South Dakota Tribe Sues Feds over ER Closure
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — A Native American tribe in South Dakota has sued the federal government over the nearly five-month closure of the only emergency room on its reservation.
The federal lawsuit brought Thursday by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe asks that federal officials be forced to re-open the emergency room at the hospital administered by the Indian Health Service.
The Associated Press obtained a copy of the complaint ahead of its official filing.
IHS shuttered the emergency department of the 35-bed Rosebud Hospital in early December, two weeks after federal inspectors uncovered serious failures.
The lawsuit argues IHS did not give Congress an evaluation of the closure's impact at least a year in advance of the shutdown, as required by federal law.
IHS did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment Thursday.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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