $63,106
• Clarkson Health Care, Rapid City, $44,047
• Edgewood Rapid City, Rapid City, $77,729
• Fairmont Grand Senior Living, Rapid City, $9,485
• Fountain Springs Healthcare, Rapid City, $72,704
• The Courtyard – Westhills Village, Rapid City, $25,075.26
• Avantara Redfield, Redfield, $23,500
• Lakeside Assisted Living, Redfield, $1,000
• Strand Kjorsvig Community Rest Home, Roslyn, $9,992.85
• Leisure Living Salem Independent and Assisted Living, Salem, $69.99
• Bethany Home Sioux Falls, Sioux Falls, $10,106.79
• Dow Rummel, Sioux Falls, $10,000
• Good Samaritan Society – Hearthstone Assisted Living, Sioux Falls, $79,516
• Good Samaritan Society – Luther Manor, Sioux Falls, $97,916
• Good Samaritan Society – Prairie Creek Assisted Living, Sioux Falls, $93,916
• Good Samaritan Society – Sioux Falls Center, Sioux Falls, $97,916
• Good Samaritan Society – Sioux Falls Village, Sioux Falls, $100,000
• Meadows on Sycamore Assisted Living, Sioux Falls, $58,389
• Trail Ridge Retirement Community, Sioux Falls, $11,370.69
• Tekakwitha Living Center, Sisseton, $12,240.93
• Edgewood Spearfish Senior Living, Spearfish, $100,000
• Pioneer Memorial Nursing Home, Viborg, $49,500
• Wakonda Hertiage Manor, Wakonda, $19,085.59
• Avantara Watertown, Watertown, $23,500
• Jenkins Living Center, Watertown, $27,000
• Meadow Lake Assisted Living, Watertown, $1,237.97
• Bethesda Home, Webster, $18,405
• Aurora-Brule Care and Rehab, White Lake, $14,615.00
• White River Health Care Center, White River, $16,900
• Wilmot Care Center, Wilmot, $23,814.81
• Prairie View Healthcare Center, Woonsocket, $7,904

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: South Dakota awards $2M in grants for long-term care, but facilities sought $5M more