FEATURE
The South Dakota Public Health Laboratory is located in the very center of the state in the capital of Pierre . The city of only 14,000 is the second smallest state capital in the US ( No . 1 is Montpelier , Vermont , with a population of 8,000 .)
Driving east to Sioux Falls , the state ’ s largest city , can take three hours . Rapid City is nearly three hours in the opposite direction . And that ’ s when the roads are clear . In the winter , there might be a foot of snow on the ground or roads may be covered in ice — or both . Weather and distance are just two of the interconnected difficulties public health workers in the state face .