SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) - The House Health and Human Services Committee approved a bill expanding prenatal care to women of refugee or immigrant status.
Secretary of the Department of Social Services Lynne Valente says the bill will help curb South Dakota’s high infant mortality rate.
Valente says the measure will also save the state money in the long run. She says the money the state is paying out today for premature infants who need coverage in the neonatal intensive care unit.
The bill is sponsored by Republican Representative Roger Hunt of Brandon and Democratic Senator Bernie Hunoff of Yankton.