July 9, 2025

This piece is sponsored by Avera Health.

Mayor Paul TenHaken is a pacesetter for health and wellness in Sioux Falls — from hosting fitness challenges to championing community assets like the city’s recreation trail.

He hopes to promote healthy habits by example and recently completed a Planet Heart screening through Avera Health to check in on his heart health.

Avera Planet Heart RN Katie Krause shares results with Mayor Paul TenHaken.

Regular checkups and preventive screenings are key to catching health concerns early on.

“I do regular physicals every year. I go to the dentist every six months. This is no different,” TenHaken said. “You can’t know too much about your own health.”

Being proactive about heart health can lower your risk of heart attack or stroke. That’s why cardiovascular screenings are recommended for men 40 or older, women 45 or older or anyone with a family history of heart disease.

“If heart disease is the No. 1 killer of men and women, what’s an hour of your time worth to come and get a screening to know where you stand on the most vital organ in your body? It’s such a no-brainer,” TenHaken said.

Screenings are designed to help you understand your individual risk before experiencing symptoms such as chest pain or shortness of breath.

“One of the reasons people don’t seek care for heart attacks is denial,” said Katie Krause, a registered nurse. “For example, people will get chest pressure and need to stop to catch their breath when they climb the grain bin or move sheetrock at their construction site. The symptoms go away when they rest, so they dismiss the warning signs.”

Those individuals often present to the ER later when their arteries are blocked because of plaque rupture — a clot forms and occludes the artery.

In addition to providing a baseline for cholesterol levels and finding hard calcium or blocks in major arteries, the screenings have resulted in hundreds of findings that aren’t heart related.

Avera Planet Heart sonographer Val McGlothlen conducts a carotid artery screening for Mayor Paul TenHaken.

“When we scan, a portion of the lungs gets overread by radiologists, who can sometimes catch if you have an abnormality,” said Bridget Weisz, a CT technologist.

That was the case with TenHaken’s friend, who had a finding thanks to a Planet Heart screening. The experience inspired TenHaken to follow suit in first getting screened and helped motivate this return visit.

TenHaken’s visit to Planet Heart in Sioux Falls involved the same quick steps that occur almost 20 times a day at the 69th Street location near the Avera Heart Hospital.

His heart and vascular appointment included a calcium score CT and tests for blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure, as well as carotid and aortic ultrasounds and a peripheral vascular screening.

Krause walked TenHaken through his results — good news all around — and answered his questions, giving him guidance for what to maintain and what to monitor going forward.

Avera Planet Heart sonographer Val McGlothlen provides education about the vascular screening aspects of Planet Heart.

Lindsey Meyers, who is about the same age as TenHaken, also recently received her first Planet Heart screening. Women have to wait until age 45 to be screened because of the use of radiation in the CT scan.

Meyers was director of marketing at the Avera Heart Hospital at the time the program was launched around 2010, so she felt a great deal of ownership in this important screening.

“I think I was perhaps the most enthusiastic person to have ever gone through Planet Heart. Over 15 years ago, I had the honor of helping to design this program flow, the materials, the logo with awesome heart team members. I was finally old enough to enjoy this affordable, convenient screening. And my calcium score was zero! So now I have peace of mind.”

Meyers went through the screening with her husband, and they were able to hear their results together so they could discuss diet and lifestyle questions with the experts.

Lindsey and Jay Meyers got their Planet Heart screening together.

“It’s very convenient for couples to go through this screening, and it helps us to prioritize our heart health so we can hopefully enjoy a long life together,” Meyers said.

It’s hard to argue against getting checked out because the screening is easy, fast and affordable.

“For what you’re paying, it’s a great screen test. I don’t know if there are many other places you can get all of this done for $125,” Weisz said.

For some Avera Health Plans members, such as Medicare Supplement AgilityPlus members in South Dakota and Iowa, Planet Heart screenings are covered.

In addition to affordability, the screening is fast — well worth the physical and mental benefits, according to TenHaken.

“It’s probably the best hour you can spend of your entire month,” he said. “Best-case scenario: You have peace of mind. Worst-case scenario: You find out you have a problem to take care of, and we have some of the best health care access in the nation right here in our backyard.”

Learn more about Avera’s Planet Heart screening services or call 605-951-9706.