appears to have a close connection with its subject . it may require cleanup to comply with wikipedia s content policies particularly neutral point of view . please discuss further on the talk page . september 2015 learn how and when to remove this template message avera health type non profit industry healthcare founded 1897 headquarters sioux falls south dakota usa key people john porter president & ceo website www.avera.org avera health is a regional health system based in sioux falls s.d. comprising more than 300 locations in 100 communities throughout south dakota minnesota iowa nebraska and north dakota . 1 avera serves a geographical footprint of more than 72 000 square miles and 86 counties and a population of nearly 1 million . as a fully integrated health system avera health includes avera medical group which is composed of physicians and advanced practice providers who serve patients at nearly 200 locations across the five state region . 2 throughout the region avera health offers care in 60 distinct specialties including behavioral health cardiology oncology orthopedics brain and spine neurosurgery digestive disease bariatrics dermatology endocrinology and diabetes ophthalmology pulmonology and sleep medicine pain management neonatology pediatrics rheumatology women s specialties and more . 3 in addition to care avera health plans was created in 1999 to offer affordable health insurance and a large network of providers . 4 today avera health plans serves individuals families and employer groups in south dakota and iowa and is the third largest health plan in the state of south dakota . with more than 16 000 employees and physicians avera is south dakota s largest private employer . the name avera is derived from a latin term meaning to be well . contents 1 locations 1.1 other locations 2 history 3 innovation 3.1 avera ecare 3.2 research genomics and genetics 3.3 solid organ and bone marrow transplant 3.4 continuum of care 4 external links locations edit the avera central office is based in sioux falls s.d. with six regional centers avera st. luke s hospital aberdeen s.d. avera marshall regional medical center marshall minn. avera queen of peace hospital mitchell s.d. avera st. mary s hospital pierre s.d. avera mckennan hospital & university health center sioux falls s.d. avera sacred heart hospital yankton s.d. other locations edit anesthesiology associates 21st street sioux falls south dakota anesthesiology associates 26th street sioux falls south dakota avera behavioral health center sioux falls south dakota avera emergency medicine physicians sioux falls south dakota avera flandreau medical center flandreau south dakota avera gettysburg hospital gettysburg south dakota avera gregory healthcare center gregory south dakota avera heart hospital of south dakota sioux falls south dakota avera holy family health estherville iowa avera milbank area hospital milbank south dakota avera neonatology sioux falls south dakota avera regional perinatal center sioux falls south dakota avera st. anthony s hospital o neill nebraska avera st. benedict health center parkston south dakota avera st. benedict hospital parkston south dakota avera weskota memorial medical center wessington springs south dakota dells area health center avera health dell rapids south dakota divine providence health center avera health ivanhoe minnesota eureka community health services avera eureka south dakota floyd valley hospital avera health le mars iowa hand county memorial hospital avera miller south dakota hegg memorial health center avera rock valley iowa landmann jungman memorial hospital avera scotland south dakota marshall county healthcare center avera britton south dakota northwest iowa surgeons spencer iowa osceola community hospital sibley iowa pediatric critical care and hospitalist service sioux falls south dakota pipestone county medical center avera pipestone minnesota platte health center avera platte south dakota sioux center community hospital & health center avera sioux center iowa st. michael s hospital and nursing home avera health tyndall south dakota tyler healthcare center avera tyler minnesota history edit avera came into existence when two orders of religious women the benedictine sisters of yankton s.d. 5 and the presentation sisters of aberdeen s.d. 6 merged their catholic health care systems into a single entity . these two religious orders serve as avera s sponsors ; that is their association with avera gives it the status of officially being a work of the catholic church . over the years the sisters have served in many roles from governance and administration to nursing lab and dietary . their focus is on meeting the health care needs of the communities they serve . innovation edit providing access to health care and specialists in rural and underserved communities through innovative programs is central to avera s mission . avera ecare edit with experience in providing virtual care that dates back to 1993 7 avera has developed the largest and most robust telehealth service in the world . 8 ecare uses interactive video and technology to connect with outlying sites through a virtual hospital based in sioux falls . 9 this is the first telehealth center in the world to provide around the clock access to board certified intensivists and emergency physicians hospital trained pharmacists and experienced nursing staff . ecare partners with hospitals to provide increased access to specialists through eicu care 10 eemergency 11 econsult 12 epharmacy 13 elongtermcare ecorrectional health 14 ecare continues to innovate through pilot projects to reach new populations through e services including schools worksites and more . research genomics and genetics edit avera s genomics team involves multiple experts locally and across the nation and world . working primarily with breast and gynecologic cancer patients this team uses genetic analysis to recommend therapies targeted to fight an individual tumor . 15 the avera institute for human genetics offers personalized medicine for pain management 16 behavioral health 17 and more plus dna analysis as part of the world s largest twin study the netherlands twins register ntr . 18 the avera research institute is home to clinical trials 19 20 cancer registries for breast 21 and thyroid tumors dedicated oncology research nurses and investigator initiated studies . since 2011 avera has been part of an international trial based in salzburg austria testing a protocol for women age 41 and over with early stage breast cancer that delivers electron based intraoperative radiation therapy iort at the time of lumpectomy 22 followed by three weeks of external beam radiation therapy shortening follow up external beam radiation therapy by three weeks . a new protocol is testing one time iort treatment for patients age 60 and over eliminating the need for additional radiation . solid organ and bone marrow transplant edit avera is home to the region s longest standing kidney transplant program established in 1993 23 in addition to pancreas and liver transplant . in 1996 avera began the region s only bone marrow transplant program providing both allogeneic and autologous stem cell transplantation . continuum of care edit through its 300 locations avera offers the entire continuum of care primary care clinics and rural clinics specialty clinics tertiary care center community hospitals critical access hospitals specialty heart hospital long term care and retirement communities behavioral health outpatient and inpatient care for seniors adults adolescents and children free standing outpatient surgery center patient centered cancer centers sports training and fitness facilities home care and hospice home medical equipment external links edit avera health web site jones shannon . newsmax http www.newsmax.com fastfeatures employers in south dakota companies jobs 2015 04 14 id 637708 . retrieved 26 august 2015 . missing or empty title help rodak sabrina . 100 integrated health systems to know . www.beckershospitalreview.com . retrieved 2015 09 18 . careermd avera medical group snapshot . www.careermd.com . retrieved 2015 09 18 . avera health plans south dakota health insurance plans from avera health plans . www.ehealthinsurance.com . retrieved 2015 09 18 . yankton benedictines sacred heart ministry http yanktonbenedictines.org who we are our history . retrieved 26 august 2015 . missing or empty title help sisters of the presentation of the blessed virgin mary http www.presentationsisters.org about history . retrieved 26 august 2015 . missing or empty title help schwan jodi . avera s inadvertent innovation . argus leader . gannett . retrieved 26 august 2015 . verel dan . these five health systems are making the best use of telemedicine . medcitynews . breaking media inc. retrieved 26 august 2015 . schwan jodi . avera s inadvertent innovation . argus leader . gannett . retrieved 26 august 2015 . tomsic michael . hospitals monitor icu patients virtually from many miles away . wfae 90.7 . retrieved 26 august 2015 . iverson jake . avera medical minute amck ecare telemedicine receives sic federal focus . ksfy . retrieved 26 august 2015 . avera receives grant to expand rural telemedicine . yankton press & dakotan . retrieved 26 august 2015 . page douglas . 2011 most wired innovator awards . hospital & health networks . retrieved 26 august 2015 . avera ecare celebrates milestone anniversaries . midwest medical edition . retrieved 26 august 2015 . iverson jake . avera medical minute amck genomic sequencing for help in treating cancer . ksfy . walker jon . avera health to start matching pain killers with genetics . argus leader . gannett . retrieved 26 august 2015 . jake iverson . avera medical minute amck personalized medicine for behavioral health patients . ksfy . retrieved 26 august 2015 . schwan jodi . avera s international research partnership grows . argus leader . gannett . retrieved 26 august 2015 . national cancer institute http www.cancer.gov about cancer treatment clinical trials search view cdrid 760055 & version healthprofessional & protocolsearchid 13504589 . missing or empty title help national cancer institute http www.cancer.gov about cancer treatment clinical trials search view cdrid 692475 & version healthprofessional & protocolsearchid 9263593 . missing or empty title help breast cancer registry . northern great plains oncology . retrieved 26 august 2015 . iverson jake . avera medical minute intraoperative electron radiation therapy . ksfy . retrieved 26 august 2015 . walker . landmark transplant reflects surgical leap . argus leader . first2 missing last2 in authors list help retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title avera health & oldid 710483552 categories companies based in sioux falls south dakotahidden categories pages with citations lacking titlespages with citations having bare urlscs1 errors missing author or editorwikipedia 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