Major Legislative Wins for Health Centers Across the Dakotas

(In photo from left to right: Tim Trithart, Lexy Eggert, Joe Kippley, Shelly Ten Napel, Liz Schenkel, Shannon Bacon)

South Dakota Legislative Wins Strengthen Health Center Access

With South Dakota’s 2026 legislative session in the rearview mirror, CHAD and health centers are celebrating some major wins for access to primary care in our state.

Most notably, the fiscal year (FY) 2027 state budget includes $3.4 million in funding for federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) – a critical win to secure fair Medicaid payments and keep health center doors open. Currently, health centers are reimbursed at only 60 percent of the cost of providing care to Medicaid patients. This additional funding will help stabilize health centers by updating their 25-year-old rates to reflect present-day costs. To prevent a similar situation in the future, the legislature also wrote FQHCs into a statute that requires rate reviews every five years. In addition, the FY 2027 budget includes a 1.4% inflationary increase for Medicaid providers

Together, these changes will have a significant impact on the sustainability of health centers, ensuring continued access to preventive care for over 126,000 South Dakotans. Thank you to the CHAD team, health center leaders, lobbyist Jennifer Stalley, and the legislative champions who joined together to make this possible!

To see what else CHAD was tracking during the legislative session, check out our online bill tracker.

RHTP Update: South Dakota

South Dakota has released a total of 11 RHTP Requests for Proposals (RFPs). The current RFPs are primarily targeted to vendors and are focused on setting up the infrastructure support for RHTP.

Full RFPs can be viewed at the state’s posting site, by searching “RHT.” In reviewing future RFPs, make note that they have required Letter of Intent (LOI) responses within a short window of time. LOI deadlines are listed within the RFP documents. For quick reference, SDAHO’s tracker is a helpful resource that includes LOI deadlines.

In addition, South Dakota Health Link’s RHTP webpage includes an applicant readiness guide and updates regarding the upcoming Digital Health Modernization and Technology Grant Program.

RHTP Update: North Dakota

North Dakota released its first RFP (Workforce Retention Funding for Critical Access Hospitals and Their Owned and Operated Clinics) on March 18. The current RFP is available only to critical access hospitals and their owned and operated clinics. However, the RFP notes that additional funding opportunities will be announced in mid-2026 and will include additional eligibility sites. CHAD continues to proactively engage state officials regarding the vital role of community health centers in transforming rural health.

For ongoing updates, see North Dakota’s RHTP webpage. In addition, CHAD’s RHTP webpage includes our recent webinar presentation highlighting the state’s initiatives and alignment with health centers.

GPCIN Summit & Strategic Planning

Time is running out to secure your spot for the GPCIN Summit and Strategic Planning Conference, happening April 28–30, 2026, in Rapid City, South Dakota. Registration and the hotel room block are closing soon—don’t miss your chance to attend.

This important gathering will bring together leaders from across the Great Plains Clinically Integrated Network for collaboration, shared learning, and hands-on strategic planning. Attendees will help shape the future direction of GPCIN while building connections with peers across the region.

Leadership teams—including executives, board members, and key staff—are encouraged to attend and be part of these critical conversations.

Reserve your spot today and make your voice part of the future of GPCIN.

APR 28-30 | Rapid City, SD

Equipping Your Board: Strengthening Governance Data:
A 2-Part Webinar Series for Health Center Leadership Teams
Health center boards must oversee finances, quality, CEO performance, and compliance, but leadership teams often struggle to provide the right information. This two-part webinar with Jennifer Genua-McDaniel will help teams design reporting systems that meet federal requirements, strengthen board oversight, and focus on the most important data.

APR 6 & 20 | 1:00 PM CT / 12:00 PM MT

Join CHAD and the South Dakota Department of Health for a discussion of “Connecting Families to Care: Maternal & Infant Health Resource Promotion and Mapping in South Dakota” at the upcoming SD ECCS webinar!
Join us at 12:00 pm CT on April 14 to learn about the collaborative efforts to improve access to family supports statewide. This session will introduce updates to the Family Resources website, share strategies for connecting families and providers to services, and provide an overview of the South Dakota Maternal and Infant Health Task Force’s work to identify gaps and strengthen maternal and infant care.

APR 14 | 12:00 PM CT / 11:00 AM MT

Maternal Mental Health Series
Session 3: Referral, Care Coordination, and Community Resource Integration
This three-part Maternal Mental Health series is designed to help health center teams strengthen perinatal mental health care across every setting. The series covers the full continuum of care, from early screening and identification to clinical response and treatment planning, and referral and community care coordination. Each session provides evidence-based tools and actionable strategies that can be immediately integrated into obstetric, midwifery, pediatric, and primary care workflows. Participants will leave better equipped to identify at-risk patients, respond appropriately to positive screens, and support continuity of care for pregnant and postpartum patients, including those in rural and underserved communities.

MAY 27 | 12:00 PM CT / 11:00 AM MT

RM-PHTC's Facilitation Foundations Course

Registration is open for the Rocky Mountain Public Health Training Center’s winter run of Facilitation Foundations—a highly interactive, deep-dive course designed for those new to facilitation.

Over 10 weeks, you’ll build your capacity to facilitate meetings and coalitions that are efficient, effective, and lead to results. By the end, you’ll be equipped to help groups meet their goals and take ownership of the process.

Live Sessions: April 29 - June 24 (Wednesdays, every other week)

Registration Deadline: April 14
Register

Dakota Conference on Rural Health
The Dakota Conference on Rural Health, which has been a mainstay in North Dakota for over 40 years, is being reimagined. This year, the conference will take a stronger look at leadership, workforce, and innovation happening throughout rural North Dakota communities.

June 3-4 | Alerus Center in Grand Forks, ND

Smarter Workflows, Better Outcomes: Managing the Growing Medicaid Redetermination Workload

With HR1 requiring more frequent Medicaid redetermination cycles, Community Health Centers are facing a growing operational burden—and higher risk of patient coverage loss. Join Azara Healthcare to learn how DRVS is providing data-driven outreach and repeatable workflows to better manage redetermination at scale. Azara will focus on steps they are taking to provide practical solutions for reaching patients, tracking progress, and offering assistance through the final steps needed to successfully complete redetermination.

Tuesday, March 24

12:00 pm CT/11:00 am MT

Enlisting DRVS to Improve Colorectal Cancer Screening Rates

Colorectal cancer screening remains one of the most challenging preventive care measures to improve, particularly in underserved and rural communities where barriers such as limited access, competing priorities, and low FIT return rates can stall progress. Moving the needle requires more than reminders; it demands a proactive, data-driven approach that meets patients where they are and supports care teams with actionable insights. Join Azara for a focused session on how to leverage DRVS to identify patients due for colorectal cancer screening at both the point-of-care and population levels. Azara will explore practical strategies for using DRVS tools to examine workflows, close screening gaps, and track outcomes over time.

Thursday, March 26

1:00 pm CT/12:00 pm MT

This publication is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $1,561,267.00 with 0 percent financed with non-governmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit HRSA.gov. CHAD makes available upon request its annual 990 report. Please make your request directly to the Director of Programs at 605-309-0873.