Indigenous mothers in South Dakota face more barriers, complications from care

The Couteau Des Prairies Health Care System, a 25-bed, nonprofit hospital, is the only inpatient resource for the entire reservation and was the only hospital with a functioning OB-GYN Department. 

Amelia Schafer ICT and Journal staff

Editor’s note: This is the first part of a two-part series on Indigenous maternal healthcare in South Dakota.

On a small, triangle-shaped reservation in the northeast corner of South Dakota, a nondescript one-story beige building in the middle of the small city of Sisseton serves the healthcare needs of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate. The Couteau Des Prairies Health Care System, a 25-bed, nonprofit hospital, is the only inpatient resource for the entire reservation and was the only hospital with a functioning OB-GYN Department. 

But as of February, the hospital no longer provides specialized women’s healthcare. 

“The Coteau Des Prairies Health Care System looked at what would be best for the patients and the competency that our staff and obstetrics provider had,” said Craig Kantos, chief executive officer of the CDP Hospital. “We had one obstetrics provider and he was leaving. The days of having one OB provider who is on call 24/7 aren’t feasible anymore.”

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