Health

Dr. Gerard Jacobs is a clinical/community psychologist, who has been working in disaster psychology since 1989. He is a Professor of Psychology at the University of South Dakota and Director of the Disaster Mental Health Institute. Following the BBC "Children and War" report, Dr. Jacobs discusses the effect of war on children in this part of the country.

Members of tribal communities and health researchers meet in Sioux Falls this week. It’s an annual summit for the Collaborative Research Center for American Indian Health. The meetings involve people from South Dakota, North Dakota and Minnesota.

Dietitian Jocelyn Johnson of the Avera Heart Hospital joined host Cara Hetland on Friday's Innovation to discuss Flavanols/anti-inflammatory diets.

The Sioux Falls VA Health Care System is part of the nationwide effort to ensure veterans receive the mental health services and support they need. They are one of 15 pilot sites where the VA is working with community based mental health providers to help veterans access mental health services in a timely manner.

Health-conscious people often hit the gym and eat well-balanced diets. Those are good, solid habits, and experts trumpet their impacts. What people don’t freely discuss when lifting weights is that another part of wellness involves mental health. Statistics show one in four people has a mental health challenge, and South Dakota's aren't immune to maladies of the mind.

This man is no stranger to people in Sioux Falls and other South Dakotans.

Some professions automatically come with opportunities to physically save lives. Think doctors, nurses, EMTs. That sacred ability is also inherent in welders, bartenders, factory workers and students. Emergency medical professionals in Sioux Falls are reaching out to everyone, equipping people with the basic tools to save lives.

When soon-to-be sixth grader Nicholas Galvin stops by the mall with his mom, he walks out with a lot more than a few shopping bags.

May is Mental Health Month, and more people are finding effective treatment for cognitive challenges.  Dr. Matt Stanley and Avera Behavioral Health Assistant Vice President Steve Lindquist discussed why more people are seeking treatment for conditions typically seen in clinical practice.

Events calendars in the state’s largest cities are often littered with different seminars or public gatherings. As the weather warms, almost every weekend is host to a walking or running fundraiser of some sort.

Physicians, personal trainers, and even middle school gym teachers say it. Running is a healthy way to exercise. Doctor Jodi Scott in Sioux Falls is a longtime runner, and she’s lacing up her shoes for the Avera Race Against Breast Cancer.

House Bill 12-37 was signed by Governor Dennis Daugaard earlier this month, extending South Dakota’s 72-hour abortion waiting period to not include weekends or holidays. As SDPB’s Jilanne Doom reports in today’s Dakota Digest, though the bill is now law, the abortion argument in the state is far from over.

“Hi, I’m Caitlin DeGroot. I’m 21 and I am a mom of an almost-two-year-old Charlie. Charlie, you want to say hi?”

Dr. Jeff Henderson discussed health issues in Indian Country.  In 1998, Henderson founded the Black Hills Center for American Indian Health, a community-based, non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance the wellness of American Indians through research, service, education and philanthropy.  The Center has met with considerable success, garnering over $26 million through 19 peer-reviewed health research grants and contracts.

South Dakota United Executive Director Jennifer Constantine talked about the agency's volunteerism, advocacy education and peer support for those who have mental health issues.  She said that the peer component enhances recovery.

A family tragedy propelled Tony Baccarini on a journey towards healing and discovery.  He was admitted at Kenilworth Psychiatric Clinic and spent the next 21 days coming to terms with a failed relationship, bipolar disorder and grief.  The process made him discover his love and talent for writing poetry.  "Twenty One Days Later: The Journey," is the story of Baccarini's coming to terms with his mental illness and finding true inner peace.  Baccarini joined Dakota Midday from London, England.