About Avera Sacred Heart Hospital

When the Benedictine Sisters established Sacred Heart Hospital in 1897, they brought with them a history of helping people – and a commitment to minister to those in need.

Today in Yankton, we are known as Avera Sacred Heart Hospital, a place where community members receive a comprehensive array of medical and health services and care in a wide range of specialties including primary care, specialty services, outpatient procedures, labor and delivery, surgery, inpatient care and much more. Avera Sacred Heart Hospital is a hospital with related facilities, including Avera Cancer Institute in Yankton, the Fox Run campus, various buildings on and near the hospital campus, plus a senior living campus in town.

Avera Sacred Heart History

• In 1897, Bishop Thomas O’Gorman prevailed upon the Benedictine Sisters of Sacred Heart Convent in Yankton to enter an entirely new field of service: care of the sick and injured. That challenge was quickly met and the Benedictine Sisters, who had been primarily trained as teachers, soon became nurses. Upon opening in November 1897, Sacred Heart Hospital was a 30-bed hospital located in a remodeled building that formerly served as a girls’ academy, Indian school and orphanage.
• In 1912, an 80-bed hospital was constructed.
• Sister James Nursing Home opened on the fourth floor of the hospital in 1949, in honor of Sister James Souhrada, a Benedictine Sister who devoted her personal and professional life to the service of the elderly.
• In 1965, the sisters completed and dedicated an addition to the hospital and new wing – now the Benedictine Center.
• In 1971, the new 144-bed Sacred Heart Hospital was constructed in 1971, the third building in the institution’s first 84 years.
• In 1996, Sacred Heart Hospital became affiliated with the Presentation Health System.
• In 1998, the hospital was renamed Avera Sacred Heart Hospital to reflect the combined ministries of the Benedictine and Presentation Sisters.
• In 1998, development of the Avera Sacred Heart Majestic Bluffs campus began, which would include a new home for Avera Sister James Care Center, assisted living and independent living apartments and townhomes.
• In January 2003, the Avera Sacred Heart Rehab & Wellness Institute (since renamed the Surgery Center) opened. The three-story building houses the Same-Day Surgery Center, Avera Sacred Heart Wellness Center and physical therapy.
• In 2006, Avera Sacred Heart's new emergency department opened its doors, doubling the number of patient rooms, and providing the latest in emergency care technology. A renovation was completed in 2023.
• Construction of the 60,000-square-foot Professional Office Pavilion was completed in the summer 2007. It includes an amphitheatre and meeting rooms, medical training, and various physician practices.
• To meet expanding needs, the Northern Lights addition was built on to the northern face of Avera Sacred Heart Hospital. It contains a café, conference rooms, laboratory, registration, pharmacy and more.
• In December 2015, 70+ beds in the Avera Yankton Care Center were moved to a new Avera Sister James Care Center addition. This expansion also included a town center with a café, theater and other amenities. In addition, a hospice residential house was built as part of the addition and opened in April 2016.
• In 2024, Avera announced the construction of a new Avera Cancer Institute location near the Fox Run campus, which will bring together all oncology specialty care under one roof (rather than multiple locations) in Yankton. The location is scheduled to open in fall 2025.