McCook Agencies Complete Annual Emergency Preparedness Drill
Community Hospital, the City of McCook with the McCook Fire Department and McCook Police Department, as well as other external partners successfully conducted their annual community-wide emergency preparedness drill on Thursday, August 20, testing and strengthening coordinated emergency response efforts among local agencies.
Write Once, Reach Everyone: Accessible Writing and GEO Want the Same Solution
Accessible writing and GEO-readiness reward the same practices — and understanding why gives you a much stronger argument for both. This article explains where they overlap, what the shared patterns look like, and how to use that overlap to get writing quality taken seriously in rooms where it hasn't been yet.
What We Find Most Often in GEO Audits
We've been offering generative engine optimization (GEO) audits for a while now — for our financial services and B2B clients, as free check-ups for conference attendees, and even on our own web properties — in order to provide some insights on how well content is structured to appear in answer engine results.
Google Weighs In on GEO. Here's What Changed, and What Didn't.
For the past 18 months, the conversation around GEO — generative engine optimization, or the practice of structuring content so AI-powered search tools can find and cite it — has focused on independent research and assumptions about structured content. It's happened largely without input from any of the major AI-assisted chatbot tools.
Columbus Health Science Pathway Marks Five Years of Growth
Columbus Community Hospital is proud to announce it has successfully completed the fifth academic year of its Health Science Pathway.
Columbus Community Hospital Athletic Training Program Supports Athlete Safety
Columbus Community Hospital's athletic training program continues to expand its impact across the region, strengthening access to sports medicine services and supporting the health and safety of student-athletes, according to its 2025-26 annual report.
Sanford Health Opens First Dedicated Walk-In Clinic in Mandan
Sanford Health is expanding access to convenient, same-day care in the Mandan community with the addition of the Sanford North Mandan Walk-In Clinic, scheduled to open Sept. 1, 2026, at 910 18th St. NW.
USD Health Sciences Success Spotlight: Madison Lindsey
Madison Lindsey knew nothing about Applied Behavior Analysis when she started her career in education. She found her way to it by doing what already came naturally.
SDSMA Member Spotlight: Emily Eisenbraun
Name: Emily Eisenbraun
Class of 2027, University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine
SDSMA member since: 2023
What specialty(ies) are you currently considering and why? I will be applying for a dermatology residency this fall. I chose dermatology because of the meaningful, longitudinal relationships and ability to care for individuals in all stages of life. My passion for this specialty has also been shaped significantly by dermatology mentors in my hometown of Rapid City, South Dakota.
Your Home Base During Healthcare's Busiest Season
Every autumn brings a familiar rhythm to healthcare. Patient volumes begin to rise. Elective procedures increase before year-end. Medical conferences return to full schedules. Families travel to support loved ones. Specialists, vendors, educators, and healthcare leaders arrive from across the region to collaborate, teach, and provide care.
Powering the Pyramid: Pork's Role in the New Dietary Guidelines
Earlier this year, the 10th edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs) was released, marking a significant turning point for nutrition policy in the U.S. These new guidelines emphasize the importance of whole, natural, real foods, including high-quality protein.
Designing Spaces That Support Healing
What defines exceptional mental and behavioral healthcare? Skilled, compassionate providers, adequate resources, and equitable access. While all of these factors are essential, one key consideration is often left out of the conversation: the space where care is delivered.
Nurturing New Nurses: How USD's DOL Grant Tackles the Shortage Behind South Dakota's Nursing Shortage
Regardless of our job titles, most of us can attribute a good part of our success to goodmentors. Nowhere is that more true than in nursing, where preceptors are key to training thenurses our rural region so desperately needs. In this month's cover feature, how the Universityof South Dakota School of Health Sciences is supporting both students and those who nurturethem.
Monument Health Opens Region's First Epilepsy Monitoring Unit
Monument Health announced the opening of a two-bed Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU) at Rapid City Hospital. The unit, which began seeing patients in February 2026, is the first of its kind in the region and represents a significant investment in neurological care for communities across western South Dakota and eastern Wyoming.
Avera Named to Forbes' Best-In-State Employers 2026 for South Dakota
Avera Health has been named on the Forbes list of America’s Best-In-State Employers 2026 for South Dakota. Avera ranks third on the list and is the first ranking health care system.
Sanford Bismarck Ranked No. 1 Hospital in North Dakota
U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals for 2026-2027 has ranked Sanford Bismarck Medical Center the No. 1 hospital in North Dakota.
Steve Schieber Named President of CHI Health Good Samaritan
Steve Schieber, MBA, FACMPE, FACHE, has been appointed as the new president of CHI Health Good Samaritan, having served in an interim capacity since January. In this new dual leadership role, he will also continue to serve as president of CHI Health St. Francis in Grand Island.
Park Haven Recovery Center Opens in Yankton for Mothers
Park Haven Learning and Recovery Center, a new residential treatment program for women dealing with substance use disorder, is ready to open after a ribbon cutting ceremony took place Aug. 19 in Yankton, SD. It will open its doors on Monday, Aug. 24.
Altru Health System Earns National Recognition for Telehealth Innovation
Altru Health System is celebrating the successful completion of its three year partnership with the American Heart Association's Center for Telehealth Learning Collaborative and the continuation of that work through a new one-year sustainability and expansion agreement.
CHI Health Names Jake McCarty President of CUMC-Bergan Mercy
CHI Health, a member of CommonSpirit Health, is pleased to announce the appointment of Jake McCarty, MPH, MPA, as the next president of CHI Health Creighton University Medical Center - Bergan Mercy. McCarty brings nearly 20 years of healthcare leadership experience, most recently serving as chief operating officer of Kaiser Permanente’s San Leandro Medical Center in California.