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Compassion. Quality. Focus. That's Avera.

We have a passion for progress that was sparked in the 1880s when courageous Sisters from the Benedictine and Presentation orders came to Dakota Territory on a mission. They founded several hospitals that would one day become Avera.

Today, Avera is living out that same tradition of determination in new ways, from telemedicine and virtual visits to the latest technology and expertise.

We’re meeting the challenges of our time as we provide care like we’ve never done before. We’re looking to the future with confidence and excitement, with a passion for progress that will never fade.

Avera is a regional health system comprised of 300 locations in 100 communities throughout central and eastern South Dakota and areas of four surrounding states. Avera serves a population of 1 million throughout a geographical footprint of 72,000 square miles.

Avera is the health ministry of the Benedictine Sisters of Yankton, SD, and the Presentation Sisters of Aberdeen, SD. As a health ministry rooted in the Gospel, Avera’s mission is to make a positive impact in the lives and health of persons and communities by providing quality services guided by Christian values.

A Message From Our CEO

Welcome to Avera’s 2019 Annual Report. Thank you for your interest in our health ministry. This was a memorable year for me because it was my first full fiscal year as Avera’s CEO.

Simply put, Avera is a special place. Here’s what sets us apart: Our hospitals were founded and are sponsored by the Benedictine and Presentation Sisters. They have given us a rich heritage of mission and ministry, and we enjoy the treasure of having them as an active part in the leadership of the Avera Health ministry.

Our employees have a depth of commitment to this ministry that’s amazing. Alongside our patients and their families, they share some of the most heartbreaking moments you can imagine, as well as moments of joy and celebration.

This commitment to the ministry and the strong faith of our employees is a testament to the legacy of the Sisters – a legacy we continue to live out.

This calling is more than an attitude of care and compassion. It’s doing the right thing at the right time for each patient. In a word, this is quality, and our quality at Avera is validated by numerous awards and recognitions, including being named as one of the 15 Top Health Systems in the nation by IBM Watson Health.

Bob Sutton annual report image

We will remember 2019 as a year of exciting growth for Avera as we expanded our health ministry to fulfill new and changing needs.

I am grateful to the senior leadership and Board of Directors who faithfully serve alongside me, as well as all the people and partners who come together to form this great organization known as Avera. Together, we impact many lives for the greater good.

Sincerely,

Bob Sutton, President and CEO

Avera’s Passion for Progress

Learn about Avera’s journey from the founding of our health ministry over a century ago, to today, when our spirit of innovation is leading us to deliver advanced care with the latest technology and expertise.

MISSION

Charity Care and Community Benefit

As a health care ministry, Avera provides care to all who come to us, regardless of their ability to pay. Avera’s mission involves making a positive impact upon the communities we serve, often accomplished through providing community benefits.

By the numbers…

Charity care/financial assistance: $22,205,824
Unpaid costs of government programs: $38,111,462
Additional community benefits: $67,274,479

Total: $127,591,765

Community Benefit Examples

Community health services and screenings
Health professions education
Subsidized services, including Careflight, emergency services, hospice care, behavioral health services, and more
Research
Financial and in-kind contributions
Community-building activities

Addiction Care

The Avera Addiction Care Center, located on the new Avera on Louise Health Campus, opens in December 2019.

Programming is based on a range of approaches and best practices, Avera’s vast experience in behavioral health and addiction care, as well as the Avera philosophy of care and mission.This $8 million project consists of two one-story buildings that together comprise 20,000 square feet of space: a residential building with 32 private rooms, and the main building with space for day treatment, group dining space and a meditation room that’s respectful of all faiths.

Three Value Statements of the Avera Addiction Care Center: Respect, Confidence, Hope

Avera is the regional leader in behavioral health services, and this is an important addition to our continuum of care. We look forward to offering world class residential care to those individuals and families in our region who are struggling with addiction.

David Flicek, President and CEO of Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center

As is true in everything Avera does, our programming will care for the whole person – body, mind and spirit. We clearly see addiction as a medical disease so we will engage in medical treatment of patients to help them in their recovery journey.

Matt Stanley, DO, Vice President of the Avera Behavioral Health Service Line and Avera Medical Group psychiatrist

Avera Addiction Care Center Sioux Falls

Community Partnerships

Avera’s mission to make a positive impact in the lives and health of persons and communities is a very broad, all-encompassing goal. While Avera makes a positive impact in terms of health and healing of the body, mind and spirit, there are aspects of our lives that go beyond health care: Our need for healthy food, clean water and decent housing. Our need for personal safety and the safety of our families. Our need for education. Our need for meaningful work. Our need for cultural expression and the arts.

And so Avera partners with more than 400 organizations that align with our mission and help us expand and enhance that mission beyond our facilities. Examples include:

group photo for USS South Dakota sponsorship

A capital gift to St. Francis House will help develop the kitchen in the 120-bed shelter in Sioux Falls. This ecumenical ministry is a place where the homeless can come to find recovery and support in order to move from homelessness to hope.

Avera was among sponsors from South Dakota for events in Groton, Conn., surrounding the Feb. 2, 2019, commissioning of the USS South Dakota, the most modern submarine in the world that’s now part of the U.S. Naval fleet. Military veterans from Avera were part of a statewide delegation honoring the crew of this vessel.

Donations to the American Red Cross Dakotas Region support a Home Fire Campaign to put smoke detectors in homes and disaster relief for flooding.

GROWTH

Avera Continuum of Care

215 Primary and Specialty Clinics

60+ medical specialties
1,195 physicians and advanced practice providers

35 Hospitals

Tertiary hospital: Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center
34 Community and Critical Access Hospitals
1,627 beds

40 Senior Living, Assisted Living, and Long-Term Care Locations

1,849 long-term care and assisted living beds
247 apartments

Home Care & Hospice And Home Medical Equipment

25 locations
820 average patient census

Telemedicine

450 sites in 30 states

Health Insurance

Avera Health Plans and DAKOTACARE
Covering 133,000 lives

ALSO: Occupational Health | Therapy Locations | Sports Medicine and Fitness Center | Medical Research and Clinical Trials

2019 By the Numbers

300+ Locations

100 Communities

5 States

72,000 Square Mile Footprint

19,000 Employees

2,500 Volunteers

1,195 Physicians and Advanced Practice Providers

Inpatient Discharges: 41,625
Outpatient Discharges: 1,013,173
Number of Clinic Visits: 2,094,276
Total Patient Visits: 3,149,074

exeterior photo of avera on louise campus

Bricks and Mortar

Top projects underway or completed in 2018:

Avera on Louise Health Campus in Sioux Falls: $133 million
The Helmsley Center at Avera St. Mary’s Hospital in Pierre: $29 million
Avera Rock Rapids new hospital and clinic in Rock Rapids, IA: $22 million
Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center new ICU in Sioux Falls: $11 million

Avera Medical Group Lakes Regional Family Medicine in Spirit Lake, IA: $8 million
Avera Marshall Regional Medical Center Emergency Department in Marshall, MN: $6 million
Avera Medical Group Brookings clinic renovation in Brookings: $4.5 million »
Avera Holy Family Hospital Emergency Department in Estherville, IA: $4.1 million
Avera Palm Place office space renovation in Sioux Falls: $2 million
Avera McKennan kitchen addition/remodel in Sioux Falls: $2 million

QUALITY

At Avera, we’re passionate about quality. Avera participates in systematic performance improvements that align with the National Strategy for Quality Improvement in Health Care priorities and goals.

Our Quality Plan aligns with the mission and vision of Avera, and considers the impact of the organization’s strategic and long-term goals.

Avera's Spirit of Innovation

At Avera, you’re surrounded by a team that’s focused on your mind, body and spirit. Learn how that passion inspires our expert doctors and researchers to uncover new and progressive treatments and technology.

Avera Service Lines

Through Avera’s Service Line concept, physicians from across the system collaborate to identify best practices that result in consistent care, which in turn builds quality and reduces cost.

Stronger relationships between physicians, within and across specialties, result in better transitions of care, improving outcomes and creating a better care experience for patients.

Zero Suicide Initiative

Avera’s Behavioral Health Service Line is making a big impact on suicide death rates. The initiative offers a set of tools and strategies aimed at preventing suicide death in health and behavioral health systems. Avera joined the Zero Suicide Initiative in July 2016. Between then and June of 2018, Avera has seen a number of excellent results throughout the region.

52% reduction in emergency psychiatric assessments
32% reduction in rehospitalization among patients who received inpatient behavioral health services before
45% reduction in rehospitalization among patients with suicidal ideation

Responsible Prescribing

Opioid related deaths are at an all-time high in the United States, with nearly 218,000 people suffering from lethal overdoses related to prescription opioids between 1999 and 2017, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Since Avera’s Responsible Prescribing campaign launched in 2016, Avera has seen a nearly 30% decrease in the prescription of opioids across the system. Over 2,600 patients have entered a controlled substances agreement with their provider.

Connecting to Community Resources

Many communities across the Avera footprint have agencies and organizations that can extend the reach of care at Avera. However, patients and family caregivers often don’t know how to find them on their own.

Through a collaboration with regional clinic leaders, the Avera Medical Group Mission Advisory Council has developed a Community Resource Guide that lists a wide variety of resources to help patients with health care related needs. Developing and maintaining a community resource directory is an essential component of Avera Medical Group’s Strategic Plan and fulfills a 2018 Catholic Identity Matrix (CIM) goal of the Avera Medical Group Mission Advisory Council.

National Recognition

Top care and top quality: that’s what people can expect from Avera, and our quality is verified by being named among the nation’s 15 Top Health Systems in 2019 by IBM Watson Health.

This award recognizes the consistent and innovative care Avera provides — no matter which of our clinics or hospitals you walk into.

This year’s 15 Top Health Systems study evaluated 337 health systems and 2,961 member hospitals to identify the 15 U.S. health systems with the highest overall achievement, based on a balanced scorecard of publicly available clinical, operational and patient satisfaction metrics and data.

Additional Recognition

Avera was ranked first out of the top 20 organizations earning a 2019 Customer Approved Award from NRC Health, a health care intelligence firm based in Lincoln, Neb. The award recognizes senior care organizations across the country for creating an outstanding care experience for their customers.
Avera was named to the inaugural Forbes list of America’s Best-in-State Employers for 2019. Avera was named the No. 1 employer in South Dakota, and in the top 20 in Minnesota. Based on an independent survey, researchers made the list from a vast sample of more than 80,000 U.S. employees working for companies employing at least 500 people in their U.S. operations.

Other Avera awards across the system

Browse Major 2019 News Stories

Avera Holy Family Hospital Opens New Emergency Department

A new Emergency Department at Avera Holy Family Hospital in Estherville, Iowa, includes the addition of 6,800 square feet, with 3,000 square feet of renovated space.

June 11, 2019
New Avera Hospital and Clinic Open in Rock Rapids

Avera announces the opening of the new Avera Merrill Pioneer Hospital and Avera Medical Group Rock Rapids on Highway 75 at 1100 S. 10th Ave. in Rock Rapids, Iowa.

April 15, 2019
Avera McKennan Opens Enhanced Intensive Care Unit

With a focus on improvements in care as well as privacy, Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center has opened a new and expanded Intensive Care Unit.

March 1, 2019
Carris Health in Marshall Joins Avera

Avera Marshall Regional Medical Center announces that Carris Health Marshall Clinic has become part of Avera as of Jan. 1.

January 4, 2019
Avera Begins Careflight Service in Pierre

For the first time, a new PC-12 fixed-wing plane is based in South Dakota’s capital city.

November 14, 2018
Helmsley Center Campaign Successfully Raises $2.5 Million in Matching Funds

Chairs of the community-based Helmsley Center Dollar for Dollar Match Challenge announced that this campaign has been successful in raising $2.5 million.

September 29, 2018
Helmsley Center Opening Marks New Era in Cancer Care

Comprehensive cancer care is now available in central South Dakota as the Helmsley Center opens on the campus of Avera St. Mary’s Hospital in Pierre

September 27, 2018
Avera Announces Plans for Human Performance Center at 69th and Louise Campus

This $14 million, 60,000-square-foot complex will be the third major development on the new campus.

August 29, 2018
Avera Announces Plans for Human Performance Center in Aberdeen

Avera announces plans for the Avera Human Performance Center, which will be developed in current clinic space at Avera Dakota Medical Square in Aberdeen.

August 21, 2018