South Dakota health secretary: American Indian disparities in death, disease 'atrocious'

'If the graphs don’t bother you, you should not be in health care' Secretary Melissa Magstadt tells lawmakers

PIERRE – Health disparities between South Dakota’s white and Native American populations have “atrocious” disparities, Secretary of Health Melissa Magstadt told lawmakers Thursday.

The secretary vowed to work to bridge those disparities by improving health outcomes and death rates among Native Americans.

“We’re taking a very hard look at this, because this means something to me,” she told a committee of lawmakers on the House Health and Human Services committee during an informational briefing.