skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, March 29, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

South Dakota Doc, AHA Embrace Health Care Reform

play audio
Play

Tuesday, July 21, 2009   

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - The nation's health care system is about to undergo a major overhaul, and a South Dakota doctor newly appointed to the Midwest Affiliate board of directors of the American Heart Association says the AHA is getting involved by promoting healthier lifestyles to reduce costs.

Dr. Tom Stys is an interventional cardiologist at Sanford Heart Partners in Sioux Falls. He says heart disease is preventable and treatable, but that often doctors aren't getting to their patients soon enough to prevent the disease from progressing to a stage where expensive, aggressive and invasive surgeries are needed. He says a healthy, weight-conscious diet free of tobacco use, combined with early heart screenings, could prevent the majority of cardiovascular disease and significantly reduce health care costs.

"And when you think about how much money could be spent on that early detection, early intervention, it's really minimal, other than the price of increasing awareness. As opposed to that, if you really think about how much money is spent each year on management of established cardiovascular disease, it's huge, huge numbers, and cardiovascular disease is probably the majority of our health care expenses."

Dr. Stys is the only South Dakota representative who serves on the AHA Midwest Affiliate board. The directors oversee the board's activities in 11 states, with an annual budget of 80 million dollars that's used for the health group’s operations.

Darrin Smith, senior director for the American Heart Association in South Dakota, says health care reform has become a top priority for the public, and that a story often untold is that of the under-insured.

"There are many people out there that technically have health insurance, but it's catastrophic-type coverage only, which really is almost like having no health insurance at all. It's a very important issue; it's been thrust into the forefront by President Obama and others, and we strongly believe that something positive will happen."

The AHA says early detection of cardiovascular disease saves money and protects patients from allowing the disease to advance.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments this week about the popular abortion pill Mifepristone and will weigh in on whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was correct in how it can be dosed and prescribed. (Ascannio/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Missouri residents are worried about future access to birth control. The latest survey from The Right Time, an initiative based in Missouri…


Social Issues

play sound

Wisconsin children from low-income families are now on track to get nutritious foods over the summer. Federal officials have approved the Badger …

Social Issues

play sound

Almost 2,900 people are unsheltered on any given night in the Beehive State. Gov. Spencer Cox is celebrating signing nine bills he says are geared …


The U.S. teaching workforce remains primarily white while the percentage of Black teachers has declined. However, the percentage of Asian and Latinx teachers is rising.(WavebreakMediaMicro/Adobestock)

Social Issues

play sound

Education advocates are calling on lawmakers to increase funding for programs to combat the teacher shortage. Around 37% of schools nationwide …

Environment

play sound

New York's Legislature is considering a bill to get clean-energy projects connected to the grid faster. It's called the RAPID Act, for "Renewable …

Many factors affect a customer's bill amount, including energy usage, weather, and the number of days in a billing period, according to Arizona Public Service. (Jason Yoder/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021