South Dakota Healthcare News

For the fourth consecutive year, Brookings Hospital has been recognized on Newsweek’s list of America’s Best-In-State Hospitals. This prestigious award is presented by Newsweek and Statista Inc., the world-leading statistics portal and industry ranking provider. The awards list was announced on Oct. 29 and can currently be viewed on Newsweek’s website.

At its heart, MED is a community organization. And one of the most enjoyable things we do every year is spend time in the communities we serve. We attend many events and conferences, especially in the fall. Here are a few of the places we've been and the people we've seen in the last few months.

Freeman Regional Health Services (FRHS) is pleased to welcome Mara Fiegen, PA-C, to its provider team. A Freeman native, Fiegen is excited to build her career in her hometown and provide quality healthcare to the community where she grew up.

LifeCircle, South Dakota’s Hospice and Palliative Care Network is encouraging specialty palliative care programs across South Dakota to participate in the Center to Advance Palliative Care’s (CAPC) Palliative Care Program Inventory.

The South Dakota Association of Healthcare Organizations (SDAHO), through its LifeCircle South Dakota initiative, is reminding long-term care facilities of updated state administrative rules requiring Advance Directive education as part of staff orientation and annual training.

Sanford Health leaders are joining fellow healthcare experts, policymakers and innovators at Reuters Total Health Oct. 22-23 in Nashville to share how the organization is reimagining care delivery and how work gets done, with technology enabling improvements in access, quality and patient experience.

Monument Health Endocrinology and Diabetes Education have moved to a new location at 855 Omaha St. The clinic opened to patients on Wednesday, Oct. 21, giving both services a larger, more accessible space to keep pace with a growing community.

The Brookings community has been selected as a Frontier And Rural Medicine (FARM) program expansion site by the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine (SSOM).

Monument Health, in collaboration with the Sturgis Public Library and the American Heart Association, has opened its second Community Heart Hub, a free blood pressure monitoring station inside the library.

An estimated 6,000 women enter menopause every day in the United States, according to the National Institutes of Health. Yet many are surprised to learn that the years surrounding menopause can influence everything from sleep and mood to heart and long-term health and quality of life.

LifeScape will mark a special milestone in the construction of its new Children’s Campus with a time capsule dedication ceremony on Friday, October 23, 2026, at 3:30 p.m. Members of the media are invited to attend and capture this moment in LifeScape’s history.

The Avera Foundation experienced an extraordinary year of support in fiscal year 2026, with a record-setting $119.6 million generated to support the people, places and programs in every corner of Avera’s 72,000-square-mile footprint.

Newsweek has named Good Samaritan– Ambassador in New Hope, Minn., and Good Samaritan – Davenport in Davenport, Iowa, to its list of “America’s Best Nursing Homes” for 2027.

Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center announces appointments to its Board of Directors for its new fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026.

Sanford Health researcher, Kamesh Surendran, Ph.D., and his lab at Sanford Research, were recently awarded a $2.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Funding will support Dr. Surendran's lab in studying kidney development and disease by determining the molecular basis by which diverse cell types of the kidney develop and are maintained.

The South Dakota Association of Healthcare Organizations (SDAHO) proudly recognized the recipients of its 2026 Distinguished Service Awards during the 100th Annual Convention, held September 16–18 in Sioux Falls.

Serving as a guardian comes with important responsibilities, especially when it comes to making or supporting healthcare decisions. Having trusted information available when questions arise can help guardians better understand their role and prepare for conversations with healthcare providers.

The South Dakota Association of Healthcare Organizations (SDAHO) is proud to recognize Journey Construction, a Premium Associate Member and trusted partner in healthcare construction.

The South Dakota Association of Healthcare Organizations (SDAHO) celebrated leadership, service and achievement across South Dakota's health care community during the Awards Luncheon at the 100th Annual Convention.

Brookings Health System has partnered again with the South Dakota Board of Nursing to offer a clinical enrichment program for nursing students. Applications for the paid summer internship are being accepted now until Oct. 15 at brookingshealth.org/CEP.

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.

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.

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.

Brookings Health System recently completed a $1.3 million upgrade to all three surgical suites at Brookings Hospital. By integrating the latest technology, Brookings Health continues to ensure patient safety while increasing staff efficiency during operating procedures.

A stroke can change life in an instant, affecting everything from walking and speaking to memory, mood and the ability to perform everyday tasks. Recovery often continues for months or even years as survivors of stroke work to regain independence and quality of life. A new guideline from the American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association, emphasizes that every person who has a stroke should receive a personalized assessment and begin rehabilitation during their hospital stay once they are medically stable, supported by a team of specialists who can address physical, cognitive, communication and emotional challenges throughout recovery. The 2026 Guideline for Adult Stroke Rehabilitation and Recovery was published today in the Association’s peer-reviewed scientific journal Stroke.

Recruiting great employees is only the beginning. Keeping them engaged, supported and growing within your organization is just as important.

Nearly 63 million Americans—almost 1 in 4 U.S. adults—provide unpaid care to a family member or friend with a complex medical condition or disability. Caregivers of adults alone provide an estimated 49.5 billion hours of unpaid care each year, valued at more than $1 trillion.