The healthcare system is failing; this scholarship changed my life: Your letters

Your letters to the editor for Oct. 8, 2023:

Patients say the healthcare system is failing them. Are we listening?

Americans are frustrated with the state of healthcare; they’re afraid that when they need medical care it won’t be available or will be unaffordable. When they do receive care, many say providers don’t listen to them.

Findings from a recent survey by The Harris Poll should sound a deafening alarm for policymakers across the country—including South Dakota. Patients are feeling the effects of workforce shortages, provider burnout and skyrocketing costs. This survey, commissioned by the American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA), illustrates the systemic challenges facing patients, weaknesses within the healthcare system, and provided patients an opportunity to share their experiences with the healthcare system.

As a physician assistant (PA), I recognize the importance of giving patients a voice. Medical providers cannot serve the needs of patients until we fully understand the challenges they are facing.

For far too many U.S. adults, the healthcare system just isn't working. In fact, 73% of U.S. adults say the healthcare system fails to meet their needs in some way.

The need for more physicians and other clinicians won't be solved overnight, but there are changes we can make now to provide immediate improvements to healthcare delivery. PAs are uniquely positioned in South Dakota to provide excellent health care in rural and underserved areas. As a South Dakota native, I want to ensure high-quality physician assistants trained in South Dakota remain in our state to fill health care gaps and increase access to medical care. Our profession is willing and ready to adapt to the everchanging healthcare environment to meet patient’s needs and continue serving our communities.

The good news is that the Harris survey shows nationwide understanding of the value PAs in healthcare and the near-universal recognition of the need to modernize PA practice laws. Nine in 10 adults say PAs provide safe and effective care, and the same percentage supports updating PA practice laws to allow states and healthcare systems to fully utilize their healthcare workforce. Today, there are approximately 168,300 PAs in the U.S. making it one of the fastest growing occupations in the country. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates PA employment to increase 28% between 2021 and 2031 – much faster than the average for all occupations.

The public’s faith in PAs, demonstrated by The Harris Poll findings, should spark action by legislators to remove cumbersome barriers to PA practice. South Dakota lawmakers must take full advantage of our existing PA workforce and recruit more PAs to meet the rising demand for patient access to healthcare.

− Kayla Frank, Sioux Falls, Secretary of the South Dakota Academy of Physician Assistants and a member of the American Academy of Physician Assistants.

More: SD's shortchanging its children; Trump's not the elephant in the room: Your letters

How the High School Diplomats scholarship changed my life

Attention South Dakota high schoolers! This past summer, I applied for and won a fully funded High School Diplomats (HSD) scholarship. I was one of 20 American high schoolers and 20 students from Japan to spend 2 weeks together at the Univ. of Virginia (UVA) campus as roommates, learning each other's languages, each other's cultures, and about history between the U.S. and Japan. Next summer, the program will send me to Japan (for free!) to do the flip-side: I will tour Kyoto, Tokyo, Hiroshima, and meet up with my roommate and other students from last summer.

While at UVA, we taught our Japanese peers about our American culture. My favorite part was celebrating some unique American traditions: 4th of July, Halloween, and even getting dressed up and hosting an American prom!

This scholarship is available to any 10th or 11th grade student. You don't have to know Japanese (I didn't know a single word before). The HSD program started after WWII as a way to promote peace and understanding between America and Japan. It is funded by AIG.

The application opens on Oct. 1 and runs through January. Winners will spend 10 days this summer at UVA and then have the chance to go to Japan the following summer. You can find more info and the application at www.highschooldiplomats.com.

I hope another student from South Dakota will get this awesome opportunity!

− Champ Baumgarten, Sioux Falls junior at Jefferson High School

The shocking statistics of homelessness

I am writing in response to the article titled South Dakota Cities Take a New, More Compassionate Approach to Addressing Homelessness published in your newspaper on December 19, 2022.

I am doing a project for my university on the crisis of homeless veterans in the United States. A shocking statistic is that 23% of veterans today are homeless in the U.S.

Many citizens do not know this information today and I believe that it is important to bring up veterans when talking about the homeless crisis because they make up almost a quarter of all veterans. I liked how in your article you gave the statistics for homeless people in SD broken down into sections of the state.

I agree that homeless citizens typically do not want to be encountered with police officers in uniform. This makes them feel like criminals and inhuman when they are just trying to survive.

It is important that the state of South Dakota has resources to help individuals who are homeless and it is even more important that these resources are easily accessible. The homeless population is increasing steadily and as a society, we need to find ways to make a change, especially for those who have served our country.

Many times veterans struggle with PTSD, addiction, and depression and this leads them to become homeless. According to the American Addiction Center more than 53% of homeless people suffer from severe mental illness or drug addiction. Having programs for veterans to help cope with these issues before they control their lives will help decrease the number of homeless veterans and the overall homeless population.

−Maya Radigan, Vermillion

How to submit a letter to the editor:

Letters need to be roughly 300 to 500 words, and will need to include first and last name, address, city and title. Addresses won’t be publicized, of course, but it’s a way for us to make sure those who submit a letter are who they say they are.

Letters will run on Sundays in print and online as we receive them. There may be moments, however, when we don't have any as we work to solicit interest and actively rebuild this part of our coverage for readers.

You can submit those to News Director Shelly Conlon by emailing sconlon@argusleader.com or submit them through our online form here, which also is sent directly to the news director.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: The healthcare system is failing; this scholarship changed my life: Your letters