As we strive to meet the health needs of our communities, receiving input from our residents is vital. Prairie Lakes Healthcare System and Human Service Agency have partnered to conduct a community health survey open to all residents in Watertown and the surrounding communities.

This survey is designed to gather valuable insights into the health needs and concerns of our diverse community. By participating in the survey, you contribute to shaping the initiatives and programs that ensure our community's health services align with the real needs of its residents. 

Community Health Survey

Your responses will be kept confidential, and the information gathered will only be used for the purpose of improving community health services. The more voices we have, the better we can tailor our efforts to meet the unique needs of each individual and group within our community.

We appreciate your time and commitment to the well-being of our communities. Your perspective matters, and together, we can build a healthier and more resilient community for everyone!

Prairie Lakes Healthcare System is proud to offer scholarships and internships that support students entering into the healthcare industry. 

Foundation Scholarship

Prairie Lakes Healthcare System is pleased to offer a scholarship to RN students who have successfully completed their first semester of nursing coursework or who have recently obtained their BSN. This scholarship allows for RN students/recent graduates to receive $20,000.00 and pay the amount back in time while working at Prairie Lakes Healthcare System.

To be considered for the scholarship, please complete the application below and submit it for review.

Apply Online - Bachelor of Science in Nursing Tuition Reimbursement Loan Application

Nursing Internship Program

• Application Date: Opening October 2025
• Candidate Notifications: TBD
• Program Dates: May 2026 – August 2026

Where you begin your nursing journey greatly affects where that journey takes you.

As a nursing student, you can start your journey to a fulfilling career in healthcare at Prairie Lakes! Our Student Nurse Internship Program is designed to offer 1:1 clinical training with experienced healthcare professionals while creating a pathway for student nurses to gain experience in inpatient and specialty areas.This is a paid internship. It is a 12 week program for 240 hours total.

Learn More and Apply Today

Build Dakota Scholarship Partner

The Build Dakota Scholarship Fund was established in 2015 by generous business leaders and forward-thinking lawmakers to address South Dakota’s workforce challenges. The Build Dakota Scholarship program supports students entering high-need workforce fields in South Dakota. The program goal is to help close the workforce gap in these high-demand careers by graduating highly skilled workers.

Prairie Lakes Healthcare System supports the Build Dakota Scholarship program by being a "Stretch the Million" (STM) industry partner.

How it Works

• After choosing a student scholar, Prairie Lakes commits to paying half of the expenses of their Build Dakota Scholarship. The scholarship supports tuition, fees, books, and other required program expenses in the eligible college program.
• By accepting the full-ride scholarship with Prairie Lakes, the student commits to working three years (minimum), full-time for Prairie Lakes Healthcare System.

Please note: Build Dakota applications are managed directly through technical colleges. 

More Information On How To Apply

The acquisition of Brown Clinic by Prairie Lakes Healthcare System will strengthen and provide a full continuum of healthcare services to the Watertown region. 

WATERTOWN, South Dakota (September 12, 2023) – Prairie Lakes Healthcare System and Brown Clinic are pleased to announce they have entered into a definitive agreement for the acquisition of Brown Clinic by Prairie Lakes Healthcare System effective January 1, 2024. Brown Clinic will then become Prairie Lakes Brown Clinic.

“This agreement is monumental for both organizations and a step forward for the community of Watertown,” said Vincent A. “Vince” Foley, Chairman of the Prairie Lakes Healthcare System Board of Directors. “Creating more cohesive care will make it easier for patients to access health care services from primary care to specialty and hospital care all under one unified health system.”

“Brown Clinic and Prairie Lakes have a long history of collaboration, so it feels natural to formalize our relationship to ensure that exceptional health care stays local and accessible for Watertown and the surrounding communities,” added Stacie Lenssen, MD, Brown Clinic, General Partner.

In May 2023, the organizations signed a letter of intent and entered into a period of due diligence to reach a definitive agreement. “The due diligence period allowed both organizations to explore the opportunities and benefits of integrating our clinical operations and developing plans to move forward. The next step in the transition is getting into the specifics of processes, systems, people, and protocols that need to be in place before January,” commented John Allen, CEO of Prairie Lakes Healthcare System.

Lenssen noted that “We are excited to advance to the next chapter of providing a comprehensive continuum of healthcare services to the community, supporting medical provider and service line growth, and continuing to strengthen the outstanding patient-centered care our teams provide every day.”

There are many details of the agreement that will be addressed during the transition period that will take place between now and January 1^st, 2024. A "frequently asked questions" document is available below.

# # #

About Prairie Lakes Healthcare System
Prairie Lakes Healthcare System is an independent organization that provides care for 90,000 people in a ten-county region of northeast South Dakota and western Minnesota. Prairie Lakes is licensed to operate 81 acute care hospital beds including Labor and Delivery, Telemetry, Critical Care, and general hospital. Hospital services also include a 24-hour emergency department, surgical services, Interventional Cardiology, and services providing diagnostics and imaging services.

Prairie Lakes Healthcare System also operates Prairie Lakes Cancer Center, Prairie Lakes Mallard Pointe Surgical Center, dialysis units in Sisseton, SD, Watertown, SD and Ortonville, MN, rehabilitation services, and specialty services. Specialty services are a focus of Prairie Lakes to bring needed care to the Watertown region. These specialties include Cardiology, Dermatology, Ear, Nose & Throat, General Surgery, Hospice, Home Care, Nephrology, Orthopedics, Pulmonology, Urology, and Wound Care.

About Brown Clinic

Brown Clinic, PLLP is a physician-owned and operated outpatient clinic. Based in Watertown, SD, Brown Clinic offers primary care and subspecialty physicians and advanced practice practitioners including family and internal medicine, pediatrics, OB/GYN, podiatry and pharmaceutical care. It provides more than 70,000 medical patient visits annually and a full array of advanced diagnostic, laboratory and state-of-the-art imaging services, Brown Clinic is certified as a level three Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) and participates as an Accountable Care Organization (ACO).

Frequently Asked Questions

The Lake Area Technical Institute Foundation and the Prairie Lakes Healthcare Foundation are excited to jointly host the 2023 Feuerstein Series Event on Monday, October 9 at 7pm.

Say the name Erin Brockovich and you think, strong, tough and stubborn. Erin is all that and definitely more. She is a modern-day “David” who loves a good brawl with today’s “Goliaths." She thrives on being the voice for those who don’t know how to yell. She is a rebel. She is a fighter. She is a mother. She is a woman. She is you and me.

In 2000, Julia Roberts starred in the Oscar-winning tour de force film, Erin Brockovich. The film turned an unknown legal researcher into a 20th century icon by showcasing how her dogged persistence was the impelling force behind the largest medical settlement lawsuit in history. Since then, Erin hasn’t been resting on her laurels…she continues to fight hard and win big!

Purchase Tickets & Sponsorships Here

Sponsorship Information

Platinum…….………………………..$5,000.00

• Recognition (with business logo) displayed at event/business banner if applicable
• Recognition (with business logo, if submitted) on Social Media
• Access for 12 guests for the VIP Private Reception event (with hors d’oeuvres)
• Complimentary reserved premium seating for 12 guests at the public event

Gold …………………….……………$3,000.00

• Recognition (with business logo) displayed at event
• Recognition (with business logo, if submitted) on Social Media
• Access for 8 guests for the VIP Private Reception event (with hors d’oeuvres)
• Complimentary reserved premier seating for 8 guests at the public event

Silver ……………………………….…$1,000.00                                                             

• Recognition (with business logo) displayed at event
• Access for 5 guests for the VIP Private Reception event (with hors d’oeuvres)
• Complimentary reserved premier seating for 5 guests at the public event 

Ticket Options

• Individual Event Tickets (1-9 qty)…..$50/each 
• Individual Event Tickets (10+ qty)….$40/each if purchased at the same time
• Student Tickets (1-9 qty)…..$40/each *Student ID must be shown at check-in
• Student Tickets (10+ qty)…$30/each if purchased at the same time *Student ID must be shown at check-in
• If tickets remain after October 2nd, price will be $60/each, no discounts

Please Note: Tickets will not be sold at the door the night of the event.

Purchase Tickets & Sponsorships Here

Jointly Hosted By:

Prairie Lakes Healthcare System welcomes licensed and board-certified Physician Assistant, Joseph Bretschneider, PA-C, to the Urology Clinic staff. He joins Dr. Henri Lanctin, Dr. Keegan Maxwell and Abby Wookey, PA-C in the expert care of patients with conditions related to the urinary tract and male reproductive system.

Bretschneider received his Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies from the University of South Dakota in Vermillion. He completed several of his clinical rotations at Brown Clinic and at Prairie Lakes. Bretschneider received his undergraduate degree in Biology with a minor in chemistry from South Dakota State University in Brookings. He relocated to Watertown with his wife and two-year-old son from Tracy, MN where he served the role of a primary care provider in addition to covering their emergency department for the past seven years. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with family, traveling, and riding motorcycle. He is an avid NASCAR fan and a classic car/hot rod enthusiast.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to specialize within my profession after spending the past several years in general practice. I look forward to getting to know patients while helping them understand and improve their urological conditions,” Bretschneider said. “Watertown is a wonderful community and my family and I are excited to be part of it.”

Prairie Lakes Urology is located at the Prairie Lakes Specialty Clinic in Watertown, SD. To schedule an appointment, call 605-882-7777.

Learn More About Joe Bretschneider, PA-C

Learn More About Urology Clinic

Proposed Acquisition of Brown Clinic by Prairie Lakes Healthcare System to strengthen and provide a full continuum of healthcare services to the Watertown region

WATERTOWN, South Dakota (May 4, 2023) – Prairie Lakes Healthcare System and Brown Clinic are pleased to announce the signing of a letter of intent for Prairie Lakes Healthcare System to acquire Brown Clinic within approximately 90 days, pending successful completion of due diligence and a definitive agreement.

“Unifying both organizations’ patient-centered healthcare services would formalize a long-standing and successful working relationship between Brown Clinic’s primary care physician group and Prairie Lakes’ specialty care and hospital services,” said John Allen, CEO of Prairie Lakes Healthcare System.

“Brown Clinic and Prairie Lakes share strong common values and an enduring history of working collaboratively,” added Stacie Lenssen, MD, Brown Clinic, General Partner.

Both organizations acknowledge there are many details to be addressed during the due diligence period as they work through specifics to develop and finalize an agreement. “Going forward, we are excited about the possibilities created with merging two outstanding medical and support teams not only for our patients and community, but within our organizations as well,” Lenssen commented.

Allen noted that “integrating the clinical operations of Brown Clinic into Prairie Lakes’ healthcare system would enhance the comprehensive range of healthcare services available, support medical provider growth, and continue to strengthen the exceptional care our teams provide every day to the Watertown region.”

Both organizations emphasized that patients can be confident their care at Brown Clinic and Prairie Lakes Healthcare System will continue uninterrupted and unchanged as they move through this period of due diligence.

# # #

About Prairie Lakes Healthcare System
Prairie Lakes Healthcare System is an independent organization that provides care for 90,000 people in a ten-county region of northeast South Dakota and western Minnesota. Prairie Lakes is licensed to operate 81 acute care hospital beds including Labor and Delivery, Telemetry, Critical Care, and general hospital. Hospital services also include a 24-hour emergency department, surgical services, Interventional Cardiology, and services providing diagnostics and imaging services.

Prairie Lakes Healthcare System also operates Prairie Lakes Cancer Center, Prairie Lakes Mallard Pointe Surgical Center, dialysis units in Sisseton, SD, Watertown, SD and Ortonville, MN, rehabilitation services, and specialty services. Specialty services are a focus of Prairie Lakes to bring needed care to the Watertown region. These specialties include Cardiology, Dermatology, Ear, Nose & Throat, General Surgery, Hospice, Home Care, Nephrology, Orthopedics, Pulmonology, Urology, and Wound Care.

About Brown Clinic

Brown Clinic, PLLP is a physician-owned and operated outpatient clinic. Based in Watertown, SD, Brown Clinic offers primary care and subspecialty physicians and advanced practice practitioners including family and internal medicine, pediatrics, OB/GYN, podiatry and pharmaceutical care. It provides more than 70,000 medical patient visits annually and a full array of advanced diagnostic, laboratory and state-of-the-art imaging services, Brown Clinic is certified as a level three Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) and participates as an Accountable Care Organization (ACO).

Frequently Asked Questions

For several years, Prairie Lakes Healthcare System and Northeast Technical High School in Watertown have partnered to provide real, hands-on job experiences in the medical field for students. There are eight northeastern South Dakota high schools that attend the Northeast Tech co-op. The Health Science Program is offered to students and consists of three courses:  Health Science Careers, Medical Terminology (Dual Credit), and the Healthcare Internship.

In the Health Science Careers course, students learn basic healthcare skills like, taking vital signs, safe patient care, infection control, BLS/CPR certification, professional behavior, identifying healthcare careers, and employable qualities.  Students receive numerous tours of different areas within Prairie Lakes exploring career options in an ever-expanding healthcare environment. At the end of their semester, students participate in a ten-day career shadow experience at PLHS, where they follow the staff, learn more about various medical procedures, and observe real-life interactions in a hospital setting.

In the Medical Terminology course, students learn basic medical terminology language with the option to take it as a Dual Credit class.  During the second phase of the course, students then will do an extended field experience/mini-internship in a healthcare setting they are most interested in.

The Healthcare Internship class is a semester long, work-based program building on prior skills and experiences. Currently, Prairie Lakes is hosting two interns for the Spring Semester with goals of growing those numbers for next year.

The Health Science Program at Northeast Tech and the Prairie Lakes Healthcare System have a wonderful working partnership.  Shannon Buelow, Health Science Instructor at Northeast Technical High School says, "The Prairie Lakes staff engages student involvement and facilitates amazing learning experiences. We are very grateful for the experiences at PLHS and the staff is amazing to work with.  A student recently commented 'The staff was always willing to teach me about what they are doing. They were really good at getting me involved and made it so easy for me to learn.'  She continued, "They truly do make a difference in the lives of so many students." Buelow also shared what another student had to say about the program; “I have completely changed my mind about my career after shadowing.  I now know exactly what I want to do, and I am so thankful for this experience!”  

One of the students in this program was recently at Prairie Lakes for his Northeast Tech hospital rotation. He was walking through the hallways when he noticed a distressed Spanish speaking individual. This individual was looking for help and he didn't hesitate to be the person she needed. Using his invaluable skill of speaking both English and Spanish, he was able to assist in helping the individual get to where they needed to go. It’s small acts of kindness and genuine care being fostered in the Prairie Lakes environment that not only leaves a huge impact on our patients, but also on the career paths of these students.

Learn more about Northeast Technical High School here. 

Due to inclement and impending weather, the Prairie Lakes Specialty Clinic, Cancer Center, and ENT Clinic at Mallard Pointe will be closing at noon Wednesday, February 22nd and will be closed Thursday, February 23rd. Cardiac Rehab and Wound Clinic will be closed February 22^nd and 23^rd. Home Care and Hospice Services will be provided where deemed safe.

If you or someone you are with is experiencing a medical emergency, please call 911.

We encourage you to stay indoors and keep off the roads if possible.

Tips to stay safe indoors during winter storms

Prairie Lakes Healthcare System (PLHS) was recently named one of the top 20 rural and community hospitals in the country. This is the sixth time PLHS has received this recognition since it was introduced by The National Rural Health Association (NRHA) seven years ago. To celebrate this achievement, PLHS held a "Slice Above the Rest" employee celebration in the main lobby that included pizza and new pizza cutters for all employees, volunteers, and board members. Photos from this event are added below. 

The NRHA has announced the 20 highest-ranked prospective payment system hospitals in the country based on an evaluation by the Chartis Center for Rural Health. The hospitals are identified using the Chartis Rural Hospital Performance INDEX, the most comprehensive and objective assessment of rural PPS hospital performance. Prairie Lakes Healthcare System will be recognized May 18 during NRHA’s Rural Hospital Innovation Summit in San Diego, CA.

The determining factors for the top 20 rural and community hospitals are based on eight indices: inpatient market share, outpatient market share, quality, outcomes, patient perspective, cost, charge, and finance.

“Prairie Lakes Healthcare System is proud of the dedication and exceptional care provided every day by staff, physicians, and volunteers who contribute to our healthcare system achieving this recognition,” says Paul Macek, Interim CEO. “Three of the twenty hospitals in the nation that received this designation are from South Dakota and that speaks volumes to the care and services that our rural population has access to. Our recognition as a top health care provider means our community can count on us to deliver the services they need now and in the future.”

About Prairie Lakes Healthcare System

Prairie Lakes Healthcare System serves a ten-county region in eastern South Dakota and western Minnesota. Prairie Lakes provides care at its hospital in Watertown as well as Prairie Lakes Cancer Center, Prairie Lakes Mallard Pointe Surgical Center, dialysis units in Sisseton, SD, Watertown, SD and Ortonville, MN, rehabilitation services, and specialty services. Specialty services are a focus of PLHS to bring needed care to the region. These specialties include Cardiology, Dermatology, Ear, Nose & Throat, General Surgery, Hospice, Home Care, Nephrology, Orthopedics, Pulmonology, Urology, and Wound Care. For more information, visit www.prairielakes.com.

About NRHA
NRHA is a nonprofit organization working to improve the health and well-being of rural Americans and provide leadership on rural health issues through advocacy, communications, education, and research. NRHA’s membership consists of diverse individuals and organizations, all of whom share the common bond of an interest in rural health.

About the Chartis Group
Chartis is a comprehensive health care advisory firm dedicated to helping clients build a healthier world. Work is facilitated across the health care continuum with more than 600 clients annually, including providers, payers, health services organizations, technology and retail companies, and investors. Through times of change, challenge, and opportunity, Chartis advises the industry on how to navigate disruption, pursue growth, achieve financial sustainability, unleash technology, improve care models and operations, enhance clinical quality and safety, and advance health equity. Teams convened bring deep industry expertise and industry leading innovation, enabling clients to achieve transformational results and create positive societal impact.  For more information, visit www.chartis.com.