Another South Dakota nursing home is closing

Another South Dakota nursing home is closing its doors. Prairie Estates Care Center in Elk Point has announced it will close January 14, 2023.

Officials says the closure is due to a combination of the ongoing underfunding of Medicaid, the current staffing crisis, and costs related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

More than 12-percent of licensed nursing facilities in South Dakota will have closed their doors in the last five years. Other recent closures include centers in Clear Lake, Sioux Falls, Huron, Madison, Bryant, and Rosholt – among others.

Mark Deak is Executive Director of the South Dakota Health Care Association (SDHCA) says nursing homes are facing unprecedented pressures and when closures occur, “South Dakota communities lose access to a vitally important service for the elderly and disabled.”

November 22, 2022