March 23, 2023

This paid piece is sponsored by Interstate Office Products.

One is a new medical center in a growing part of Sioux Falls.

The other is a health care campus supporting one of South Dakota’s rural regions.

But while the scope and services vary, both of these recently completed Avera Health projects illustrate the power of intentional design, deep relationships and doing whatever it takes to deliver for patients.

“Our vision from Avera with these projects was to provide the kind of space where people want to be – whether that was their employees or their patients, and because we’ve worked so closely together over the years, we know what that standard looks and feels like and are able to make it happen,” said James Gaspar, vice president of Interstate Office Products.

Led by interior designer Kaye Hansen and account manager Reed Scott, IOP assisted Avera with design and furnishings for both the Avera Medical Group Family Health Center at Dawley Farm Village in east Sioux Falls as well as the new health campus at Avera Gregory, which includes a 17-bed hospital, 30-bed long-term care center and Avera Medical Group clinic in the south-central South Dakota town.

“We’re proud to have assisted with both these projects,” IOP CEO Sheila Casiello said. “They built on our long-term relationship with Avera and are a true reflection of what best-in-class health care looks like today.”

Avera Gregory

The Avera Gregory campus is the product of years of planning and intentional design.

“The scope of this project was large, given the size of the facility and how it included a hospital, clinic and long-term care as it’s designed to serve a region,” Hansen said. “In the common spaces, you’ll see a warm, neutral tone consistent with the overall Avera brand.”

Working together, the IOP team and Avera interior designer Angela Storm chose materials, from tile to paint and flooring, that were “strategically used to create a sense of unity, while still allowing some individuality within departments,” Storm said.

“Furniture selection really comes down to form and function; finding the right pieces to serve  patients’ needs as well as provide comfort during their stay with Avera is always our goal.”

For instance, patient rooms in Gregory include a specially chosen sleeper sofa for loved ones.

“The back folds down and becomes a sleep surface, so they don’t expand into the room and block access for caregivers,” Scott said. “And they’re intuitive for guests and caregivers to operate. It’s an efficient use of space for an extra sleep surface that’s very simple to use.”

Working with IOP on such options while staying on budget produced a win-win, Storm said.

“They know that not just any piece of furniture will work as we also have to take infection prevention protocols and durability into account,” she said.

“Once we moved in, we really saw the floor plans come to life and the flow of the building come together. Even our existing furniture that came over went seamlessly with the new. It was all integrated to give new life to our existing pieces.”

Getting there wasn’t exactly easy, though. In classic South Dakota fashion, multiple winter weather issues impacted delivery and installation. But IOP did what it took, including staying put in Gregory when installer Matt Brouwer’s truck couldn’t make it out of town through 20 inches of snow.

“He was supposed to stay overnight and ended up spending a full week,” Casiello said. “But it was all the hospitality you’d expect from Gregory. They brought him a home-cooked meal and took him from the hotel to the hospital.”

“It was really a group effort to get everything completed, but it all worked out in the end,” Storm added.

For Avera, the campus is a long-term investment and “a physical manifestation” of its mission to provide care to all no matter where you live.

“Our community members have been overjoyed to see the project come to fruition,” said Anthony Timanus, CEO of Avera Gregory Hospital. “The most popular comment from community members is that they can’t believe a place as nice as this is in Gregory. This positions our community to be responsive and adaptable to the health care needs of our patients and residents, including some of the most vulnerable populations in our state. It truly is a blessing.”

Avera Medical Group Family Health Center at Dawley Farm Village

Located at 26th Street and Veterans Parkway, Avera’s newest addition to the east side of Sioux Falls will support the growing community’s needs. The 86,000-square-foot building includes a 24/7 emergency department, urgent care, family medicine and a range of specialties.

“The idea was to give this building a homier feel,” Scott said. “So you’ll see things like wood-framed guest furniture in the waiting areas instead of steel-framed.”

Guests should be able to tell they’re in an Avera building walking in the door, said Garrett Peters, vice president of facility development at Avera.

“We want people to be able to identify Avera when they see it,” he said. “That being said, this building has uniqueness. While it’s similar to our facility on Marion Road serving the west side, that was built seven years ago, so this building includes more updated materials.”

Avera was able to incorporate existing pieces of furniture in the areas for staff, including seating.

“Avera has established furniture standards and finishes dating back to 2010, which makes it a lot easier to incorporate existing with new,” Storm said.

The durability of products chosen together supports the goal, Gaspar said.

“With health care projects, you’re balancing cleanability, comfort and durability – all those along with aesthetics,” he said. “This furniture is constantly used, so it needs to be beyond even commercial grade.”

IOP also provided Avera “critical information as to any damage or warranty issues right away,” Storm added. “This communication is key when you have multiple installation phases and multiple departments. It allows me to communicate with leaders right away.”

Now that the building is done, it’s “a great addition to the east side, which is growing at an incredible rate,” Peters said. “It allows us to provide general and specialty care in the growing neighborhoods and communities where it’s needed.”

Legacy projects

For Scott, these Avera projects also represented the culmination of a 38-year career at IOP. He began focusing on health care projects in 2000 and at the time “didn’t even like going into hospitals,” he said. “Back then, there was still a lot of white paint in hospitals. They looked utilitarian, and that could make it scary. And now, they’re more homey and residential. We have plenty of products that allow them to meet their specifications while delivering that look and feel.”

In the past two decades, he has worked on signature projects, including the Avera Prairie Center and Avera Behavioral Health.

“These and others are gorgeous buildings that function so well and provide services that are so badly needed,” he said. “And our products have endured. Sometimes, they’d decide to replace a part on something that was long past warranty, but they still thought it was worth repairing, and that speaks to the quality of the products.”

For Avera, the relationship with Scott has been equally positive, Storm said.

“Reed is an amazing guy, and over the years we definitely formed a friendship and sense of camaraderie,” she said. “He looked at Avera as so much more than a customer – as a partner. I think that’s why everyone – and I mean everyone – enjoyed working with him and his kind heart and the ownership he took in his work.”

It’s the sort of dedication that defines the IOP team, Casiello said.

“These are so much more than buildings, rooms and offices to us,” she said. “Reed’s investment in delivering for Avera is the perfect example of what our teams strive to do every day for every client.”

Are you ready to move your workspace into 2023 and beyond? Visit i-o-p.com, or call 605-339-0300.