Avera Health

Avera leaders, including President and CEO Jim Dover, traveled to O'Neill, NE, to assess the damage at Avera St. Anthony's Hospital after an explosion near the campus on Monday. While the hospital will need repairs, we are grateful no one was seriously injured. A big thank you to our incredible staff for their ongoing work, including Dr. Brian Jundt, a family medicine physician at Avera St. Anthony's who was on scene as a volunteer firefighter for O'Neill. The entire team's dedication to the community is truly remarkable.

Avera Marshall Regional Medical Center received two awards from the Minnesota Hospital Association: ⭐️The Exceptional Hospital Workplace Award for enhancing employee satisfaction and improving workplace culture ⭐️The Community Benefit Award for efforts to improve the health and well-being of their communities For the first award, Avera Marshall was recognized for their efforts to positively impact workplace culture through the creation of a Labor Management Committee, listening sessions and recognition opportunities. For the second, they were awarded for working to enhance rural obstetrics care and develop an ongoing series of free, in-person childbirth classes in English and Spanish to give expecting parents easy access to education. Congratulations!

Each fall, we wear pink (and purple)! Avera staff at the Prairie Center in Sioux Falls made donations to the Avera Foundation this week for We Care, Pink Hair which raises funds for patients and families at Avera Cancer Institutes. In return, they get a pink or purple hair extension added to their hair; pink for breast cancer awareness and purple for all cancer awareness. If you'd like to participate in this event, visit https://lnkd.in/gXFgE9Dp for details on We Care, Pink Hair events near you!

As election day approaches, political discussions may arise in the workplace. With 66% of workers discussing politics on the job and 46% witnessing arguments, it's crucial to navigate these conversations wisely. The Avera Employee Assistance Program team provides some advice on how to navigate these situations at https://heyor.ca/kGzOZC.

"Our values are real: compassion, hospitality and stewardship. You have to live your values for people to buy in to the mission." - Jim Dover, FACHE, President and CEO of Avera Health Jim Dover was a part of yesterday's WIN in Workforce Summit in Sioux Falls. The summit brings together industry leaders, business professionals, educators and students from the upper Midwest to strategize workforce development. Jim was part of panel discussing workforce challenges alongside CEOs from BX Civil, Interstates and Furniture Mart.

Congrats to The 437 Project for completing their 437-mile run across South Dakota for suicide prevention! These runners, including Avera's Jonathan Buchanan, MD, and Jessica Rumpca, CNP, helped raise more than $315,000 for the Helpline Center, which provides 24/7 support via the 988 crisis helpline. Thank you for continuing the conversation about mental health in our community.

The journey begins! The Project 437 runners, including Avera's Jonathan Buchanan, MD, and Jessica Rumpca, CNP, are on their way to Rapid City to start the 437-mile journey across South Dakota to raise awareness for suicide prevention. Keep your eyes on this page for updates from the road over the next few days. Learn more at project437.org or find suicide prevention resources at Avera.org/AskTheQuestion.

Avera St. Luke's Hospital in Aberdeen, SD, welcomed 16 new Legacy Ambassadors with the Presentation Sisters this week. The new ambassadors are all employees with 25 years of service to Avera's ministry. There are currently more than 170 Legacy Ambassadors in the Aberdeen region alone, which adds up to more than 5,570 years of experience! Congratulations!

Bennett discovered her passion for rural health care at Avera Queen of Peace in Mitchell, SD. With the support and encouragement of her team, she found a career that was a perfect fit. If you'd like to work for an organization like this, check out what #TeamGreen has to offer at Avera.org/Careers. 💚

Today, we celebrate the dedication and hard work of all those on our team who make a difference every day. Your commitment to our patients and supporting our communities is truly inspiring. Wishing everyone a meaningful and well-deserved Labor Day!