Our son Booker was pretty sick when he was little. There were a number of times when Bryon and I had to have the conversation: “It’s midnight and something’s not right again. Do we take him to the hospital? Do we go now? Do we wait until morning?  It’s not like there’s a hospital around the corner.”
I assume many parents, particularly those in rural South Dakota, have had to ask those questions. It’s not always an easy call to make, especially when the roads are icy and temperatures have dipped below zero. But with recent advances in South Dakota’s telehealth options, these conversations may become a thing of the past.
Already today, families can see a doctor by just turning on their phones.  Both Avera and Sanford Health, for instance, offer smartphone apps that let you connect instantly with a physician who can help parents determine how serious that fever is and what can be done about it.  If only they had that when our kids were little!
Perhaps even more incredibly, telehealth programs operating out of South Dakota are giving many local clinics a medical upgrade, shrinking the distance between you and state-of-the-art care.
At the push of a button, your hometown doctor can connect to an experienced emergency physician, an ICU care team, a pharmacist, even specialists in the areas of cardiology or diabetes.  Through the use of two-way video feeds – much like you would use FaceTime or Skype – and specialized telehealth instruments, a doctor in Sioux Falls can have access to every bit of data being collected in the exam room.
With this information, they can talk your local physician through a crisis that they may not typically deal with or maybe just serve as a second set of eyes to help make sure you’re getting the best care possible.
I had the opportunity to tour Avera’s telehealth headquarters earlier this year. There were a few dozen computer stations that were staffed by accomplished physicians – many with more than two decades of experience. Each station was lined with four high-definition screens where the specialists could see everything from a patient’s vital stats to a real-time video feed of an operation they were counseling a local physician on. In that room, we saw high-quality health care being delivered across the Midwest to even the smallest of rural clinics. Sanford Health offers many of the same options through a similar program.
A growing number of health care providers in South Dakota are being assisted by telehealth professionals like this. The Avera site I visited in Sioux Falls services 235 sites across the Midwest alone and claims to have touched the lives of approximately 790,000 patients – from young families to Medicare recipients.
I never considered a life where Bryon and I weren’t raising our kids in rural South Dakota.  We saw so much value in what you learn by growing up this way. We’ve always loved it and I know many families in South Dakota feel the same way. Still, small health care providers are struggling to stay afloat, making it more difficult to attract families to small towns.
I’m hopeful new technologies can change this, which is why I’ll be fighting to make sure folks in Washington, D.C., understand why that’s so important that we support telehealth programs. It’s worth the investment. After all, telehealth may just be the prescription we need to bridge the gap between rural America and state-of-the-art medical care.

PIERRE – The South Dakota State Historical Society-Archives recently added to its Web site an index listing deceased comrades of the South Dakota Grand Army of the Republic, found within the organization’s annual journals.
Each year during their annual meeting, leaders of the South Dakota GAR, a fraternal organization comprised of Civil War veterans, would list the known deaths of their members. Almost 1,300 Civil War veterans were listed in the annual journals dating from 1884 to 1937.
The list of deceased South Dakota GAR members can be found at http://history.sd.gov/archives/Data/gardeaths/default.aspx.
The indexes are organized by veteran’s last name and post name. Fields found within the database include first and last name, GAR post name, number and town, death date and place, the Civil War veteran’s regiment, rank and company, the journal year and page number in which the entry was found and any special notes or remarks on the deceased.
The South Dakota GAR annual journals have been held in the collections of the State Archives since 1974.
State Historical Society volunteers added the information to the database.
“The State Archives is always thankful for the help our volunteers provide us and the people of South Dakota by making our state’s history accessible to the public,” said state archivist Chelle Somsen.
The State Historical Society-Archives at the Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre is open 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. CST Monday-Friday and the first Saturday of each month. For more information call (605) 773-3804 or visit www.history.sd.gov/archives.
Editor’s Note: A photo of Civil War Veterans and members of the South Dakota Grand Army of the Republic standing at attention at the National G.A.R. Encampment held in Washington, D.C., in 1915, is available upon request. (Photo courtesy South Dakota State Historical Society-Archives)

“Cabin Fever”

Another era of bartending has come to a close. Margie Larson has stepped out from behind the bar of the former Don’s Silver Dollar. Many a late night I shared with her and so many good times with customers that were more like an extended family of friends.
We bartended in the years when it may have required you to leg-wrestle for a free round of drinks, dance on the bar, dance to the jukebox with many a customer, have the ability to do shots of tequila, flash a bra for fun or “moon” if the moment called for it, be able to roll a mean game of Ship, Captain, Crew (they wanted tip money back), and be able to jump into a bar fight and throw nasties out the front door. Margie was up for any of these and, plus, could tell a joke while doing it! Laughter will be her bar legacy she leaves behind. (Now most bartenders don’t talk to you — they serve a beer and text. ERRR!)
One of my favorite stories is when Margie turned 40 years old. She had long lamented the size of her bosom just for the fact that bras her size only came in “blah-white”. We gal pals ordered a fancy leopard bra from Victoria’s Secret and presented it to her at the bar. Margie was feeling pretty special until we showed her we all had leopard bras on too!
On another note, I was so glad to go with a car full of women to the Cancer Society Tour of Homes. Some years I don’t attend but was so thrilled that I took the time this year. All of us who got to take a peek into your beautiful and unique homes are thankful to you.
Our first stop was at Doc and Karla Olson’s home in the old neighborhood I grew up in. (When I was young, it was Arlyce Larson’s farm home.) I think we were the first to arrive and leisurely got a tour with Karla. I halfway expected to see Doc in one of the giant recliners, but he was out of sight. I loved the open kitchen, multiple fireplaces and the sunshine flowing in from the many windows and the way they incorporated the antiques with modern. My favorite room was the bedroom with gigantic bed and a fireplace. I wanted to just crawl into it with a good book but reminded myself I wouldn’t be able to use the fireplace with my wretched hot flashes. Thanks, Karla, for sending us on our way with a cup of deluxe mixed nuts.
Our second stop was Rod and Jane Marten’s spacious home just past the Forestburg junction. I have admired it from the highway many times and never dreamt I would be inside. Their home could house a family of 10 easily and still not seem crowded. Ultra-modern and full of gadgets that Jane said her hubby loved. He has a switch in the master bedroom that turns on the shower ahead of time. Speaking of the master bedroom, I think all of us wondered what the pole was from ceiling to floor by the bed. Stripper pole was flashing through my mind when Jane assured us her hubby had, I think, knee surgery and it was just for maneuverability.
The laundry room right off the bathroom got many an ooh and aah. It held a whole wall of organized bins and laundry racks that moved and a washing machine you filled with soap only once a year! Everything to make a drab job more enjoyable. Yet, every woman likes a different house aspect. I heard moaning coming from off the kitchen and peeked in to find Wanda Swenson swooning over the walk-in pantry with myriad shelves and its own private door from the garage to unload groceries. Thanks, Jane, for sharing your home with us. I really believe they should feature it in a home idea T.V. show.
As the old saying goes “last but not least” was the log cabin of Andy and Darla Beedle. (This was the cabin originally started by Lenny Jarabek many years ago. I had not seen it since its very start.) Since I love rustic, I would say this was my favorite stop. The Beedles greeted us all so warmly like we were old friends who had stopped to visit. We loved hearing the history of their house and all the hard work it took to make it the showcase it is today. They bought it when it was in a sad state of disrepair and had the faith it could be the dream it is today (many hours of manual labor).
The polished wood floors were remarkable, and the dining room off the kitchen with the place settings on the table looked ready for a feast. The blue tiles in the kitchen surprised me, but I enjoyed the touch of bright color. We all could imagine the bliss of sitting and watching it snow from the cozy living room furniture. When we departed, they related we should return to see the gardens in the summer. I responded, “You really shouldn’t tell me that ‘cuz I might start stalking you.”
Dee Baby