Friday - March 29, 2024
Public Policy Tipoffs Involving South Dakota Newsletter for Sunday April 05, 2020 ( 15 items )  

A Look at Sanford Laundry: Crew Cleans 25,000 Pounds a Day
SIOUX FALLS, South Dakota, April 2 -- Sanford Health issued the following news: The laundry services at Sanford Health don't get a lot of downtime. It goes in, it comes out, and a cycle that never ends keeps rolling along. While it may be underappreciated, it is nevertheless a crucial part of delivering effective health care. And as impressive as the machines are that facilitate the giant amounts of laundry, it is ultimately the people who sort it coming in and then send it on its way that ma  more

American Coalition for Ethanol Urges EPA to Correct Renewable Fuel Standard Implementation Missteps for Biofuel Producers
SIOUX FALLS, South Dakota, April 4 -- The American Coalition for Ethanol issued the following news: The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) CEO Brian Jennings urged the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to address a shortcoming in the Agency's implementation of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) which has been exposed with the recent nosedive in gasoline use as a result of COVID-19, and reminded EPA of pending actions it can take to mitigate the economic fallout for biofuel producers and fa  more

American Coalition for Ethanol: Final SAFE Vehicles Rule Missed Opportunity for High Octane, Low Carbon Ethanol
SIOUX FALLS, South Dakota, April 1 -- The American Coalition for Ethanol issued the following statement: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released its final Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient (SAFE) Vehicles Rule for Model Years 2021-2026 Passenger Cars and Light Trucks. American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) CEO Brian Jennings called the rule a missed opportunity to provide a pathway for high octane,   more

Raven Industries Makes Protective Gowns for Sanford Health
SIOUX FALLS, South Dakota, April 4 -- Sanford Health issued the following news: Crystal Domeyer is a Sanford Health employee who was encouraged to think outside the box. So she did. As a result, she provided the initial spark for what is going to provide thousands of protective gowns for health care providers on the front lines in dealing with the spread of the coronavirus. As a former employee at Raven Industries, Domeyer, now a Sanford Health manager in supply chain category management, tho  more

Sanford Creates Stability Plan for Struggling Employees
SIOUX FALLS, South Dakota, March 31 -- Sanford Health issued the following news: The Sanford Health leadership team has created a plan to help its workers most impacted financially through the COVID-19 pandemic. The Sanford Family Stability Plan will benefit hourly, non-exempt employees who are hit hardest by the economic challenges of COVID-19. "We know the COVID-19 pandemic is causing a disruption to regularly scheduled work," President and CEO Kelby Krabbenhoft said. "It has us all feeling   more

Sanford Health Plan Covers Full Treatment Cost for COVID-19
SIOUX FALLS, South Dakota, April 4 -- Sanford Health issued the following news: The Sanford Health Plan announced it is waiving all out-of-pocket costs for COVID-19 treatment through May 31, 2020. This means the health plan will cover all costs for testing and treatment for its members, including outpatient care and inpatient hospital stays. This includes all fully insured group and individual plans across the plan's footprint in North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Minnesota. Out-of-pocket c  more

Sanford Health: 90-Minute Rapid Coronavirus Tests Now Available
SIOUX FALLS, South Dakota, April 4 -- Sanford Health issued the following news: Sanford Health can now use a test for COVID-19 with results available in 90 minutes. These rapid tests will be used for the highest priority patients including those who are hospitalized, health care workers and elderly adults living in long-term care facilities. The rapid tests are now available in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Fargo, North Dakota. Depending on the shipment of supplies, rapid tests could be avai  more

Sanford Health: Acute Care Clinic Supervisor Adds Coronavirus Triage to Role
SIOUX FALLS, South Dakota, April 3 -- Sanford Health issued the following news: Nearly everything worldwide has changed because of COVID-19 -- including Meghan Gulmon's workflow. The Sanford Health registered nurse in Bemidji, Minnesota, is normally an acute care weekend supervisor. She and her staff see more than 100 patients a day. A few weeks ago, on top of her normal duties, Gulmon was told she'd have to go through COVID-19 training and later train her weekend team. COVID-19 crash course   more

Sanford Health: COVID-19 FAQs - Do We Need to Wear Face Masks?
SIOUX FALLS, South Dakota, April 4 -- Sanford Health issued the following news: If you have to go to the grocery store, pharmacy or anywhere else where social distancing is tough, the CDC now recommends wearing a mask. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidelines April 3 for wearing face masks during the coronavirus pandemic. Now the CDC recommends face masks for anyone in public settings where staying 6 feet away from others is more difficult, especially where signifi  more

Sanford Health: Doctor Volunteers As Go-To Provider for COVID-19 Patients
SIOUX FALLS, South Dakota, March 31 -- Sanford Health issued the following news: Dr. Mubashir Badar is a specialist in hospital care at Sanford Medical Center - Bismarck who is providing simple solutions to address some of the challenges of taking care of patients with coronavirus. That effort begins with a floor plan. In order to generally decrease COVID-19 exposure to patients and staff, those who are suspected of having the virus and those who are confirmed to have it are located on a sing  more

Sanford Health: Doctor Working After Hours - 'This is Our Battle'
SIOUX FALLS, South Dakota, March 31 -- Sanford Health issued the following news: When Kim Tesch's phone rang at 9 p.m. on a recent night, her doctor was the last person she was expecting to be on the other end. She answered the phone and realized it was her physician, Dr. Wallace Fritz. Earlier that day, Tesch had done an e-visit with Dr. Fritz after telling his nurse that she wasn't comfortable coming in for a visit because of concerns surrounding COVID-19. However, due to technological issu  more

Sanford Health: Doctors' Day Takes on New Meaning During Pandemic
SIOUX FALLS, South Dakota, March 31 -- Sanford Health issued the following news: It is a National Doctors' Day like no other. As the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic sweeps our country, the annual day of recognition March 30 takes on an even deeper meaning. Health care providers are on the front lines of care as the rest of the world watches -- from quarantine, isolation or a socially safe distance. Chief Medical Officer Allison Suttle, M.D., knows health care wouldn't exist without doct  more

Sanford Health: Nurses Sacrifice Family Time to Care for COVID-19 Patients
SIOUX FALLS, South Dakota, April 1 -- Sanford Health issued the following news: Last month, Sanford Health in Bismarck, North Dakota, designated an entire clinic for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. It didn't take long for steadfast front-line employees to staff the clinic. Two of those employees are Lisa Shook and Taylor Silbernagel. They both jumped in to help and have screened hundreds of patients the last few weeks for COVID-19. "I feel like I'm helping the community  more

Sanford Health: Parade at the Castle - First Responders Brighten Kids' Days
SIOUX FALLS, South Dakota, April 2 -- Sanford Health issued the following news: Sgt. Andrew Siebenborn with Sioux Falls Police knows what it's like to be in the hospital. "Having been in the hospital for some time this year myself, I know how much that isn't a fun situation," he said. But being a child in a hospital, in the middle of a pandemic, with very few visitors allowed? Siebenborn says he couldn't imagine how difficult that must be, and wanted to help out in any way he could. "I just   more

Sanford Health: Profile by Sanford Helps Stock Food Pantry Shelves
SIOUX FALLS, South Dakota, April 3 -- Sanford Health issued the following news: The COVID-19 pandemic has left many in need. In need of solace, in need of money, and in some cases, in need of food. In a time where it's more important than ever to help one another out, Sanford Health's Profile by Sanford has stepped up in a big way, donating more than 16,000 meals to Feeding South Dakota. "We all have something to be thankful for in a time like this. Those who are able to give, please continu  more