The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has finalized its decision to reconfigure Black Hills VA Health Care System by terminating inpatient services at its campus in Hot Springs, S.D.
The facility will remain open as an outpatient care and dialysis center.
Black Hills VA Public Information Officer Teresa Forbes told the Scottsbluff Star Heraldthe system has a framework in place to allow veterans to still receive care close to home once the Hot Springs hospital scales back services. In certain cases, the VA will cover the costs for veterans to receive care at their local private hospital.
The decision to cease inpatient services at the Hot Springs hospital came after years of research and planning. Black Hills VA officials said the Hot Springs campus needs expensive upgrades, and it is difficult to recruit and retain qualified staff for that location, according to the Rapid City Journal.
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