Amy Boyd knows these halls at Avera McKennan like that back of her hand. In fact, she’s been walking them for 25 years.
She started as a nurse for the health system in 2000.
“It was so nerve-wracking, starting out as a new grad, my first adult job,” said Boyd who is the nurse manager of the ICU. “I started out in orthopedics/neurology, from there when neurology transferred to 1East we joined the cardio pulmonary patient population where I was able to work for a while and get some experience before transferring to ICU.”
Not only was Amy getting her start 25 years ago, but so was Avera.
That’s when the Benedictine and Presentation Sisters joined their separate health systems to form Avera Health in order to better serve communities.
How Avera Got Its Start
“The Presentation Health System was kind of spreading out on the Prairie, the Benedictine system was coming a little bit north toward Chamberlain, so pretty soon we were walking on each other’s territory,” said Sister Lynn Marie Welbig, a member of the Presentation Sisters.
“Our commitment to rural health fit into that really well, that people aren’t going to have to choose between going to a Benedictine hospital or Presentation hospital or an independent hospital,” said Sister Mildred Busch, a member of the Benedictine Sisters.
“They both took the idea that this is a stronger, by far, stronger ministry, which turned out to be very accurate, if they would find a way to come together,” said former CEO of Avera, John Porter.
It took a lot of work to bring the two together. Of course, a name needed to be determined. Eventually the leadership board landed on Avera.
“It’s Latin, and it has a nice meaning, ‘to be well,’” said Sr. Welbing.
“Avera is this shared charism between the two congregations, it’s not Presentation Avera, it’s not Benedictine Avera, it is Avera,” said Jim Dover, FACHE, President and CEO of Avera.
They also needed to decide things like their mission, vision, and values.
Rooted in the Gospel
“The question finally came up, ‘what do we have in common,’ and well, we want to follow Jesus we want to do good work, we want to be kind, be compassionate, we want to take care of people, well that’s the Gospel, we all have the Gospel in common, but finally we got to the word rooted. We are rooted in the Gospel, so we decided that’s a wonderful word, Avera is rooted in the Gospel,” said Sr. Welbig.
“You take a look at our mission statement, even our vision statement, we see ourselves providing quality, accessible healthcare in a predominately rural area,” said Porter.
“Our values embrace everybody regardless of what part of life they come from, so we have deep appreciation and gratitude for that foresight, insightfulness, and ability to frame us up in a way that we can continue to grow,” said Dover.
It’s a mission that started a quarter of a century ago, and Amy feels honored to carry it out each day.
Avera 25 Years Later
“I really feel like the mission of Avera is reflected through the work that my team does at the bedside. It’s not just about coming in and doing your day, it’s making sure that everyone around you is cared for, they’ve gotten something to eat, to drink, they’ve been cared for in a way mentally and emotionally and physically,” said Boyd.
“I just get that feeling of ‘yes, this is ours, we did it’ and it’s still functioning,” said Sr. Busch.
“I hope that 25 years from now, people will look back and say while the rest of the world was having these challenges, Avera was viewed as an organization that stayed true to their values, true to their mission, and actually delivered on their promises to the communities to make a positive impact in the quality of their lives and care, guided by Christian values,” said Dover.
Avera began as a collaboration 127 locations including hospitals, long-term care centers, senior living communities and clinics in 46 communities. Today, Avera employs 22,600 at 315 locations in 100 communities.
