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The Army has agreed to a monetary settlement with a former infection control analyst at one of the busiest military hospitals, after federal investigators found that she was punished for reporting dangerous health and safety conditions for patients to a group that accredits hospitals. (Rein, 10/28)

Shuttering a Veterans Affairs hospital in Hot Springs and moving its services to Rapid City would be the cheapest option among six under consideration for revamping care in the Black Hills region, according to a much-anticipated federal study released Wednesday. The 780-page Environmental Impact Study by the Department of Veterans Affairs considered six options for changes to the facilities in Hot Springs and Rapid City as part of an effort ongoing since 2011 by the VA Black Hills Health Care System to reconfigure its services. The study found that closing the historic Battle Mountain Sanitarium, which the VA has said is its preferred option, would have an estimated 30-year cost of over $148.5 million, the lowest of the six. Taking no action would come with a more than $215 million price tag over the same time period. (Cano, 10/28)