Avera Health announces expansions to behavioral health care in Sioux Falls, Aberdeen

Trevor J. Mitchell, Sioux Falls Argus Leader
·2 min read
The Helmsley Behavioral Health Center at Avera Behavioral Health Hospital in Sioux Falls.
The Helmsley Behavioral Health Center at Avera Behavioral Health Hospital in Sioux Falls.

Officials with Avera Health announced Wednesday they will be expanding inpatient behavioral health care at facilities in Sioux Falls and Aberdeen.

Sioux Falls' Avera Behavioral Health Hospital will see the completion of shell space in the recently-completed Helmsley Behavioral Health Center, adding 16 beds devoted to adult care, according to a news release from the healthcare system.

The project is funded with $2.1 million in federal appropriations and $1.2 million through the South Dakota Department of Social Services, as well as funds from the American Rescue Plan Act.

The new unit created by the expansion will be devoted to "care of the most acute patients," and will bring the hospital's bed total to 162, making it the fourth largest hospital in the state. The project is expected to finish in spring 2025.

More: New wing of Avera Behavioral Health Hospital will soon start helping patients

“Creating specialized units, especially for our most acute population, allows safer and more tailored care for all adults,” stated Thomas Otten, Vice President of Avera Behavioral Health Services, in the release. “We are grateful for state and federal funding, recognizing this need and helping us to meet that need.”

In Aberdeen, Avera St. Luke's Hospital will create an 18-bed unit for adults and seniors, as well as adolescent crisis stabilization, in the hospital's vacant fourth floor.

The project will be funded through a $2.4 million state grant from the South Dakota Department of Social Services and ARPA funds, as well as a $1.5 million gift from Dacotah Bank. The project is expected to be finished in fall 2024.

“This is something our community does need and will value," said Dan Bjerknes, Regional President and CEO of St. Luke's Hospital. "Eight years ago, we were able to invest in a state-of-the-art cancer center in Aberdeen; now is the time for behavioral health."

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Avera Health announces behavioral health care expansion in Sioux Falls