STURGIS, S.D. (KBHB) – Governor Kristi Noem, along with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie, were in Sturgis Wednesday visiting the Fort Meade VA Medical Center.

Wilkie and Noem toured the facility in the morning to meet one-on-one with veterans receiving care.

90 percent of South Dakota veterans visit the Fort Meade clinic which has one of the highest ratings in the country.

Noem says streamlining technology and bettering communication between the state and private organizations offering medical care will be a priority moving forward. She said Don Ackerman from the Save The Hot Springs VA Committee knows all about the issues.

This is the first time Secretary Wilkie has visited Western South Dakota since being sworn into office in July 2018. He’s hoping to visit the Hot Springs campus in a future visit.

Noem says the Hot Springs issue has been a hot topic for the past several years.

Noem says Wilkie will also meet with some of the tribal veterans service officers as well. She says the state’s tribal communities face some different challenges than other areas of the state.