Prairie Lakes Laboratory Expands Direct-Access Walk-In Testing Services
Prairie Lakes Laboratory is making it easier than ever for community members to take a proactive approach to their health with expanded walk-in, direct access lab testing services.
Prairie Lakes Healthcare System Performs First Leadless Pacemaker Procedure, Expanding Cardiac Care Options
The procedure was performed by Interventional Cardiologist Dr. Joseph Elliott, along with Jacklyn Karli, DNP, and the Prairie Lakes Cath Lab team. This milestone introduces a new, minimally invasive option for patients who require a pacemaker.
Prairie Lakes Releases May 2026 Public Event Schedule
Prairie Lakes Healthcare System (PLHS) supports the community with a wide range of events and support groups. For more details and to register for an event, please visit prairielakes.com/calendar.
Registration Opens for the 29th Annual Hospital Hill Run
Prairie Lakes Healthcare System (PLHS) is inviting local families to the 29th Annual Hospital Hill Run on Saturday, June 13th, 2026. The Hospital Hill Run was created nearly three decades ago by a handful of local healthcare providers to promote the importance of exercise in a fun and family-friendly way.
Prairie Lakes Healthcare System Announces Public Events for April 2026
Prairie Lakes Healthcare System (PLHS) supports the community with a wide range of events and support groups. For more details and to register for an event, please visit prairielakes.com/calendar.
Caitlin Broek Appointed Director of IT and Clinical Informatics at Prairie Lakes
Prairie Lakes Healthcare System (PLHS) is pleased to announce Caitlin Broek as Director of Information Technology (IT) and Clinical Informatics.
Prairie Lakes Healthcare System Named Top 100 Rural and Community Hospital by Chartis Center
Prairie Lakes Healthcare System (PLHS), a division of Sanford Health, announced it has been recognized as a 2026 Top 100 Rural & Community Hospital by The Chartis Center for Rural Health. The Top 100 awards program celebrates outstanding performance annually among the nation’s rural hospitals based on the results of the Chartis Rural Hospital Performance INDEX?. PLHS has received this award 11 consecutive years.
Make-A-Wish Northeast South Dakota Event Raises Historic Funds at Annual Dinner and Auction
Make-A-Wish South Dakota & Montana is thrilled to share the record-breaking success of its recent Northeast South Dakota Dinner and Auction, an inspiring event that raised an incredible $222,284 in net proceeds which will help grant more than 20 wishes for children facing critical illnesses. This year’s success serves as a testament to the remarkable generosity of the Watertown and northeast South Dakota communities.
South Dakota Names Dr. Sarah Reiffenberger Family Physician of the Year
Prairie Lakes Healthcare System is proud to share that Dr. Sarah Reiffenberger, MD, FAAFP, family medicine physician at Prairie Lakes Brown Clinic – Northridge, has been named South Dakota Family Physician of the Year by the South Dakota Academy of Family Physicians (SDAFP).
Prairie Lakes Appoints New Director of Facilities
Prairie Lakes Healthcare System (PLHS) is pleased to welcome Jon Hoffman as the new Director of Facilities Management.
Prairie Lakes Healthcare System Earns Spot on Forbes’ 2026 Top Hospitals List
Prairie Lakes Healthcare System (PLHS), a division of Sanford Health, has been named to the inaugural Forbes’ Top Hospitals 2026 list, a national ranking of general acute-care hospitals recognized for delivering high-quality, safe, and value-driven care.
Prairie Lakes Healthcare System Honored With 2025 Performance Leadership Award by the Chartis Center for Rural Health
As part of National Rural Health Day yesterday, Prairie Lakes Healthcare System (PLHS), a division of Sanford Health, earned a 2025 Performance Leadership Award for excellence in outcomes. Compiled by The Chartis Center for Rural Health, the Performance Leadership Awards program recognizes top quartile performance among rural hospitals in quality, outcomes and/or patient perspective. PLHS is one of six South Dakota hospitals recognized in the outcomes category.
Prairie Lakes Healthcare System Earns Spot on Newsweek’s America’s Best-In-State Hospitals 2026 List
Prairie Lakes Healthcare System (PLHS), a division of Sanford Health, has once again earned a place on Newsweek’s America’s Best-In-State Hospitals list for 2026.
Sanford Health Merges With Watertown-Based Health System
Prairie Lakes was founded in 1986 after two hospitals in Watertown came together: St. Ann and Memorial. The system cares for 90,000 people in a 10-county region of northeast South Dakota and western Minnesota.
Prairie Lakes Welcomes Physician Assistant to General Surgery Team
Prairie Lakes Healthcare System welcomes licensed and board-certified Physician Assistant, Olivia Lepke, PA-C, to the General Surgery Clinic staff. She joins Dr. Greg Gerrish, Dr. Kristopher Johnson, and Dr. Jacob Schaeffer in the expert surgical care for patients with conditions affecting the abdomen, breast, skin, and soft tissues.
Prairie Lakes Orthopedics Welcomes Nurse Practitioner to Clinical Team
Prairie Lakes Healthcare System is pleased to welcome Jolyn Sackmann, DNP, to the Prairie Lakes Orthopedics team. Sackmann joins a skilled group of providers including Dr. Michael Vener, Dr. Gerald Rieber, Dr. Casey Johnston, Lisa Lee, CNP, and Tim Larson, PA-C, in delivering expert care for patients with orthopedic conditions involving joints, bones, ligaments, nerves, and tendons.
Prairie Lakes Primary Care Introduces New Family Medicine Providers
Prairie Lakes Healthcare System is pleased to welcome Dr. Alexandra Gauer, and Certified Nurse Practitioners Adrienne Bak and Susan Olson to the Prairie Lakes Primary Care team. Gauer will join the Family Medicine team at Prairie Lakes Brown Clinic Northridge while both Bak and Olson join a skilled group of providers at Prairie Lakes Brown Clinic Main.
Prairie Lakes Podiatry Now Accepting Patients in Specialty Clinic
Prairie Lakes Healthcare System is pleased to announce that, beginning today, the Prairie Lakes Podiatry Clinic is now seeing patients in its new location on the second floor of the Prairie Lakes Specialty Clinic.
Prairie Lakes Expands Cardiology Team With New Heart Specialist
Prairie Lakes Healthcare System is proud to welcome Joseph Elliott, MD, FACC, a board-certified interventional cardiologist, to its team of heart specialists. Dr. Elliott provides advanced cardiovascular care at the Prairie Lakes Cardiology Clinic and Cardiac Catheterization Lab, joining a highly skilled team that includes Dr. Ravi Kalaga, Jacklyn Karli, DNP, Travis Erickson, DNP, and Kahley Meyer, PA-C.
Sanford Health Network Clinic Names 2024 DAISY Award Recipient
When we received devastating, unexpected news, Sadie went above and beyond to make sure that we were thoroughly taken care of and aware of our resources. She took us back to one of the rooms and explained everything to us and let us have time to sit and process everything that we had just found out.