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Monday, February 3, 2025

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USAID's future appears bleak as Musk and Trump work to dismantle agency; CA's K-12 schools prepare for the possibility of immigration authorities on campus; Dismantling DEIA initiatives may harm PA disability rights. Experts: DE insurers improperly deny claims for mental health treatment.

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President Trump imposes tariffs on Canada and Mexico. Legal experts question Trump's use of executive orders, and mass deportations may start to take a toll in the southwest.

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As bird flu spreads, egg prices continue to soar, wildfires aren't stopping Americans from moving to wildfire-prone states, and post-pandemic infrastructure isn't just roads and bridges but also education, healthcare and economic opportunity.

Report: Heart and Dementia Risk Factors Overlap

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Tuesday, February 1, 2022   

During February, Americans are urged to pay closer attention to their heart health. Experts say new findings suggest it can keep your brain in better shape, and South Dakota has an opportunity to help with prevention.

With American Heart Month underway, the American Heart Association's statistics update said in the past decade, global death rates from Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia have grown at a faster pace than heart-disease death rates.

Mitchell Elkind, neurology professor at Columbia University and immediate past president of the American Heart Association, said it coincides with research connecting heart disease risk factors and the likelihood of dementia.

"That boundary that we used to draw between vascular diseases of the brain, like stroke, and degenerative problems, like Alzheimer's disease, is beginning to fade away," Elkind explained.

The report showed efforts like keeping blood pressure low can reduce the risk of dementia later in life.

Meanwhile, groups supporting Medicaid expansion in South Dakota emphasized covering more people could go a long way toward keeping them healthier. Expansion is on the fall ballot, but is opposed by some leaders, including Gov. Kristi Noem.

Lindsey Karlson, director of quality improvement for the Community HealthCare Association of the Dakotas, said the clients they work with fall into the coverage gap; they make too much money to qualify for Medicaid, but can't afford other health insurance plans.

Community health centers will see them for primary care, but Karlson pointed out having insurance gives them more options.

"Medicaid expansion helps that patient get access to additional specialty care that they might need, so we're talking heart disease," Karlson explained.

South Dakota is among the last states holding out on Medicaid expansion, which is largely funded by the federal government under the Affordable Care Act.

Elkind added there is real concern with many people not having health care access or forgoing preventive care in the pandemic, the situation will only get worse.

"We are seeing an increase in cardiovascular disease and strokes, and that might lead to an increase down the line in people with not just dementia, but all sorts of long-term, chronic health issues," Elkind cautioned.

Disclosure: American Heart Association of South Dakota contributes to our fund for reporting on Health Issues, Poverty Issues, Senior Issues, and Smoking Prevention. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


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