SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Gov. Kristi Noem and the South Dakota Department of Social Services are working to expand the number of regional behavioral health facilities across the state.
The state received $15 million in federal stimulus funding to support the expansion, which was approved by legislators and included in the department’s overall budget.
Noem says that over the next four years, an estimated $3,750,000 will be spent annually for the construction and expansion of facilities across the state.
According to authorities, people in mental health crisis are often placed in jail or are involuntarily committed to inpatient psychiatric hospitals when they could be served in a less restrictive setting closer to their home and community.
