Avera just announced the largest expansion project in the health system’s history. The Sioux Falls-based project will impact several health services, but women’s health specifically will experience some much needed growth to help maintain an expectation of quality patient care.
“Women drive health care decisions across the board. They make decisions for themselves. They make decisions for their aging parents, for their partners, for their children. And we want women to look at women's and children's at Avera as the place to be,” said Catherine Schiltz, DO, obstetrics and gynecology.
“For a building project like this, when you're supporting an already growing population where people want to be as close to home as possible, but sometimes have to come into the big center. For Avera McKennan, one of our pillars has always been, how do we support small hospitals and help really make sure that rural health care is as strong as it can be. When patients exceed the resources in that facility, we very quickly can bring them here,” said Kimberlee McKay, MD, obstetrics and gynecology.
Creating more space will be a huge boon for both patients and staff. Having more room also allows Avera to elevate services that directly impact patient care.
"Bringing in more patients, accepting more transports. We're going to have an additional operating room so we can do higher volume, higher acuity cases there. Extended service on postpartum, we're going to have more lactation support services available, things of that nature. I think there's just a lot of things that we can expand upon and improve upon and make even better than what we're already providing,” said Schiltz.
Labor and delivery services are just one element of the growth potential. From the operating room to the clinic, from birth to menopause, this vision for women’s health care has been years in the making.
“If we didn't already have the foundation of our people who were focused on quality and safety, efficiencies, innovation, and certainly one of our pillars of hospitality, we would never be able to build a building like this,” said McKay.
“This feels absolutely monumental. Being a women's health care provider is hands down one of the best jobs in the world. And to be able to provide a new space to our patients and our patients' families feels incredible,” said Schiltz.
“Personally, I've been in this community now 17 years and I'm just so grateful that the health system has seen the importance in investing in maternal child health, the importance in partnering with our community to make this a place that people want to come and have their babies,” said McKay.
Construction will begin later this summer and is expected to be completed in early 2027. Learn more about the women’s expansion and other elements of the project.
