March 11, 2021

This paid piece is sponsored by Avera Health.

In 2020, Avera celebrated its 20th anniversary.

In 2000, the Benedictine Sisters of Yankton and the Presentation Sisters of Aberdeen brought their health systems together in a unique co-sponsorship model under the name “Avera,” derived from the Latin term “avere,” meaning “to be well.”

When Avera was formed in 2000, there were 127 sites in 46 communities. Since then, the health system has grown to over 315 sites in 100 communities with a geographic footprint of 72,000 square miles.

In 2000, few physicians or providers were employed by Avera. Instead, independent physicians had privileges at Avera hospitals. Avera Medical Group formed in 2008 and has since grown to 1,160 physicians and advanced practice providers. The number of overall Avera employees has grown from 8,200 in 2000 to 19,700 in 2020.

In Sioux Falls, “McKennan” is a well-known name. Helen Gale McKennan, a wealthy widow and landowner, willed much of her worldly estate to the betterment of Sioux Falls in 1906. In addition to land that became McKennan Park, she included a $25,000 gift for the founding of a hospital that would be state-of-the-art for its day, including features such as private rooms with private baths, a surgical suite, electricity, telephone service and an elevator.

At the invitation of Bishop Thomas O’Gorman, the Presentation Sisters agreed to open and operate the new hospital, which opened its doors in 1911. In 2000, “University Health Center” was added to the Avera McKennan name to reflect the health center’s role in medical education.

Here’s how other Avera regional hospitals got their names:

Avera St. Luke’s Hospital, Aberdeen: Bishop Martin Marty invited the Presentation Sisters to Dakota Territory around 1880. They established a convent and school in Aberdeen in 1886. When Bishop Thomas O’Gorman later hosted the October ceremonies during the Feast of St. Luke, civic leaders, clergy and physicians reached out to the Sisters, asking them to open a hospital to help people affected by diphtheria. In 1901, St. Luke’s Hospital was dedicated, named in part because St. Luke is the patron saint of physicians.

Avera Sacred Heart Hospital, Yankton: In 1897, at the request of three physicians, Bishop Thomas O’Gorman asked the Benedictine Sisters of Sacred Heart Monastery to open a hospital. The term Sacred Heart is from the Catholic devotion of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which is a symbol of God’s boundless and passionate love for humankind.

Avera Queen of Peace Hospital, Mitchell: The Presentation Sisters established St. Joseph Hospital at the request of Mitchell civic leaders in 1906. In 1991, St. Joseph Hospital and Methodist Hospital came together to create Queen of Peace Hospital. In the Catholic faith, Queen of Peace is a title for the Blessed Virgin Mary – the mother of Christ who is also known as the Prince of Peace.

Avera St. Mary’s Hospital, Pierre: Five Benedictine Sisters from Sacred Heart Monastery in Yankton arrived in Pierre just before the turn of the 20th century. They had $20 to complete their mission: build a school dedicated to the Blessed Mother, Mary. Townsfolk welcomed their efforts, and the Sisters began to renovate a run-down, abandoned hotel. They were encouraged by Dr. Theodore F. Riggs to found a much-needed hospital instead of a school.

Avera Marshall Regional Medical Center, Marshall, Minn.: The namesake of the city of Marshall was William Rainey Marshall, the fifth governor of Minnesota, serving until 1870. He was a banker, dairy farmer and newspaper publisher before serving in the Civil War. The Louis Weiner Memorial Hospital was the facility’s original name, in part with a donation from the Weiner family. After the city formed a partnership agreement with Avera in 2004, the facility was renamed Avera Marshall Regional Medical Center. In 2009, the city of Marshall sold the medical center to Avera to continue the vision of enhancing health care in the region.