Behavioral health care that once required hours of travel is now available inside schools for thousands of Iowa students.

Did you have a special reason to celebrate, milestone to cherish or memory of a loved one you'd like to honor this past year? This holiday season, you can buy a keepsake ornament from the Columbus Community Hospital Foundation. The ornament provides a meaningful way for you to capture treasured memories and have a lasting reminder of those who hold a special place in your heart.

The Iowa Healthiest State Initiative is proud to announce the recipients of its 2026 Healthiest State Annual Awards, recognizing four outstanding Iowans whose leadership and dedication are helping create healthier communities across the state.

The Iowa Hospital Association (IHA) today presented Speaker Pat Grassley with its 2026 Healthcare Champion Award during a special recognition event at Waverly Health Center. The award recognizes individuals whose leadership, partnership and commitment have made a meaningful difference in strengthening Iowa's healthcare system and supporting hospitals' ability to serve their communities.

HealthPartners and Essentia Health today announced that their boards of directors have approved an affiliation agreement to combine their organizations. Together, the two Minnesota-based nonprofit health systems will expand access to high-quality care and coverage, strengthen specialty services, leverage technology to better serve patients and support clinicians, and help make healthcare more affordable.

If you want to learn more about diabetes, Columbus Community Hospital has just the event for you. Diabetes Awareness Day, in association with the Living Swell event, takes place from 4-7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 22, at the Columbus Fieldhouse. The event will include a cooking demonstration, informational booths and free and discounted screenings and immunizations.

Sanford Fargo and the 119th North Dakota Air National Guard have reached an agreement that allows the 119th Air Guard Medical Group to complete their annual training requirements at Sanford Fargo.

Starting Oct. 1, CHI Health Orthopedics (Good Samaritan) will offer walk-in care for orthopedic injuries and concussions, featuring exclusive weekday hours and Saturday availability. Operating alongside the clinic's existing services, the Orthopedic Urgent Care requires no appointment and is open Monday-Friday from 7:30-11 a.m. and Saturdays from 8-11 a.m.

Steffanie Holtrop, Co-Founder and VP of Sales & Marketing at MED (Midwest Medical Edition) and Publisher of 'hood Magazine, received the EmBeliever Award at The EMBES – A Tribute to Women on Thursday night in Sioux Falls.

Heritage Bank, N.A. announced recently that its downtown Sioux Falls location will be rebranded as Physician Bank, establishing the office as the headquarters of its growing national banking brand dedicated exclusively to physicians and medical professionals.

The Essentia Health-The Lights West Fargo Clinic is excited to welcome pediatrician, Dr. Charlie Cheng.

Essentia Health-Fargo is proud to highlight the addition of a state-of-the-art electrophysiology (EP) procedural suite. The $2 million project — which repurposed a general operating room (OR) — allows both of Essentia's Fargo-based electrophysiologists to be in the lab doing procedures simultaneously.

Congratulations to Kendra Becker, BSRT, (R), (M), (CT), (MR), Columbus Community Hospital's 2026 Caring Kind Award winner!

On September 22, 2026, JLG Architects joined state leaders in Jamestown, ND, to celebrate the beam signing of the new North Dakota State Hospital (NDSH), under construction just west of the existing State Hospital.

A program to provide hair, wig, makeup and prosthetic services to patients at the Morrison Cancer Center is the focus of a large donation from an annual golf tournament.

MercyOne will host a 'Walk-In Wednesday' in-person hiring event on Wednesday, Sept. 30, from 2 to 4 p.m. This walk-in hiring event is designed to make it even easier for both job seekers and MercyOne to find the right fit. Applicants may have the opportunity to complete the interview process and receive an on-the-spot conditional offer during the event.

CHI Health St. Francis, in partnership with the Central District Health Department, invites the community to "Understanding Radon" from noon-1 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 6, in Conference Room 6 A/B at the hospital. The free health education seminar will introduce the basics of radon — a prevalent, cancer-causing household gas — while highlighting practical steps to mitigate exposure and prevent cancer through early detection.

Sanford Bismarck is continuing its commitment to advanced surgical care with the addition of the da Vinci 5 Surgical System, the most advanced and integrated robotic-assisted surgery platform.

North Dakota residents have a chance to contribute to local research by submitting ticks you find crawling on yourself or your pets as part of a citizen scientist study.

UnityPoint Clinic proudly announces that Ashlesha Kaushik, MD, MS, pediatric infectious disease specialist, has been elected president of the Iowa Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), marking several historic milestones for pediatric medicine and Siouxland.

Jamestown Regional Medical Center (JRMC) welcomes Shar Stockwell as the new director of the JRMC Foundation. In this leadership role, Stockwell will guide JRMC's philanthropic strategy and strengthen connections among the medical center, its donors and the communities it serves.

UnityPoint Health® – Trinity Heart Center has reached a significant milestone in heart care with the successful completion of its 1,000th pulsed field ablation (PFA) procedure, an advanced treatment option for atrial fibrillation (AFib.)

For the 30th consecutive year, Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield has been recognized by Business Record readers as Best Health Insurance Company. This milestone demonstrates Wellmark's ongoing commitment to serving its more than two million members as a leading health insurance company headquartered in Iowa and South Dakota. It comes at a time when employers continue to manage increasing health care costs and employees are seeking clearer, more convenient ways to understand and use their coverage.

Tommy Ibrahim, M.D., MBA, MHA, executive vice president and chief transformation officer at Sanford Health, will join national healthcare and research leaders at the Newsweek AI Health Summit Sept. 23 in New York City.

A coalition of construction and industry leaders is coming together to champion workforce health through the 2026 Sioux Falls Hard Hats with Heart campaign. Led by Event Chair Megan Barkley with L. G. Everist, Inc. and an Executive Leadership Team of local business and community leaders, the initiative supports the American Heart Association's efforts to help workers build healthier habits, increase awareness of cardiovascular disease risk factors and strengthen emergency preparedness across the industry.

Sanford Health is expanding access to care in Williston through the addition of new providers, specialty outreach care and enhanced access to primary care, pediatrics, cardiology and women's health services.

With the arrival of fall, CHI Health Good Samaritan is alerting the community of a 'silent epidemic' that threatens the independence of millions of older adults: accidental falls.

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, MercyOne Genesis and the MercyOne Genesis Foundation will host the 6th Annual Gather for the Cure on Sunday, October 18, at Scott County Park, Whispering Pines Indoor Shelter.

Essentia Health-Fargo is proud to welcome hospitalist Dr. Adhanom Beyene.

"I chose Essentia Health because I was impressed by the people I met, the collaborative environment and the organization's strong emphasis on patient-centered care and its core values," said Dr. Beyene. "I was looking for a place where I could grow as a hospitalist, work with a supportive team and provide compassionate, high-quality care to my patients."

The National Institutes of Health awarded $11,090,204 over five years to establish the South Dakota Center for Advancing Clinical and Translational Research (SD-ACT), a statewide partnership among Avera Research Institute, South Dakota State University and the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine.