Todd Hodenfield earned his Doctor of Physical Therapy from the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. He later completed an Orthopaedic Physical Therapy Residency with Evidence in Motion. He is a Board-Certified Clinical Specialist in Orthopaedic Physical Therapy and focuses on restoring people’s confidence in the natural healing power and capability of the human body. He has a special interest in optimizing movement and working across the healthcare spectrum to improve the quality of life for all individuals he encounters.

Chelsea graduated from the University of South Dakota (USD) in Vermillion with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and a minor in Sociology. She went on to earn her Master of Science in Occupational Therapy from USD. As an Occupational Therapist, she develops personalized treatment plans to help individuals of all ages increase strength, endurance, flexibility, and independence to return to an active lifestyle. Chelsea has also earned her Certification in Hand Therapy indicating advanced clinical knowledge in treatment of the upper extremity (shoulder, elbow, wrist, and hand). 

Prairie Lakes Healthcare System is pleased to welcome Dr. Aaron Pickrel to our team of hospitalists who manage the medical care for patients who are hospitalized at Prairie Lakes. Our Hospitalists are medical doctors with expertise in internal medicine and family practice.

Dr. Pickrel grew up in Watertown and is returning to Prairie Lakes Healthcare System where he was a Telemetry Technician from 2013 – 2015. He received his medical degree from Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine in Spartanburg, South Carolina and completed his Internal Medicine Residency at the Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis. During his time in school, he was involved with the Abbott Northwestern IM Residency Council, Student American Academy of Osteopathy, and was on the SDSU Wrestling team during Undergrad. In his free time, Dr. Pickrel enjoys spending time at Lake Kampeska with family and friends, hunting, and fishing in the area.

“I am happy to be back in Watertown where I grew up,” said Dr. Pickrel. “I look forward to giving back and giving care to the community that has always supported me.”

Learn More about Aaron Pickrel, DO

Prairie Lakes held a special announcement event for employees and staff on Wednesday, September 7th to announce that Prairie Lakes will be the Naming Rights sponsor of the new ice arena being constructed in Watertown. It will be named the Prairie Lakes Ice Arena. Later that day, the City of Watertown publicly revealed the Naming Rights at the groundbreaking event. 

“This sponsorship supports the Prairie Lakes mission and vision of leading a healthy and active community,” said Robb Peterson, Board Chairman at Prairie Lakes. “The Ice Arena will provide many positive opportunities for improved well-being of the community as a whole for years to come.”

As part of the community benefit requirements to maintain  tax exempt status as a not-for-profit organization, Prairie Lakes has a responsibility to the community to support health, wellness, and active lifestyles for the overall well-being of the population we serve.

"This is a great partnership between the City of Watertown and Prairie Lakes. The Ice Arena is part of our commitment in helping to provide the people in the community with a positive quality of life and new opportunities," said Paul Macek, Interim CEO at Prairie Lakes. “We are proud to support the Watertown community and appreciate the support the community and surrounding communities provide to our growing health care system.” 

The arena will be located in the Willow Creek development on the east side of Watertown. The arena will have two NHL-sized sheets of ice with the building design fitted for a potential expansion to house a third sheet of ice. The spectator capacity is 1,523 for the main rink and 250 for the practice ice. There will also be spaces to rent out for events, conferences, and parties.

The Prairie Lakes Healthcare System Board of Directors agreed to finalize the naming rights agreement for the Ice Arena for $3.5 million for a term of 35 years with an additional $1 million community benefit donation. The funds will be used by the City to support capital costs of the arena. Prairie Lakes will receive sponsorship benefits. An agreement was also approved for Prairie Lakes to be the official "Orthopedic and Sports Medicine" sponsor of the Ice Arena.

Prairie Lakes Healthcare System welcomes licensed and board certified Physician Assistant, David Feist, MS, PA-C, to the Dermatology Clinic staff. He joins Dr. Jeffrey Smith and Abby Gietzen, PA-C in the expert care of patients with conditions related to the skin. Prairie Lakes Dermatology specializes in general and surgical dermatology as well as cosmetic procedures and treatments.

Feist received his Physician Assistant degree, with a surgical specialization and focus in dermatology, from Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University in New York. Feist trained at several prestigious Manhattan hospitals including the New York Presbyterian University Hospital of Cornell and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. He received his undergraduate degree from Brigham Young University with a Bachelor of Arts in Advertising/Marketing Communications. Feist relocated to Watertown from Arizona with his wife and three children where he has been practicing dermatology for the past ten years. He enjoys swimming, running, performing arts, stand-up comedy, golf, music, and spending time with his family.

“I enjoy getting to know my patients and helping them understand and improve their skin conditions, both medically and cosmetically,” Feist said. “My family and I are excited to become a part of the Watertown community.”

For information about Prairie Lakes Dermatology and the services offered, please visit www.prairielakes.com/dermatoloty.

You have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your medical care will cost.

Price Estimator Tool

Under the law, health care providers need to give patients who dont have insurance orwho are not using insurance an estimate of the bill for medical items and services.

You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of anynon-emergency items or services. This includes related costs like medical test,prescription drugs, equipment, and hospital fees.

Make sure your health care provider gives you a Good Faith Estimate in writing atleast 1 business day before your medical services or item. You can also ask your healthcare provider, and any other provider you choose, for a Good Faith Estimate before youschedule an item or services.

If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate, you candispute the bill.

Make sure to save a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate.

For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises or call 1-800-985-3059.

Prairie Lakes Healthcare System has recently made a $2 million donation toward the construction of a new Appropriate Regional Facility (ARF) in Watertown. The Human Service Agency (HSA) broke ground on the facility during the fall of 2021. With mental health needs continuing to rise locally, regionally, and across the nation, this new facility will serve as a significant asset for the support of those in need of behavioral health care in our region.

The new $7 million dollar ARF facility, to be located just behind the main HSA building on 19^th street in Watertown, will provide the region with four additional mental health beds where individuals experiencing a mental health crisis can be treated for up to five days. In addition, the ARF will also provide four beds for substance abuse detoxification and continue as the current Serenity Hills, a 16 bed halfway house for men with a dual diagnosis of mental health and addiction. The ARF facility will serve as a location, outside of an emergency room, that has the staff and resources readily available to care for individuals who present with mental health or substance abuse needs. The ARF facility is the result of a state wide assessment evaluating the need for more regional care for those with psychiatric needs.

“There is a need in our region for additional mental health facilities and we are dedicated to helping meet this need. We have a very collaborative relationship with the Human Service Agency for patients at Prairie Lakes that require clinical expertise and resources that the HSA provides to our community,” Prairie Lakes Interim CEO, Paul Macek, said.  “It’s our partnership with the HSA that links these patients to the services and treatment they need. This new AFR facility will reduce the number of psychiatric and detox walk-ins to the emergency room as these individuals can soon receive the appropriate evaluations and treatment at the right time and receive them directly at the ARF.”

“I am thankful to have such a supportive hospital in our community. We have longstanding and very positive working relationship with Prairie Lakes and their financial contribution to our new mission is proof of their dedication and support to improve mental health services in our community. I look forward to a continued partnership with them as we begin our operations this fall,” said Kari Johnston, Executive Director of the Human Service Agency.

Johnston reports they are continuing to seek donations in support of the Behavioral Health facility to offset the rising and unpredictable construction costs. If you are interested in making a donation, you can go to their website at www.humanserviceagency.org or call Kari Johnston at 605-884-4540.

Prairie Lakes Healthcare System (PLHS) now offers a new shockwave technology called intravascular lithotripsy or IVL that safely treats problematic calcium buildup in the arteries of the heart that restricts blood flow.

On Wednesday, April 14^th, interventional cardiologist, Richard Howard MD, FACC, FSCAI, treated the first Prairie Lakes Healthcare System patient with Shockwave IVL technology. It was used in the Cath Lab during a non-surgical, stent placement procedure to remove severely calcified coronary plaque in the patient’s arteries to help improve blood flow.

The new device uses sonic pressure waves, also known as shockwaves, which pass through soft arterial tissue and preferentially disrupt calcified plaque by creating a series of micro-fractures. After the calcium has been cracked, the artery can be expanded at low pressure and a stent safely implanted to restore adequate blood flow, with minimal trauma to normal arterial tissue.

“The arrival and implementation of this new technology at Prairie Lakes demonstrates our progressive vision to provide high-quality, state-of-the-art care in our region,” said Dr. Howard.  “Our cardiology team is committed to providing innovative advancements that are proven to improve patient outcomes.”

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States. As people with heart disease grow older and their disease progresses, plaque in the arteries evolves into calcium deposits, which can narrow the artery. Stents are often used to open an artery, and of the approximately one million patients that undergo a stent procedure in the US each year, 30% have problematic calcium that increases their risk for adverse events. ^[1]

“It is exciting to be able to offer and use this treatment option for complex calcified lesions at Prairie Lakes Healthcare,” said Leah Le, Cardiology and Cath Lab Director. “The Shockwave Therapy is easy to use and improves the safety of the procedure for the benefit of our patients and allows us to continue to treat these patients right here in Watertown.”

^[1] Généreux P, et al. JACC 2014; 63(18);1845-54

Prairie Lakes Healthcare System (PLHS) and Sodexo, the provider of nutritional and environmental services at PLHS, are pleased to announce the hiring of a new General Manager, Mark Keller.

Keller grew up in a small community in central Montana. He attended Dickinson State University in North Dakota and started his management career working in Montana and Washington for 19 years. Keller was most recently with Sodexo at Altru Health System in Grand Forks, ND the past eight years as the Operations Manager and Safety Team Leader.

“I’m excited to join the nutritional and environmental services team and get to know the people here at Prairie Lakes and in the Watertown community,” said Keller. “I look forward to leading my team in providing high-quality services to patients and guests of Prairie Lakes Healthcare System.”

Sodexo Services focus on improving the quality of life of the patients, guests, and staff at PLHS. Our Nutritional Services team, which includes our Registered Dietitians, encompasses all areas of nutrition to provide cutting-edge care to patients in the hospital as well as promote healthy living to our patients and employees at PLHS. The highly trained service staff at Sodexo also provides environmental services to ensure medically clean and disinfected patient rooms, medical equipment, employee spaces, and other common areas within the Prairie Lakes Campus.

Prairie Lakes Healthcare System (PLHS) was recently named one of the top 20 rural and community hospitals in the country and made the announcement to staff, volunteers and medical staff on Wednesday, March 16 in the lobby of Prairie Lakes. This is the fifth time PLHS has received this recognition since it was introduced by The National Rural Health Association (NRHA) six years ago.

The NRHA 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 12 during NRHA’s Rural Hospital Innovation Summit in Albuquerque, N.M.

 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 financial efficiency.

“Prairie Lakes Healthcare System is proud of the efforts of its staff, physicians, and volunteers who have contributed to our hospital achieving this designation,” says Paul Macek, Interim CEO. “Our recognition as a top 20 rural healthcare system demonstrates confidence to our community and the region we serve that they can count on us to meet the expectations for high-quality care needed now and in the future.”

Prairie Lakes Healthcare System announced and celebrated the Top 20 recognition with staff, volunteers, and board members on March 16 with a presentation, treat, and gift from Prairie Lakes!