Arielle Zionts

Author's posts

Truly Random Drug Testing: ADHD Patients Face Uneven Urine Screens and, Sometimes, Stigma

Doctors have no national standards on when to order urine tests to check whether adult ADHD patients are properly taking their prescription stimulants. Some patients are subjected to much more frequent testing than others.

It Takes a Village: Foster Program Is a New Model of Care for Indigenous Children

A foster care program on the Cheyenne River Reservation in South Dakota is attracting attention from officials elsewhere as they search for ways to reduce trauma inflicted on Indigenous families, who’ve faced generations of high rates of family separation.

Telehealth Brings Expert Sexual Assault Exams to Rural Patients

Some rural residents must travel hours for a sexual assault exam. Specialized telehealth services are expanding so they can obtain care closer to home.

South Dakota Voters Approved Medicaid Expansion, but Implementation May Not Be Easy

South Dakotans voted to expand the state’s Medicaid program to cover thousands of additional low-income residents. But as other conservative states have shown, voter approval doesn’t always mean politicians and administrators will rush to implement the change.

Campaigning Ramps Up as South Dakota Voters Decide on Medicaid Expansion

A broad coalition of Medicaid expansion supporters faces off against a smaller group of opponents as early voting begins on a constitutional amendment that would increase coverage under South Dakota’s program.

Tribe Embraces Recreational Marijuana Sales on Reservation Where Alcohol Is Banned

The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota allows people to buy and use recreational marijuana but not alcohol. Some tribal citizens say cannabis is safer than alcohol, meth, and opioids — which have wreaked havoc on the state’s Indigenous communities.

The Push for Abortion Lawmaking After ‘Dobbs’ Is Unique, Legal and Political Experts Say

The surge of calls for special legislative sessions to pass abortion laws is an unusual occurrence in modern U.S. history, according to experts — one caused by the Supreme Court’s decision to give states more power to regulate abortion.

Tribes Show Little Interest in Offering Abortions on Reservations Despite Speculation They Could

The notion that Native American nations could use tribal sovereignty to bypass state restrictions on abortion if Roe v. Wade falls is an idea largely proposed by non-Native groups.

As ‘Trigger Law’ Looms, New Clinic Preps to Provide Abortions in Conservative Bastion

A Wyoming clinic slated to open this summer would be the only one in the state to provide procedural abortions and the closest option for some people in surrounding states. But its fate is uncertain now that the Supreme Court looks poised to strike down Roe v. Wade.

A new clinic offering abortions is set to open in Wyoming, despite a looming ban

Aimed at serving a regional “abortion desert,” the clinic plans to open, despite the expected overturn of Roe v. Wade. It’s become a focal point for abortion debate in the state.