RAPID CITY, S.D. (April 28, 2026) – Monument Health recognized 12 physicians and providers at the annual Physicians and Providers Awards Banquet on Friday, April 17. The event was created to celebrate and honor the hard work and dedication providers have shown their patients and the communities they serve.
Six award categories were created to highlight the different areas of the medical profession. The awards included; The Early Career Award; The Distinguished Clinician Award; The Distinguished Researcher Award; The Distinguished Educator Award, Distinguished Community Leader Award and the Robinson-Howe Legacy Award.
“Five years in, this event has become one of the most meaningful traditions we have at Monument Health,” said Brad Archer, M.D., Chief Medical Officer. “Each year we recognize more of the extraordinary physicians and providers who make this organization what it is, and that growth is a reflection of the talent and commitment found across our system.”
The 2026 winners are:
Sandeep Sohal, M.D., Early Career Physician of the Year Award
Kaycie Stewart, CRNA, Early Career Provider of the Year Award
Thane Gale, M.D., Distinguished Clinician Award
James Jeffery, CNP, Distinguished Clinician Award
Ghassan Al-Shbool, M.D., Distinguished Researcher Award
Stacy Danielson, PA-C, Distinguished Researcher Award
Lee Bailey, M.D., Distinguished Educator Award
Christine Duerksen, DNP, Distinguished Educator Award
Jennifer Hasvold, M.D., Distinguished Community Leader Award
Jaime Palmer, CNP, Distinguished Community Leader Award
Mark Garry, M.D., Robinson-Howe Legacy Award
Diane Schabauer, CNP, Robinson-Howe Legacy Award
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About Monument Health
Headquartered in Rapid City, S.D., Monument Health is a community-based health care system with a mission to make a difference, every day. The system offers care in 31 medical specialties and serves 14 communities across western South Dakota and in eastern Wyoming. With over 5,600 physicians and caregivers, Monument Health is composed of 5 hospitals and 40 medical clinics and specialty centers. Monument Health is a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network.
RAPID CITY, S.D. (April 23, 2026) – Monument Health Foundation has received a $70,000 grant from Black Hills Community Bank through the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) Member Impact Fund, furthering a longstanding partnership between the two organizations and supporting critical investments across the region.
A portion of the grant will support a $30,000 outdoor enhancement at Monument Health Behavioral Health Center in Rapid City, creating safe and dedicated space for therapeutic programming and patient care. The project will open new opportunities for structured outdoor activities and treatment programming, providing a calming, healing environment for patients and caregivers.
“For our behavioral health patients, having a safe and healing outdoor space will provide a grounding environment that reduces stress, restores balance and offers a safe and peaceful place to breathe, reflect, and feel connected to nature, to their community, and to themselves,” said John Hagy, Director Monument Health Behavioral Health. “We are grateful for BHCB’s generosity and believe this project will support our patients’ emotional wellbeing, recovery, and overall healing process.”
The remainder of the award will fulfill Black Hills Community Bank’s outstanding philanthropic commitments to Monument Health Foundation’s Children’s Campaign and Spearfish Expansion Campaign.
Black Hills Community Bank has been a long-time financial supporter of Monument Health Foundation initiatives, helping ensure that critical resources remain available across the region. Their continued investment reflects a shared commitment to building healthy, resilient communities.
“Black Hills Community Bank is committed to investing in Rapid City and Spearfish, and we are proud to support Monument Health with this $70,000 grant,” said Jack Lynass, CEO and President of Black Hills Community Bank. “Supporting our communities is a cornerstone of who we are, and we believe in what Monument Health does to care for our communities as well.”
Monument Health Foundation raises philanthropic support for Monument Health, the region’s leading health system, dedicated to its mission to Make a Difference. Every Day. Donations to the Foundation help provide high-quality care and a caring experience for patients and families across western South Dakota.
About Monument Health
Headquartered in Rapid City, S.D., Monument Health is a community-based health care system with a mission to make a difference, every day. The system offers care in 31 medical specialties and serves 14 communities across western South Dakota and in eastern Wyoming. With over 5,600 physicians and caregivers, Monument Health is composed of 5 hospitals and 40 medical clinics and specialty centers. Monument Health is a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network.
About Black Hills Community Bank
Founded in 2007, Black Hills Community Bank is a locally owned community bank headquartered in Rapid City, South Dakota. The Bank is committed to relationship-based banking, providing personalized lending, mortgage, and business and personal banking solutions that help customers achieve their financial goals.
With locations in Rapid City and Spearfish, Black Hills Community Bank is dedicated to reinvesting in the communities it serves. Through charitable giving, volunteerism, and strategic partnerships, the Bank supports local organizations and economic development initiatives that foster long-term growth and opportunity across the region.
RAPID CITY, S.D. (April 17, 2026) – The American Cancer Society (ACS) has awarded up to $30,000 in grants to Monument Health Cancer Care Institute to help ease the burden for patients who experience challenges with the expense of transportation and lodging to get to their cancer related medical appointments.
This is the fifth year Cancer Care Institute has received these grants to support patients. In total, ACS has awarded Monument Health $150,000 in grants.
The grants are part of more than $8 million in grant funding awarded to over 400 health systems to alleviate the financial burdens related to accessing cancer care. Cancer patients and their caregivers can use the money to cover patient and caregiver expenses such as gasoline, bus fare, hotel rooms, and temporary lodging during treatment.
For cancer patients, especially those who must travel to Rapid City from out of town for chemotherapy and other treatment, the cost of travel and lodging can be a hardship. Depending on the type of therapy, patients must make multiple trips, and side effects can leave patients exhausted, so traveling back and forth between their home and the clinic can be unmanageable.
“We’re deeply grateful for the American Cancer Society’s continued partnership in easing the financial stress our patients can face,” said Kristi Gylten, Director of the Monument Health Cancer Care Institute. “These grants allow our patients to focus more energy where it matters most—on healing—rather than worrying about the cost of fuel or finding affordable lodging during treatment.”
The grants are available through March 31, 2027. For more information, contact the Cancer Care Institute at 605-755-2300.
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About Monument Health
Headquartered in Rapid City, S.D., Monument Health is a community-based health care system with a mission to make a difference, every day. The system offers care in 31 medical specialties and serves 14 communities across western South Dakota and in eastern Wyoming. With over 5,000 physicians and caregivers, Monument Health is composed of 5 hospitals and 38 medical clinics and specialty centers. Monument Health is a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network.
Across Monument Health’s facilities, artificial intelligence is changing how clinicians work and how patients experience high-quality care. In daily practice, Monument Health employees already use more than a dozen applications of generative AI in the electronic health record. This reflects our commitment to ensuring that patients in western South Dakota and eastern Wyoming have access to the same caliber of technology-driven care available at the nation’s largest academic medical centers. Clinician use of these AI tools is above the national average when compared to the major U.S. health systems that use the same electronic health record, Epic.
“Patients in the Black Hills deserve the same high-quality care they would receive in a major academic center,” said Patrick A. Woodard, M.D., Chief Information Officer at Monument Health. “By investing in these tools, we are enabling our clinicians to stay at the forefront of medicine and keep care close to home.”
Patrick Woodard, M.D., Chief Information Officer (left) and Burton Hayes, M.D., Director of Ambulatory Clinical Informatics
The AI capabilities Monument Health has activated share a common thread: making critical health care information actionable and keeping clinicians focused on patients. When physicians have the right context at their fingertips and spend less time on documentation, they’re able to spend more quality time with their patients, listening, explaining and problem-solving together.
Across Monument Health’s 60 locations, AI-powered features like Inpatient and Outpatient Insights synthesize key patient information in the electronic health record so that clinicians can walk into every patient encounter feeling prepared and fully present. An AI-assisted radiology workflow extracts critical findings like lung nodules directly from radiology reports, helping ensure that patients receive timely follow-up care on incidental findings. Generative AI writing tools help clinicians ensure that their messages and instructions are in patient-friendly language, rather than medical jargon, and draft complex documents like hospital course summaries that have traditionally consumed significant physician time. These are just a few examples of what’s happening today.
“As a practicing internist, I’ve found that the biggest impact of AI isn’t replacing clinical judgment—it’s giving me back time and cognitive space,” said Burton Hayes, M.D., Director of Ambulatory Clinical Informatics at Monument Health. “Tools that generate clinical documentation from the patient conversation have dramatically reduced the hours I used to spend charting after work. AI can summarize chart data in seconds and suggest diagnoses or coding based on the visit. The result is that I spend less time doing clerical work and more time actually thinking about the patient in front of me. AI is helping me love being a doctor, rather than a data entry clerk.”
None of these capabilities replace clinical judgment. They remove friction around it, giving Monument Health’s caregivers more capacity to do what they entered health care to do. Monument Health is actively expanding its AI capabilities, with patient-facing applications on the near horizon.
SPEARFISH, S.D. — Monument Health has completed Phase One of its expansion project at Spearfish Hospital. The addition includes 19 inpatient rooms, 15 for medical surgical care and four for the ICU, along with a new Endo Procedure Room. The units feature private rooms with individual bathrooms, centrally located nurses’ stations and a calming color palette designed to support healing.
On the main floor, 22 Surgery Pre/Post rooms provide flexible bed space for patients checking in for surgery, recovering after a procedure or awaiting discharge or transfer. The basement level houses a new, larger cafeteria serving caregivers, guests and patients.
“This community has continued to grow, and we’ve seen the needs and requests from patients change along with it,” said Thomas Worsley, Spearfish Hospital president. “This expansion gives us more space to provide a better environment for our patients, their families, our visitors, caregivers and physicians.”
“This milestone has been a long time coming, and seeing it come to life has been incredibly exciting for our entire care team,” said Paulette Davidson, President and CEO of Monument Health.
Phase One is the first step in a broader transformation of Spearfish Hospital. Phase Two will add a new surgical wing and an expanded perioperative area, with construction expected to take approximately 14 months. In the final phase, the existing surgical wing will be modernized into an updated emergency department, nearly doubling capacity from seven to 13 beds.
The full project represents an $80 million investment in health care for the growing Spearfish community.
About Monument Health
Monument Health is a community-based health system headquartered in Rapid City, S.D., offering 31 specialties across 14 communities in western South Dakota and eastern Wyoming. With more than 6,200 physicians and caregivers, five hospitals and more than 40 clinics and specialty centers, Monument Health is a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network.
RAPID CITY, S.D. (March 26, 2026) — Monument Health Occupational Medicine is pleased to announce expanded access to immigration physical examinations (USCIS Form I-693) for individuals and families navigating the U.S. immigration process. With increased appointment availability and a board-certified physician on staff, Monument Health is positioned to serve patients from across the region.
Immigration physicals are a required step in many immigration applications and must be performed by a USCIS-designated civil surgeon. Monument Health Occupational Medicine, led by Chad Storch, D.O., MPH, is welcoming new patients and offers convenient, accessible appointment options designed to make this important step as smooth as possible.
“We understand that navigating the immigration process can be stressful, and we want to make this part of the journey as smooth as possible,” said Dr. Storch. “Whether you are coming from Rapid City or traveling from a neighboring community, we are here to help you move forward.”
Each immigration physical at Monument Health includes:
• Comprehensive medical history review
• Complete physical examination
• Required lab work and/or vaccinations per USCIS guidelines
Patients are asked to bring the following to their appointment:
• Valid government-issued photo ID
• Vaccination records (if available)
• Completed immigration paperwork, including USCIS Form I-693
The standard immigration physical, including the physical exam and required lab work, is $900. Please note that additional costs may apply if required vaccinations are identified during the exam, as vaccine pricing varies. Patients are encouraged to contact the clinic for more information on pricing before their appointment.
About Chad Storch, D.O., MPH Dr. Storch brings more than 25 years of experience in hospital and clinic settings, including acute care, primary care and surgery, to Monument Health. A retired U.S. Navy Commander with 21 years of service, Dr. Storch is board certified in Occupational and Aerospace Medicine. During his Navy career, he served as a ship’s physician aboard the USS OAK HILL, managed occupational health programs compliant with OSHA standards, and served as Aviation Medicine Department Head and Senior Flight Surgeon at Naval Air Station Whiting Field in Milton, Florida, where he provided medical oversight for more than 1,500 aviators and air traffic controllers. Dr. Storch joined Monument Health in August 2020 and is dedicated to bringing his expertise to patients and organizations across the Black Hills region.
Schedule an Appointment To schedule an immigration physical with Dr. Storch at Monument Health Occupational Medicine, please call (605) 755-2273. Same-day and expedited appointments may be available. We welcome patients from across the region and are committed to helping you complete your immigration requirements with confidence and care.
Spearfish, S.D. (March 24, 2026) – Monument Health Spearfish Hospital announced it has been named among the 2026 Top 100 Rural & Community Hospitals by The Chartis Center for Rural Health. Chartis’ annual Top 100 award program honors outstanding performance among the nation’s rural hospitals based on the results of the Chartis Rural Hospital Performance INDEX®.
“It’s an honor and a privilege for our teams to serve the community,” said Thomas Worsley, Spearfish Market President. “As we have worked diligently to provide great care, particularly in the midst of a transformational campus construction project, it’s a great honor to be recognized amongst these other fine hospitals. ”
“The delivery of care within rural communities is more complex today than at any point in recent memory. This year’s Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals and Top 100 Rural & Community Hospitals have emerged as true leaders—committed to their mission through a powerful combination of resilience, dedication, and innovation,” said Michael Topchik, Executive Director of The Chartis Center for Rural Health. “We’re delighted to recognize this year’s winners and celebrate their Top 100 status.”
Now in its 16th year, the INDEX is the industry’s most comprehensive and objective assessment of rural hospital performance. Leveraging a methodology that utilizes publicly available data, the INDEX is used 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, quality, patient perspective, and finance.
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About Monument Health
Headquartered in Rapid City, S.D., Monument Health is a community-based health care system with a mission to make a difference, every day. The system offers care in 31 medical specialties and serves 14 communities across western South Dakota and in eastern Wyoming. With over 5,600 physicians and caregivers, Monument Health is composed of 5 hospitals and 40 medical clinics and specialty centers. Monument Health is a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network.
About Chartis The challenges facing US healthcare are longstanding and all too familiar. We are Chartis, and we believe in better. We work with more than 900 clients annually to develop and activate transformative strategies, operating models, and organizational enterprises that make US healthcare more affordable, accessible, safe, and human. With more than 1,350 professionals, we help providers, payers, technology innovators, retail companies, and investors create and embrace solutions that tangibly and materially reshape healthcare for the better. Our family of brands—Chartis, Jarrard, Greeley, and HealthScape Advisors—is 100% focused on healthcare and each has a longstanding commitment to helping transform healthcare in big and small ways. Learn more.
Rapid City, S.D., (March 18, 2026) – Monument Health Rapid City Hospital has received the American College of Cardiology’s NCDR Chest Pain ̶ MI Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award for 2025, marking 14 consecutive years receiving the honor. Rapid City Hospital is one of only 323 hospitals nationwide to receive the honor.
This award recognizes Monument Health’s unwavering commitment to delivering the highest level of care for patients experiencing heart attacks. It reflects the dedication of the Cardiology team at Rapid City Hospital to meet–and exceed–rigorous national standards for treatment. By consistently providing care that aligns with the clinical guidelines of the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association, Rapid City Hospital is helping ensure that our patients receive timely life-saving care they deserve when every second matters.
To receive the Chest Pain ̶ MI Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award, Monument Health Rapid City Hospital has demonstrated sustained achievement in the Chest Pain ̶ MI Registry for two consecutive years (2023 and 2024) and performed at the highest level for specific performance measures. Full participation in the registry engages hospitals in a robust quality improvement process using data to drive improvements in adherence to guideline recommendations and overall quality of care provided to heart attack patients.
“It is an honor to award Monument Health Rapid City Hospital with the Platinum Performance Award for their valuable national leadership and dedication to meeting comprehensive performance measures in patient care,” said Michael C. Kontos, MD, FACC, chair of the NCDR Chest Pain – MI Registry Steering Subcommittee, and cardiologist at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center. “The receipt of this award indicates thatMonument Health remains committed to providing top quality, guideline-driven care for heart attack patients. Their success ensures patients are receiving the highest quality cardiovascular care.”
The Centers for Disease Control estimates that over 800,000 Americans suffer a heart attack each year. A heart attack occurs when a blood clot in a coronary artery partially or completely blocks blood flow to the heart muscle. Treatment guidelines include administering aspirin upon arrival and discharge, timely restoration of blood flow to the blocked artery, smoking cessation counseling and cardiac rehabilitation, among others.
“Earning the American College of Cardiology NCDR chest pain–MI registry platinum performance award for the 14th consecutive year represents an extraordinary milestone for Monument Health. Very few hospitals across the country consistently achieve this level of performance in the treatment of heart attack patients,” said Joseph Tuma, M.D., FACC, FSCAI, Interventional Cardiologist. “This recognition is a testament to the dedication, collaboration and expertise of our entire Cardiology care team, who remained deeply committed to continuous quality improvement, patient-centered care and a culture of excellence. We are honored to receive this award and proud of the team whose work makes this achievement possible”
Chest Pain ̶ MI Registry empowers health care provider teams to consistently treat heart attack patients according to the most current, science-based guidelines and establishes a national standard for understanding and improving the quality, safety and outcomes of care provided for patients with coronary artery disease, specifically high-risk heart attack patients.
The American College of Cardiology (ACC) is the global leader in transforming cardiovascular care and improving heart health for all. As the preeminent source of professional medical education for the entire cardiovascular care team since 1949, ACC credentials cardiovascular professionals in over 140 countries who meet stringent qualifications and leads in the formation of health policy, standards and guidelines. Through its world-renowned family of JACC Journals, NCDR registries, ACC Accreditation Services, global network of Member Sections, CardioSmart patient resources and more, the College is committed to ensuring a world where science, knowledge and innovation optimize patient care and outcomes. Learn more at www.ACC.org or follow @ACCinTouch.
About Monument Health Headquartered in Rapid City, S.D., Monument Health is a community-based health care system with a mission to make a difference, every day. The system offers care in 31 medical specialties and serves 14 communities across western South Dakota and in eastern Wyoming. With over 5,600 physicians and caregivers, Monument Health is composed of 5 hospitals and 40 medical clinics and specialty centers. Monument Health is a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network.
Spearfish Teen Alison Cooper is Back in the Air After Being Sidelined by a Hip Injury
Alison Cooper is not one to take things slow.
The Spearfish High School junior juggles life as a cheer captain, horseback trail guide at Andy’s Trails in Lead and aerial acrobatics performer. But when pain in her left hip began to limit her active lifestyle, she turned to David Woodard, M.D., for answers.
“I was at a football game my sophomore year and I was doing a jump and that’s when I hurt my hip. I couldn’t lift my foot above the ground more than a foot or it would hurt really bad,” Alison said. “I went to a chiropractor hoping I just needed an adjustment, but when that didn’t help my athletic trainer referred me to Dr. Woodard. I just wanted to feel better.”
Dr. Woodard, an orthopedic surgeon at Monument Health Orthopedic and Specialty Hospital (MHOSH), diagnosed Alison with a labrum tear and femoroacetabular impingement (FAI), a painful condition that occurs when the hip joint doesn’t articulate properly.
Dr. David Woodard is an orthopedic surgeon specializing in treating injuries in athletes and active individuals at Monument Health Orthopedics & Specialty Hospital. He specializes in injuries and pain in the elbows, shoulders, knees and hips with training in minimally invasive techniques that focus on joint preservation and shoulder arthroplasty.
After a conservative approach which included physical therapy, modified activities, stretching and strengthening, and anti-inflammatory injections failed to bring Alison lasting relief, Dr. Woodard determined that arthroscopic surgery would offer her the best chance for full recovery.
“All those things did not provide Alison with any significant long term pain relief,” said Dr. Woodard of the nonoperative management. “The activities she was doing became less and less and her pain became more and more.”
Advanced technology at MHOSH allowed Dr. Woodard to not only repair Alison’s torn labrum, but also perform a femoroplasty, a reshaping of the neck of the femur to create a smoother, more natural ball-and-socket fit.
“At MHOSH, we have technology that supports precise preoperative planning. We can get 3D analysis of the hip, which gives us a weather map of the femoral neck to show exactly where the abnormal bone needs to be removed,” he said. “In addition to repairing the labrum arthroscopically, we also adjusted the shape of her hip joint to restore normal range of motion and eliminate pain.”
The surgery was a success, though the biggest challenge was keeping Alison from rushing back into her regular routines. Just weeks after her Feb. 17, 2025, procedure, she was eager to resume her cheerleading jumps, splits and aerial stunts.
“She was already feeling better days after the surgery. That’s how I knew she would do really well. The only challenge was slowing her down,” said Dr. Woodard.
Alison admitted that she differed from Dr. Woodard on the recovery timeline and may have “pushed some buttons.”
Six weeks after surgery, Alison was back as a horseback trail guide. By May, she returned to aerial work, focusing on her upper body strength. In August, she was performing again with Amber Sky Aerial Arts, just in time to prepare for a competition in Sioux Falls and was back on the sidelines cheering for Spearfish High School.
“When I officially came back, I could tell I had a lot more strength than I normally do and I think I have more range of motion than I did before.”
For other athletes facing recovery after injury, Alison advises to be patient and positive. “Work with your coaches to find alternative workouts, easy back in slowly, and don’t hate your doctor for telling you ‘no,’” she laughed.
Her experience not only strengthened her body but also broadened her outlook on a perspective future. “Having my surgery also really opened me up to physical therapy as a career. It’s not something I looked at before I needed it.”
For Dr. Woodard, seeing Alison and other athletes back on the field, track or performing stunts suspended 25 feet in the air, free from pain, is what makes the work deeply rewarding.
“What I really enjoy most about being a sports surgeon is that I am actually giving people back the ability to experience the things they enjoy most about life,” he said. “The moment when I can tell the athlete is no longer thinking about their injury and are back to the part of their life that they missed most when they were hurt – that’s the best part of my job.”
National unit-based nursing excellence award with gold, silver, and bronze designations marks a significant milestone on the path to exceptional patient care and a healthy work environment
RAPID CITY, S.D. – (Feb. 16, 2026) – For the second year in a row, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) recently awarded a silver-level Beacon Award for Excellence to the Monument Health Heart and Vascular Unit (HVU) at Rapid City Hospital. This is a significant achievement as more than 575 units from around the country applied for the award in 2025.
The Beacon Award for Excellence — a significant milestone on the path to exceptional patient care and healthy work environments — recognizes unit caregivers who successfully improve unit outcomes and align practices with AACN’s six Healthy Work Environment Standards. Units that earn this annual award with a gold, silver or bronze designation meet specific criteria established by AACN that represent the characteristics and components of the unit environment that nurses can influence to achieve nursing excellence.
“Earning the Beacon Award for Excellence for the second consecutive year underscores our nursing team in the Heart and Vascular Unit’s sustained commitment to clinical excellence and quality patient care. This achievement reflects our team’s unwavering dedication to not only meeting but exceeding national standards while fostering a supportive and collaborative work environment,” said Tasha Frisinger, MSN, RN, CMNL, Monument Health Vice President of Nursing. “Our nurses have demonstrated remarkable consistency in delivering evidence-based practices that improve patient outcomes. I am proud of our team’s continued achievement.”
AACN President Rebekah Marsh, BSN, RN, CCRN, applauds the commitment of the caregivers at Heart and Vascular Unit at Rapid City Hospital for working together to meet and exceed the high standards set forth by the Beacon Award for Excellence to achieve a Silverlevel designation. These dedicated healthcare professionals join other members of our exceptional community of nurses, who set the standard for optimal patient care.
“The Beacon Award for Excellence recognizes caregivers in outstanding units whose consistent and systematic approach to evidence-based care optimizes patient outcomes,” Marsh said. “Units that receive this national recognition serve as role models to others on their journey to excellent patient and family care.”
Many units provide exceptional patient care; however, Beacon-awarded units distinguish themselves by excelling in various areas demonstrated in their application. Through participation in the Beacon Award program, units can compare and reflect on their performance compared to global applicants. There are subtle differences for different scoring levels, often differentiated by 1 point or less. All awardees demonstrate dynamic and outstanding performance in the areas of: Patient Outcomes, Nursing Workforce and Work Environment.
About the Beacon Award for Excellence:Established in 2003, the Beacon Award for Excellence offers a road map to help guide exceptional care through improved outcomes and greater overall patient satisfaction. U.S. and Canadian units where patients receive their principal nursing care after hospital admission qualify for this excellence award. Units that receive the Beacon Award for Excellence meet criteria in six categories: leadership structures and systems; appropriate staffing and staff engagement; effective communication, knowledge management, and learning and development; evidence-based practice and processes; and outcome measurement. To learn more, visit www.aacn.org/beacon or call 800-899-2226.
About the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses: For more than 50 years, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) has been dedicated to acute and critical care nursing excellence. The organization’s vision is to create a healthcare system driven by the needs of patients and their families in which acute and critical care nurses make their optimal contribution. AACN is the world’s largest specialty nursing organization, with about 130,000 members and over 200 chapters in the United States.
About Monument Health
Headquartered in Rapid City, S.D., Monument Health is a community-based health care system with a mission to make a difference, every day. The system offers care in 31 medical specialties and serves 14 communities across western South Dakota and in eastern Wyoming. With over 5,000 physicians and caregivers, Monument Health is composed of 5 hospitals and 38 medical clinics and specialty centers. Monument Health is a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network.
