Organization
Avera Health, the health ministry of the Benedictine and Presentation Sisters, is a regional partnership of health professionals who share support services to maintain excellent care at more than 100 locations in eastern South Dakota and surrounding states. The Avera Health Central Office is in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Avera Health assists its partners by providing “back office” support services, such as legal consultation, quality benchmarking, coding, computer services, contract negotiations, administrative consultation, group purchasing, human resource assistance and many other services. The support services are provided by staff at the Avera Health Central Office and at Avera’s five regional centers: Avera St. Luke’s in Aberdeen S.D., Avera Queen of Peace in Mitchell S.D., Avera McKennan in Sioux Falls S.D., Avera Sacred Heart in Yankton, S.D. and Avera Marshall in Marshall, Minn. Because the costs of the support services are shared, local caregivers are able to devote more resources to patient and resident care.
Avera Health includes sponsored partners and managed/leased partners. Sponsored partners are those institutions for which the Benedictine and Presentation Sisters retain some governance powers and imbue with their values and mission. Managed/leased partners are those institutions that have contracted for full management services with Avera Health and one of its four regional centers. Avera also provides specific services on an a la carte basis to health facilities without full management contracts.
The Avera Health Administrative Council is responsible for Avera Health operations, services and programs. The President’s Council includes members of the Administrative Council and the Presidents of Avera’s sponsored facilities.
Governance
Community governing boards define goals for Avera’s not-for-profit sponsored and managed institutions and assure that local health care needs are met in appropriate ways.
The Avera Health Board of Directors defines system-wide mission, vision and goals, keeping in mind the health needs of the entire region. The 16-member Board includes Benedictine and Presentation Sisters, physicians and business and community leaders from several locations in the Avera Health service region.
The Avera Health Board of Consultors is a 50-member group of trustees, physicians and administrators from throughout the region. The Board of Consultors meets twice yearly to advise the Avera Health President on health care issues and to promote system-wide sharing of ideas, experience and professional resources.
Avera Health’s sponsors, the Benedictine Sisters of Yankton, S.D. and the Presentation Sisters of Aberdeen, S.D. delegate sponsorship responsibilities for their combined health ministry to a group of six Sisters—three from each community—called the System Members.