Avera Health

Avera Health, a health ministry deeply rooted in Christian values, is committed to making a positive impact on the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities. The organization's mission is to deliver quality services guided by compassion and faith, fostering a better future for all.

Avera Health is a nonprofit corporation founded by the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Aberdeen and the Benedictine Convent of the Sacred Heart of Yankton. Acting as the leader of its affiliated health care organizations, Avera Health provides essential management consulting, fundraising, and administrative services to hospitals, long-term health care facilities, clinics, and programs under its wing. The organization's reach extends primarily to eastern South Dakota and neighboring states.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Avera Health demonstrated remarkable resilience and dedication to its mission. The organization implemented various initiatives to address the health crisis, such as a 24/7 hotline for testing, treatment, and vaccination inquiries, preventing overcrowding of healthcare facilities and safeguarding public health. Avera also spearheaded an innovative home care program for COVID patients, providing daily check-ins, virtual visits, and at-home oxygen therapy, keeping hospitals from becoming overwhelmed while ensuring patients received the care they needed.

Additionally, Avera Health launched public awareness campaigns for masking and vaccination, setting up testing sites and events, and participating in national research for COVID therapies. The organization worked closely with local and state officials to keep the public informed and expanded bed capacity by reallocating resources across all hospitals in their system. They also prioritized high-risk individuals, ensuring the most vulnerable received the necessary care.

As the pandemic continued, Avera Health focused on supporting and retaining its healthcare workforce, recognizing the immense pressure and challenges they faced. The organization responded by paying health insurance premiums, providing support payments, increasing pay, and offering a Health Care Workers Stress Hotline available 24/7 for those struggling with stress, anxiety, or depression.

As health systems across the nation face financial losses due to inflation and workforce shortages, Avera Health is taking steps to optimize and control costs, hiring for critical positions only, right-sizing their organization, and leveraging technology, including telemedicine, to ensure they can continue delivering essential services to their communities.