Last Friday, February 23rd, Prairie Lakes Healthcare System held our largest community event of the year - Ladies Night Out 2024 - at the Watertown Event Center. 

We welcomed over 325 attendees to connect with our healthcare providers and care teams. Ladies had their questions answered and learned about new services and resources available to them. Our guests also enjoyed appetizers, door prizes, and promotional giveaways. Our first-ever Prairie Lakes Provider Panel was also very well received!

One of the most popular areas of our event is always the recipe samping from Sodexo. This year, our Nutritional Services team offered three healthy and delicious recipes and provided recipe cards for attendees to take home. To access each of those recipes, click the links below:

• No Bake Energy Bites 
• Mojito Mocktail
• Quinoa Salad

We would like to thank the following for helping us create such a successful event:

• • Our Doctors & Providers for providing such relevant, timely, and useful information in their break-out sessions
    • Lindsey Barthel, DNP - Primary Care
    • Joe Bretschneider, PA-C - Urology Clinic
    • Abby Brown, PharmD - Pharmacy
    • Haley Ellis, CNP - Pulmonology
    • Kari Fleming, PA-C - General Surgery Clinic
    • Dr. Greg Gerrish - General Surgery Clinic
    • Abby Gietzen, PA-C - Dermatology
    • Todd Hodenfield, DPT - Rehabilitation Services
    • Rachel Leiseth, PA-C - Ear Nose & Throat Clinic
    • Stefanie Roby, PA-C - Nephrology Clinic
    • Dr. Eric Woolley - Podiatry
•  
  • Our Prairie Lakes Provider Panel participants:
    • Dr. Dan Reiffenberger
    • Dr. Mian Javaid
    • Pain Science Specialist Eric Fjeldheim
    • Registered Dietitian Megan Block
•  
  • Staff volunteers from 29 various departments within Prairie Lakes Healthcare System - 110 total volunteers were in attendance!

We have already begun making plans for 2025 - we look forward to seeing you there!

Your Blood Matters.

What can be done to make sure your friends, neighbors, and family receive the blood they need? It’s simple – donate blood to the Community Blood Bank.

The Blood Mobile will be parked outside of the Prairie Lakes Brown Clinic - Main location from 8:00 am to 11:00 am on Wednesday, March 13th. 

Update: All donors will receive a $10 Dairy Queen gift certificate!

Ten reasons why you should give blood:

1. You can save up to 3 lives!
2. Not everyone is eligible to donate blood. Only 38% of the population can donate, so if you're able, you are a selected minority.
3. Your body will make new blood. It takes about 24 hours to replace plasma and about 4-6 weeks to replace red blood cells.
4. Giving blood is not painful. You may feel a slight prick initially but it doesn't last long.
5. Donating blood burns calories! Your body will burn approximately 650 calories just by donating.
6. You get a free well-check. Before you give, the phlebotomist will check your blood pressure, pulse, temperature, and hemoglobin levels. You may also be screened by HIV, Hepatitis, and other diseases. 
7. It takes only 30 to 40 minutes of your time.
8. You feel a boost in confidence and your emotional well-being knowing that you have done a good deel and are a part of saving lives.
9. There is no substitute for human blood. Blood can not be manufactured in any way and it always in high demand.
10. You may be one of the 25% of people who need blood donation one day. 

Donation times are available from 8:00 a.m. to 10:50 a.m. Check-in is in the Prairie Lakes Brown Clinic registration area. 

To schedule your appointment, click the link below and select an available time. You can also call Community Blood Bank at 605-331-3222.

  Sign Up Here

• Blood donors must be at least 16 years old (16 years old with a signed parent consent form found at www.cbblifeblood.org) weigh 110 pounds or more and be in good general health.
• Donors exhibiting COVID, cold or flu symptoms are unable to donate. 
• Valid identification is required at the time of registration. 
• It is recommended that a person eat and drink plenty of fluid prior to donating blood. Avoid energy drinks.
• Walk-ins will be accepted, if there is room or a cancellation – staff on event day will manage this process

Download Blood Drive Poster

The family of hospice patient, Ardyce Gackstetter who recently passed away, donated twenty Littmann Stethoscopes to the Prairie Lakes Hospice team.

Gary Gackstetter, the oldest of his siblings, along with his wife Jeanne drove up from Sioux Falls to deliver the donation and personally thank the Hospice staff. Jeanne is a retired nurse and understands the importance of a good stethoscope in a nurse’s day-to-day life as they care for their patients.

With their mother's passing, the four Gackstetter siblings were looking for a unique way to show their appreciation to the team of hospice nurses who cared for their mother in her final months. They included a lovely letter, noting, “We wanted you to know that we genuinely appreciated all the kindness and excellent care provided by the Prairie Lakes Hospice Team.”

Each stethoscope is engraved with “Thx Hospice ♥ Ardy G.” The family’s hope was that the heart would signify their mother’s “big-hearted spirit” living on in the “impressive care you provide all your patients.”

Gary’s siblings include Wendy, Tim, and Todd Gackstetter. Each of them currently resides in the Sioux Falls area.

WATERTOWN, S.D. – February 23, 2024 – Prairie Lakes Healthcare System (PLHS) has been recognized as a 2024 Top 100 Rural & Community Hospital by The Chartis Center for Rural Health. This annual recognition program honors outstanding performance among the nation’s rural hospitals based on the results of the Chartis Rural Hospital Performance INDEX™. PLHS has received this award every year since it was introduced in 2016.

“The designation of being a top rural and community hospital validates the exceptional care and commitment Prairie Lakes provides to the communities we serve,” said John Allen, Chief Executive Officer at Prairie Lakes Healthcare System. “Being one of six South Dakota hospitals to receive this award gives great perspective to the dedicated efforts our employees and medical staff deliver every day.”

“During an era of profound uncertainty for rural healthcare, the Top 100 rural hospitals continue to provide a unique lens through which we can identify innovation and inspiration for how to deliver high-quality care to increasingly vulnerable populations,” said Michael Topchik, National Leader, The Chartis Center for Rural Health. “We’re delighted to be able to recognize all this year’s Top 100 but especially the more than 40 first-time recipients across both categories. It’s wonderful to see so many new facilities join the ranks of our Top 100 alumni.”

Now in its 14th year, the INDEX is the industry’s most comprehensive and objective assessment of rural hospital performance. Featuring a methodology utilizing publicly available data, the INDEX is leveraged nationwide by rural hospitals, health systems with rural affiliates, hospital associations, and state offices of rural health to measure and monitor performance across a variety of areas impacting hospital operations and finance. 

About Prairie Lakes Healthcare System

Located in Watertown, S.D., Prairie Lakes Healthcare System is an independent healthcare organization that provides care for 90,000 people in a ten-county region of northeast South Dakota and western Minnesota. The system is focused on meeting the needs of the region with a mission to make a positive difference in the health of the patients and communities they serve. Prairie Lakes Healthcare System offers close to 30 medical services/specialties with over 800 professionals, physicians, and caregivers on staff to serve their rural communities.

Learn About Other PLHS Achievements