Living in the Midwest can mean living rural and potentially farther away from health care. In an effort to continue to provide quality care closer to home, Avera offers outreach in several specialties across the Midwest footprint. Come along for a typical day of orthopedic outreach and see how Avera lives out the mission by bringing specialists to rural communities.
Bringing Orthopedic Care to Rural Communities
“Basically, I go out to northwest Iowa weekly for a clinic day to be able to offer orthopedic care locally," said Bryce Braaksma, DO, an orthopedic surgeon with Avera Orthopedics.
The days are long and can start a lot earlier to account for the drive time and commute out to rural facilities. But it's a partnership and orthopedic outreach program that has grown and continues to thrive. Northwest Iowa is where Dr. Braaksma grew up and he's proud to serve the community and people of this region.
“Clinic out here gets busy. We usually see about 40 patients a day when we come out for a clinic here in Sioux Center," added Dr. Braaksma.
Same Technology Ensures Standard of Care
For the most part clinic days are made up of follow-up appointments to ensure new joints or implants are functioning like they should. Dr. Braaksma also schedules surgery days at Sioux Center Health twice a month. adding an additional dozen or so new patients to the caseload.
“I use robotics for my surgery here and in Sioux Falls, so the implants, the technology is just as good here. The nursing staff is great both in the OR and on the floor. Physical therapy does a great job out here," said Dr. Braaksma.
Because there's no difference in technology, Sioux Center and the surrounding community is set up nicely for outreach and keeps a lot of its population closer to home.
“We started this Avera Orthopedics partnership almost six years ago and we grew from 300 visits the first year to over 6,000 visits this last year in 2025," said Cory Nelson, CEO of Sioux Center Health. "It's pretty crazy to see those numbers really, really grow and we really look forward to continuing to do that and bring new specialists, new levels of care, and really work in that hub and spoke model where we can do that care delivery right here for people.”
One of those people, is Sue Noteboom who has been seen by Dr. Braaksma for achy knees and also had a hip replaced in August of 2025.
“From the first time you meet Dr. Braaksma, he feels like an old friend and he feels like someone that you can definitely put your trust in. Having this wonderful caring team in this area is amazing. I can't say enough good about it and how much of a blessing it was to myself and to my family,” said Noteboom.
The Future of Rural Medicine
“Rural health care truly is the backbone of health care here in this part of the country and we can't do it alone. So we partner with multiple organizations and clearly Avera is our biggest partner and having that makes it all work; it really does,” said Nelson.
Orthopedics in general has come a long way in the last 20 years with minimally invasive procedures and technology so people can have better outcomes and shorter recovery windows. When they are able to get that care closer to home, it can have a dramatic impact on the healing environment while also helping ease the burden on caretakers during recovery. Everyone's situation is a little unique, but there are plenty of options to overcome orthopedic pain.
"The main thing is don't be scared to come in if you're worried about anything, there's no stupid question, there's no problem too small; so come on in we're happy to evaluate you and hopefully give you high quality care,” said Dr. Braaksma.
Learn more about orthopedic outreach and locations
