South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem has signed an Executive Order to take immediate action to address the public health crisis caused by the nationwide shortage of critical medications.
The order directs the state Health Department to investigate medication shortages in the state, identify opportunities to mitigate those medication shortages, and provide the governor a report on its findings no later than June 12th.
Medication shortages in the United States increased by 30% from 2021 to 2022, and they reached a five-year high at the end of last year with 295 active drug shortages.
Noem is seen as a potential Republican presidential candidate next year and the press release announcing the executive order had the sound of a campaign speech.
In it, she blasts the Biden Administration, saying its failure to address the shortage is causing patient care to suffer, but that “once again, South Dakota will step up and be the leader that Biden refuses to be.”