South Dakota registered 11 total behavioral health providers in the latest CMS NPI registry weekly update. This represents 0% of the national weekly total, signaling a minimal contribution to national growth. Notably, 5 of these providers were new this week, accounting for the vast majority of the 6 new providers added in the state this year. This sudden influx suggests a recent push or new programs starting up.
ABA Workforce Composition
Focusing on the ABA workforce, the data shows 1 BCBA and 2 RBTs among the new registrations. There were no individuals holding dual BCBA and RBT credentials. This 2-to-1 RBT-to-BCBA ratio is significantly lower than typical ratios seen in more established ABA markets, where a higher number of RBTs per BCBA is common. This low ratio in South Dakota suggests a nascent ABA workforce, with potential for growth in direct service providers (RBTs) once more BCBA supervision capacity is established. Other behavioral health professionals added include 2 Clinical Social Workers (CSW) and 1 Speech-Language Pathologist (CF-SLP).
Provider Demographics
The individual provider data reveals a workforce predominantly composed of females, with 7 providers (64%) identifying as female, 1 provider (9%) as male, and 3 providers (27%) as nonbinary. No organizational providers were registered in this update, and no notable organizations appeared multiple times. The new providers are distributed across cities such as Rapid City, Sioux Falls, and Yankton.
This snapshot of South Dakota's behavioral health workforce indicates a small but growing sector, with a critical need for more BCBA-level professionals to support the expansion of ABA services and ensure adequate supervision for RBTs.
