Avera Rural Health Institute

A century of care…a vision for the future

The Avera Rural Health Institute is an expression of a century-old commitment by the Benedictine and Presentation Sisters to offer high-quality health services to the people who live on the farms and in the small towns of the northern Plains region.

The Avera Rural Health Institute’s focus is to collaborate with community leaders and other agencies to find solutions to problems that affect rural health care. Through educational programs, community health planning, consulting, economic development, leadership development, technical assistance, grant writing and resource identification, the Institute serves communities throughout the region. The Institute also serves as an advocate for public policies and programs that increase access to health services and promote health and safety for rural residents.

Programs and Services

• Education and Conferences
  Programs on a wide variety of topics are available through the Avera Rural Health Institute. The Institute will assist community leaders in finding the appropriate speaker or facilitator to address specific topics or needs. Potential topics include, but are not limited to, economic development, technology innovations, health care trends, developing local leadership, new government health care programs and governing board responsibilities. The Institute sponsors an annual Fall conference that brings national leaders in rural health care to our region.

 

• Community Assessments and Planning
  The Avera Rural Health Institute staff can assist local leaders with community health assessments that identify needs, strengths and resources—information that is critical for effective planning. The staff helps leaders determine data gaps, set priorities, and determine the feasibility and possible impact of potential intervention strategies or programs. The assessment information can be used for grant writing or other resource-seeking activities. The process includes developing measurable goals and a plan for achieving them.

 

• Grant Writing
  The Avera Rural Health Institute’s grant writer can help communities identify possible grant opportunities as well as coordinate and write proposals. The Institute has wide experience with federal, state and private grant sources, and has secured grants for rural health providers in amounts as small as $2,000 or as large as $2.5 million. The Institute can coordinate the efforts of several grant applicants if it appears that a group approach will have a greater chance of success. The Institute can also assist communities in program management or evaluation once a grant has been awarded.

 

• Advocacy
  Through membership in the National Rural Health Association and in cooperation with the Avera Center for Public Policy, the Avera Rural Health Institute monitors rural health policy developments and promotes legislation that will benefit rural communities.

 

• Farm Safety Day Camps
  
  The Avera Rural Health Institute, in cooperation with Easter Seals of South Dakota and the South Dakota State University Cooperative Extension Services, annually sponsors dozens of farm safety day camps in small communities throughout the region. More than 19,000 children ages 5 to 15 have attended the SOFY (Save Our Farm Youth) day camps since the program began in 1995.

 

• AgrAbility
  AgrAbility is a federally-funded project created to assist people with disabilities who are employed in agriculture. Currently operating in 21 states, it is cosponsored in South Dakota by the Avera Rural Health Institute, Easter Seals of South Dakota and the South Dakota State University Cooperative Extension Services. The project partners collaborate with local communities and statewide organizations to remove barriers, create awareness of available resources, provide educational programs and develop greater access to employment and independent living for disabled persons and their families.

 

• Customized services 
  In addition to the programs and services listed here, the Avera Rural Health Institute is open to helping rural community leaders with other projects. The Institute’s vision is to remain flexible enough to respond to particular needs at a particular time and place, and the Institute staff welcomes the opportunity to help rural leaders find the resources they need.

Telehealth Services

• TeleHealth Care Coordination
  A two-year coordination program for individuals with a chronic disease, more specifically chronic heart failure or diabetes. The Program is a two-year program ending August 31, 2006. The program is designed to augment the physician’s plan of care utilizing the tools of home monitoring and video technology. The program’s guidelines are in accordance with national standards.  Additional information >>

We welcome your questions about the Rural Health Institute.

 

Rachael Sherard, Executive Director
Avera Rural Health Institute
3900 W Avera Drive, Suite 301
Sioux Falls, S.D. 57108-5721
Phone: (605) 322-4700
Fax: (605) 322-4798
rachael.sherard@avera.org

Lisa Kilawee, Director of Rural Health Services
Avera Rural Health Institute
3900 WAvera Drive, Suite 301
Sioux Falls, S.D. 57108-5721
Phone: (605) 322-4700
Fax: (605) 322-4798
lisa.kilawee@avera.org