June 29, 2023

This paid piece is sponsored by Avera Health.

The youngest and smallest patients often can be the sickest in the hospital. Just ask Dr. Benson Hsu, pediatric critical care specialist at Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center.

“Over the past decade, I’ve cared for critically ill children and worked alongside other pediatricians and pediatric specialists here in Sioux Falls to make them better,” said Hsu, who is also a professor of pediatrics at the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine and serves as the chair of the critical care section at the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Avera has been caring for children for over a century. Over the past two decades, Avera has been steadily growing its pediatrics program.

Pediatrician Dr. Kara Bruning joined Avera in 2006 after completing her residency.

“At that time, we had four pediatricians and a couple subspecialists,” Bruning said. “Now, we have 10 pediatricians and a large group of subspecialists,” working in the pediatric specialties of cardiology, critical care, endocrinology, gastroenterology, infectious disease, neonatology, nephrology, neurology, orthopedics and pulmonology/sleep medicine. Pediatric critical care physicians, neonatologists and pediatric hospitalists are available around the clock for hospitalized children.

“In the past, we had just one physician in several of the different pediatric specialties. Now, we have recruited and continue to recruit multiple physicians within a given specialty,” said Mark Vortherms, Avera Medical Group vice president for primary care. “These are specialists who choose to live and work in Sioux Falls.”

Pediatric specialties that are new to Avera include orthopedics, nephrology and infectious disease. “We have pediatric physicians at Avera who have been nationally recognized and trained at top institutions all across the U.S.,” Vortherms said.

“As a pediatric critical care specialist, physicians in the whole spectrum of specialties are available to support my care,” Hsu said.

What’s behind the growth in pediatrics

One reason behind this expansion is population growth in Sioux Falls. With that comes overall growing demand for all health care services.

It’s also been strategic. “As Avera grows specialties like women’s and family practice, naturally pediatrics is going to become a demand area as well,” Vortherms said. Advancements in medicine also have brought more advanced treatment options received from specialists and subspecialists.

Another reason is culture and fit.

“The culture of this organization is the belief that the primary purpose of a health care system is to take care of the community and to do whatever is necessary to fulfill that calling. In short, it’s doing the right thing for your patients and for people,” said Hsu, who recently joined Avera. “As part of Avera, I can see all the decisions of my day-to-day practice through that lens, and it’s really inspiring.”

Care close to home

In Sioux Falls, Avera has developed Family Health Centers that include a range of specialties from family practice to pediatrics, OB-GYN, internal medicine, dermatology and orthopedics. These centers, located on Marion Road and at Dawley Farm, each offer urgent care and a 24/7 free-standing emergency department.

“That’s worked incredibly well,” Vortherms said. “Patients look to go to a physician close to where they live or work. And if families can receive all their care under one roof, close to their neighborhood, that makes a huge difference.”

Avera also leverages telemedicine to deliver care closer to home.

“One of the beautiful visions of Avera has been the use of telemedicine to care for patients as close to home as possible,” said Hsu, who consults with physicians at other Avera hospitals via telemedicine so not all children need to be transferred to Avera McKennan.

“Taking a child away from their community disconnects them from their support network, siblings and perhaps even parents, as well as everything that’s familiar to them,” Hsu said. “So as much as we can, we are providing the necessary care and expertise through telemedicine so families can stay closer to home.”

Care for the mind and spirit

Avera has been the regional leader in behavioral health and psychiatry for decades. And behavioral health, including inpatient care, is a vital aspect of the pediatric care continuum.

“At Avera McKennan, children are most often hospitalized for bronchiolitis, asthma and dehydration. Yet children are also hospitalized for behavioral health conditions like depression or suicidality, and at Avera we offer the resources for these inpatient needs as well,” Bruning said.

With construction of the Helmsley Behavioral Health Center, Avera recently expanded its space for child and adolescent inpatient care at the Avera Behavioral Health Hospital with new offerings that include adolescent addiction care and partial hospitalization.

“Our behavioral health program has seen incredible growth due to the behavioral health challenges facing youth today. Behavioral health and the pediatric service lines have come together to focus on pediatric mental wellness,” Vortherms said. “Having a strong mental health program is so important in taking care of the whole patient – in pediatrics and for all ages.”

Consistent care doesn’t just happen

Over the past decade, Avera has formed service lines that ensure consistent and standardized care across a specialty, across the entire system. Bruning is clinical vice president of the pediatrics service line.

“Our goal is to deliver the same high quality of care and for kids to be treated equally no matter where they receive pediatric care,” she said.

Service lines provide physicians with the ability to share the latest care practices, develop a consistent patient experience and deliver streamlined care between locations and communities.

“With more physicians and more specialties, we are continuing to grow and serve more patients,” Bruning said. “In pediatric care, kids are the center of our world.”