South Dakota added 71 behavioral health providers in the latest CMS NPI registry update. This represents 0% of the national weekly total, indicating a very small contribution to the overall national growth this period. With only 2 new providers enrolled this week, and these being the only new additions this year, the state's workforce expansion is proceeding at a modest pace.
ABA Workforce Dynamics
Within the applied behavior analysis (ABA) sector, the data shows 1 BCBA credential and 0 RBT credentials. There were no individuals holding dual BCBA and RBT credentials in this update. The absence of RBTs and only a single BCBA in this specific NPI update suggests a minimal recent expansion in the direct ABA workforce for South Dakota. This low number of BCBAs could indicate a significant challenge in establishing or expanding ABA services, as BCBAs are crucial for supervision and program development.
Provider Demographics
Of the 66 individual providers in this update, the workforce is predominantly female, with 53 individuals (80%) identifying as female and 13 individuals (20%) as male. No specific organizations appeared multiple times in this week's data, suggesting a fragmented or localized provider landscape rather than the presence of dominant multi-state chains.
The limited recent growth in ABA-specific credentials highlights a potential need for targeted initiatives to bolster the state's capacity for delivering applied behavior analysis services.
