May 5, 2026

This piece is sponsored by Avera Health.

Recent development of the Avera on Louise Health Campus has given Avera more space to devote to the growing specialty of orthopedics. To reflect this commitment of space and resources, Avera has renamed the Avera Specialty Hospital as Avera Orthopedic Hospital.

“Moving gastroenterology services to the new Pavilion 2 building to the south has allowed us to expand and enhance for that specialty. In turn, we could do the same for orthopedics, fulfilling the long-term plan we made as we announced the construction of Pavilion 2, now home of the Avera Digestive Health Center,” said Dr. Ronald Place, regional president and CEO of Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center.

“It’s part of a big-picture strategy to increase hospital and clinic capacity for our growing city and market share, including our new patient tower at Avera McKennan focused on Women’s and Children’s.”

Once digestive health moved out in January, remodeling began to refit and optimize that space for orthopedics.

“The Avera on Louise Health Campus began as a bold project to transform how we’re delivering healthcare in our city,” Place said. “This campus is all about consumer-friendly and accessible healthcare, in addition to providing for needs in our community that were previously unmet.”

The five-story Avera Orthopedic Hospital and attached three-story Pavilion 1 medical building comprise 260,000 square feet. The hospital is home to surgery suites, walk-in orthopedic urgent care, therapy, a lab, imaging center, retail pharmacy, Our Daily Bread Cafe and a meditation room.

Pavilion 1 is home to Avera Orthopedics and other specialty clinics, including rheumatology, internal medicine and urogynecology.

Since 2016, Avera has built the region’s largest team of orthopedic providers – 53 specialty physicians at eight clinic locations and 45 outreach locations, with orthopedic practices based at all six Avera regional hub communities.

Services include operative and nonoperative general orthopedic care, joint replacement, joint arthroscopy, sports medicine, concussion management, podiatry/foot and ankle surgery, hand and wrist, back and neck, and cartilage restoration. Avera Orthopedics also is expanding to add musculoskeletal oncology.

“The Avera on Louise campus has turned out exactly as it was planned – a destination for growing specialty services, including orthopedics,” said Dr. Travis Liddell, an Avera Orthopedics surgeon and clinical vice president of the Avera Orthopedics service line. “Demand is growing due to growth in population in Sioux Falls as well as the aging baby boomer generation. Orthopedics is for all ages, yet services like joint replacement are more common among older adults.”

Patients can receive joint replacement, including total hip, knee and shoulder, performed by Avera Orthopedics surgeons using the latest minimally invasive techniques. A pediatrics orthopedics program provides specialty care for everything from broken bones and trauma to scoliosis, congenital conditions and deformities.

Also in Sioux Falls, 24/7 orthopedic trauma services are provided at Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center.

The building is designed in Avera’s signature Prairie Wind theme, with 1.5 acres of glass along the exterior. Outdoor and indoor waterfalls and a rooftop garden contribute to a beautiful, serene atmosphere for patients and visitors.

“The demand for minimally invasive procedures continues to rise, and the technology at this facility has also risen to meet these needs by equipping our operating rooms with the latest technology available,” Liddell said.

This includes 4K video for precision viewing during arthroscopic procedures, intra-operative videoconferencing capabilities, as well as robotic hip, knee and shoulder reconstruction for greater precision and accuracy during surgery.

After their procedures, if patients need to be hospitalized, they go to the fifth floor where there are 26 private rooms, each with a beautiful window view.

“Our staff poured themselves into making this the most patient-friendly environment they could for the delivery of convenient, specialized care that today’s healthcare consumers are looking for,” Place said. “Through this latest development, we’re thrilled to more specifically focus on the specialty of orthopedics in a state-of-the-art environment.”

Learn more about orthopedic care at Avera at Avera.org/Orthopedics.