Rounds Statement on Reopening of Rosebud Hospital Emergency Department

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today issued the following statement on the reopening of the emergency department at the Rosebud Indian Health Service (IHS) hospital, which had been closed since December 2015.  IHS announced today that the hospital is set to reopen tomorrow, July 15, 2016, and will resume 24-hour, 7-day-a-week care.

“The news that IHS and the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services have agreed to reopen the emergency department at the Rosebud IHS hospital is a positive step toward better and timely health care for patients,” said Rounds. “Emergency room services are an essential part of any hospital. However, there is still much work to be done to make certain our tribal members are receiving adequate and timely care. The problems within the bureaucracy of IHS, along with the lack of adequate consultation with tribes, are ongoing. I still believe that an outside audit is the best first step toward making significant, systemic changes at IHS.”

Rounds sent a letter this month to the Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General requesting an audit of the financial aspects of hospital and health care, medical services and overall financial management at IHS.

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