Author: Stephany Chalberg

Reimagined Hospice Ball raises record funds for health care in the Northern Hills

Posted on by Stephany Chalberg

Spearfish, S.D., April 30, 2025 – More than $136,000 was raised during the first ever Monument Health Foundation event: A Night at the Derby. This event evolved from the success of the Northern Hills Hospice Ball which successfully supported health care in the Northern Hills for 27 years. 

A Night at the Derby, held on April 26 included themed games, raffles and bidding opportunities to help raise awareness, funds and support for hospice patients and their families. Proceeds from this year’s event supported hospice care in the Northern Hills and a fund-a-mission portion of the event supported the purchase of three wireless fetal monitors for the Spearfish Hospital Labor & Delivery Department.

“Each year I am incredibly humbled to see our communities come out and show their support of the Foundation and the work we do,” said Hans Nelson, Monument Health Foundation Director. “To see a new event so well received and well attended shows just how much our community cares about helping those in need.”

The event also honors those who have dedicated their lives to hospice programs throughout the Northern Hills and the greater Black Hills region. Each year, the Dignity Award honors a hospice caregiver who embodies the spirit of compassion, kindness and unwavering dedication—someone who makes a difference not just in the lives of patients and families, but in the hearts of their team. Renee Skroch received this year’s Dignity Award. 

“Renee’s unwavering dedication and warmth have made her an indispensable part of the Monument Health family for nearly 47 years,” said Michelle Sieveke, Monument Health Hospice Director. “As the heart of the Spearfish Home Health and Hospice team, her constant smile, sincere kindness, and willingness to help have made her a role model for her colleagues. A ray of sunshine in any situation, Renee has touched the lives of patients, families, and coworkers alike, ensuring everyone feels valued”.

After 47 years of service, Renee has decided to retire in June of 2025.

Monument Health Foundation recognized by Children’s Miracle Network at national convention

Posted on by Stephany Chalberg

Rapid City, S.D., April 17, 2025 – Monument Health Foundation was honored with national recognition at the Children’s Miracle Network annual convention, receiving an award for achieving one of the largest year-over-year fundraising increases in the country.

The Foundation earned the “2024 US Highest Percentage Year-Over-Year Increase in a Small Market” award with an impressive 135.22% increase in funds raised. 

“This could not have happened without our incredible support of our donors and the Black Hills community,” said Hans Nelson, Monument Health Foundation Director. “This also celebrates the incredible efforts in fundraising for our Rapid City Children’s Expansion.”

The award highlights the Foundation’s commitment to improving pediatric healthcare services in the region, with funds supporting essential medical equipment, programs, and facility improvements for children in need.

“We are deeply grateful to our community, partners, and volunteers who have made this achievement possible,” said Hans. “Their dedication to improving the lives of children and their families is truly inspirational, and we look forward to continuing our mission to create healthier futures for all.”

For more information about Monument Health Foundation or to make a donation, visit monument.health/foundation.

###

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 40 medical clinics and specialty centers. Monument Health is a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network.

Giving Medical Wear A Second Life

Posted on by Stephany Chalberg

When you embark on a new career, having an appropriate wardrobe can be an important concern. If you are a clinical worker in the medical field, though, scrubs are the primary component of your work clothing. So, acquiring enough of them is an urgent priority.

A brand new pair of scrubs costs a minimum of $15. “Most clinical Caregivers work three shifts, but you want to have a little variety, so the fifteen-dollar set is not what most people are going to buy,” says Jenn Murray, RN, Director Emergency Department at Rapid City Hospital. “The least expensive scrubs are what you would picture in the operating room: very basic, one pocket, tie at the waist, stiff cotton material, not super stylish. Now, they have stretchy, flattering fabric. You can get additional pockets to carry all your stuff. They’ve got little loops to hook your pen on. They’re highly customizable.”

Purchasing scrubs, though, can be a barrier for newly-hired Caregivers who may be just entering the industry, are coming off of a long period between jobs or have recently completed schooling or training. This could mean that some roles go unfilled because Caregivers can’t afford scrubs. 

One solution is that Monument Health has partnered with Scrubin Uniforms to offer discounted scrubs to help Caregivers to at least get started.

However, one pair of scrubs isn’t enough for a full-time individual. That’s why Jenn developed the Monument Health Scrub Recycling Program. “People’s sizes change, their roles change,” she says. “So why not have a way to let people—instead of taking them to Goodwill or throwing them away—bring used scrubs into their facility and just find a way to be able to disperse them?”

Starting last week, clinical Caregivers can donate gently used scrubs of any size and color via drop-off locations in the break rooms in the Lead-Deadwood, Sturgis and Spearfish Hospitals. The Rapid City drop-off cabinet can be found in the Fairmont Street lobby. Additional drop-off locations are being identified for those who do not work in one of the hospitals.

Story: Kory Lanphear
Image: Nate Dickerson

Monument Health honors physicians in annual awards ceremony

Posted on by Stephany Chalberg

RAPID CITY, S.D. (April 11, 2025) – Monument Health recognized 10 physicians and providers at the annual Physicians and Providers Awards Banquet on Friday, April 4. 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. 

“We are immensely proud of our physicians and providers receiving these awards, as they truly represent the heart and soul of Monument Health,” said Brad Archer, M.D., Chief Medical Officer. “Their tireless dedication and commitment to providing top-notch care have an incredible impact on our patients’ lives and make a real difference in the communities we call home.”


The awards were open to Monument Health medical providers.

The 2025 winners are:

  • Leslie Van Dyne, M.D., Early Career Physician of the Year Award
  • Katie Michelson, CNP, Early Career Provider of the Year Award
  • Kyle Schmidt, M.D., Distinguished Clinician Award
  • Tricia  Hoffman, PA-C, Distinguished Clinician Award
  • Luis Hernandez, M.D., FACC, Distinguished Researcher Award
  • Siri Knutsen-Larson, M.D., Distinguished Educator Award
  • Zachary Petersen, PA-C, Distinguished Educator Award
  • Stephen Tamang, M.D., Distinguished Community Leader Award
  • Michael Statz, M.D., Robinson-Howe Legacy Award
  • Jacqueline Garner, CNP, Robinson-Howe Legacy Award

###

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.

Home Health Achieves 5 Star Rating

Posted on by Stephany Chalberg

The last two quarters running, Home Health Service of Spearfish and Rapid City each received a five-star quality rating from the U.S. Government’s Medicare Home Health Compare website. The ratings are gathered quarterly and this is the first time both locations have achieved five stars for two consecutive quarters.

“Home Health is skilled services that we provide to patients in the home, who have a skilled need,” says Michelle Sieveke, Director HomeCare/Hospice. “It can be anything from disease process, to therapy to IV infusions. And the goal of Home Health is to keep them out of the hospital and to help a patient get back to their baseline, to their maintenance level. So it’s usually after an exacerbation of a disease or after a procedure or hospitalization.”

The Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS) is data collected by home health organizations so that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) can track patient progression and outcomes. When a patient is admitted, their status is notated using OASIS criteria. For example, are they able to get in and out of the shower? How well do they know their medications?

Likewise, when a patient is discharged, similar data is recorded based on OASIS questions that track progress. Where were they discharged? Do they stay in the community? If the thresholds of an organization don’t improve, it influences the star rating assigned by the CMS score.

We’ve been working on this for years,” says Michelle. “I am very proud of our caregivers and the team’s effort that they have done to achieve this goal. It’s always our goal to improve the combination of great patient care and patient satisfaction.” 

The five-star rating not only helps with Monument Health’s patient reputation, it can also improve the bottom line. “Medicare allocates points based on your outcomes, which influences your rating, which informs how much you get paid each year,” Michelle says.

The criteria evolves often, so the changes Home Health may be looking to make in order to maintain their rating can be tricky to achieve. In addition, the ratings are quarterly, so in a way, Michelle and her team are always pivoting and reassessing. “We’re pulling real time data just to see how we’re doing, compared to South Dakota home health agencies, and then also nationally.” 

Congratulations to Michelle and the entire Home Health team for providing a caring experience that impacts our communities in such a meaningful way.

Story by: Kory Lanphear

Vital Conversations: A Doc Talk Community Series

Posted on by Stephany Chalberg

Monument Health’s popular Doc Talk podcast premiered its first spinoff, Vital Conversations: A Doc Talk Community Series, hosted by Stephen Tamang, M.D., Director of Addiction Medicine and Community Health Services at Rapid City Hospital.

The eight-episode miniseries began March 27 and features discussions between Dr. Tamang and Black Hills community and organizational leaders covering topics that the area currently faces. 

“Listeners can expect unfiltered, thought-provoking discourse on public health and the systems that shape our community’s most pressing challenges,” says Dr. Tamang.

Upcoming episodes will feature such topics and guests as: mental health challenges and the growing role of technology with Amy Iversen, CEO of West River Mental Health; key health care challenges in the region, such as access to care and insurance barriers with Tim Trithart, Chief Executive Officer of Complete Health and homelessness and local immigration enforcement with Pennington County Sheriff Brian Mueller.

Future episodes will also feature Mark Harlow, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Oyate Health Center, Charity Doyle, Chief Executive Officer, OneHeart, Inc and Paulette Davidson, President And Chief Executive Officer of Monument Health.

In the final episode of the season, Dr. Tamang himself takes the guest seat opposite Doc Talk host Mark Houston so that Dr. Tamang can give his own take on issues of crucial and timely importance within the Black Hills region and also recount what he’s learned through talking with his podcast guests. 

As with Doc Talk, Vital Conversations can be found on your favorite podcast app, such as Spotify or Apple Music, or can be watched on our YouTube channel.

Monument Health Spearfish Hospital recognized by Chartis as a Top 100 Rural & Community Hospital 

Posted on by Stephany Chalberg

Spearfish, S.D. (March 31, 2025) – Monument Health Spearfish Hospital announced it has been named among the 2025 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®.

“Each member of our team feels honored and privileged to care for this wonderful and supportive community,” said Thomas Worsley, Spearfish Market President. “To again be recognized as a top rural and community hospital is a distinct honor and we thank our physicians and caregivers for all their dedicated service. We are committed to continued improvement to bring the very best care to the community and region.”

“The Top 100 Rural & Community Hospitals award program elevates the very best performers and helps create a roadmap for those seeking to improve financial and operational performance while continuing to care for the communities they serve,” said Michael Topchik, Executive Director, The Chartis Center for Rural Health. “This is our 10th year recognizing the Top 100 Rural & Community Hospitals and we’re thrilled to be able to celebrate this milestone with this year’s winners.”

The INDEX is the industry’s most comprehensive and objective assessment of rural hospital performance. Leveraging publicly available data, the INDEX is utilized 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.

Bhaskar Purushottam, MD., FACC, FSCAI, FSVMB shares research at the 20th anniversary Leipzig Interventional Course (LINC)

Posted on by Stephany Chalberg

Rapid City, S.D. March 19, 2025 — Bhaskar Purushottam, M.D., FACC, FSCAI, FSVMB recently presented two original research studies and one complex case at the Leipzig Interventional Course (LINC), the world’s largest endovascular conference with nearly 5,000 attendees from over 70 countries.

Dr. Purushottam’s first presentation highlighted his groundbreaking work using the Penumbra Indigo Lightning Flash System to treat pulmonary embolism, a life-threatening condition caused by blood clots in the lungs. As the first physician worldwide to present results using the Penumbra Flash 2.0 catheter, he reported successful treatment of 15 Monument Health patients with no complications.

“It is time we move the dial in the right direction. We need to work together to improve the mortality and the ill effects of pulmonary embolism through the use of advanced technology. I am incredibly proud that we can offer this life-saving treatment to our community and to my surprise, many hospitals in London don’t even offer this treatment,” Dr. Purushottam stated.

His second presentation focused on treating peripheral arterial disease using the Phoenix atherectomy device. He successfully treated 51 patients with completely blocked and calcified common femoral and popliteal arteries, making this the largest such study in the United States.

“I am very excited that we can now offer treatments for peripheral arterial disease, which were considered as end stage or terminal with no treatment options. Moreover, we can send the patients home the same day or the next day in most scenarios,” said Dr. Purushottam.

Dr. Purushottam also presented a complex case involving the removal of a malpositioned inferior vena cava filter using laser-assisted techniques. This innovative approach was featured in the LINC newspaper.

“I started this complicated IVC filter removal program using the laser about 6 years ago as our patients had to travel to Mayo Clinic or Denver to have these challenging filters removed. Several of his patients did not want to go as it is expensive, time-consuming and the fear of a new place. I am very happy that we can now treat these patients here. I thank my patients for trusting and giving me the opportunity to take care of them,” he added.

These presentations showcase Monument Health’s commitment to bringing cutting-edge vascular treatments to the Black Hills community.LINC is designed for vascular surgeons, interventional cardiologists, angiologists, and interventional radiologists. For more information or to access 2024 presentations on demand, visit leipzig-interventional-course.com.

Rush Fights Cancer at CCI

Posted on by Stephany Chalberg

It may have technically been St. Patrick’s Day, but lavender was the color of choice for an hour or so on Monday, March 17 in the Cancer Care Institute at Rapid City Hospital.  

Four players and the head coach from ECHL Rapid City Rush professional hockey team, an affiliate of the NHL’s Calgary Flames, donned purple jerseys, chatted with patients and posed for pictures in anticipation of the upcoming Rush Fights Cancer Game to be held this coming Saturday, March 22, against Wichita at The Monument Ice Arena.

Now in its 17th year, the game is a collaboration between the Rapid City Rush and Monument Health Foundation that benefits and honors local cancer patients and their families, while raising awareness of the vital services provided at CCI.

On hand Monday at CCI were Head Coach/General Manager Scott “Burtie” Burt, forwards Maurizio Colella, Ryan Wagner and Blake Bennett and defenseman Charles Martin.

It was especially meaningful for Coach Burt to be able to attend the event and to coach in Saturday’s forthcoming game, because he is fighting his own battle against a brain cancer called glioblastoma. Monument Health Neurosurgeon Thomas Fulbright, M.D., performed surgery to remove the tumor. His colleague, Oncologist Daniel Petereit, M.D., FASTRO, provided cancer care and helped Coach Burt to arrange further treatment at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, from which Coach Burt only recently returned on February 14. He has been back on the bench to coach the last seven Rush games, as well. “It feels surreal, because I’m now a part of this deeper moment,” Coach Burt said of being at the CCI event. “Rather than just coming in, talking to people and sharing stories. But now I’m part of it, really. So it means more to me.” 

In total, Ruch Fights Cancer has raised about $385,000 over 17 years. This year’s goal for Monument Health Foundation is to raise $30,000. “The event used to happen in February, and we decided to move it to March to honor Colon Cancer Awareness Month,” said Hans Nelson, Director, Monument Health Foundation. “We choose lavender as the color because it symbolizes all cancers. The National Hockey League does lavender night games in October as part of their own cancer campaign during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. And so we replicated that and created our own personalized jerseys, to help raise more money.” 

The Special Edition, lavender-colored Rush Fights Cancer jerseys are available at CCI for $50 each.
To purchase tickets to Rush Fights Cancer Night vs. Wichita: fevo-enterprise.com/EVENT/MONUMENTHEALTH2

Story: Kory Lanphear

American Cancer Society patient transportation and lodging grants awarded to Monument Health

Posted on by Stephany Chalberg

RAPID CITY, S.D. (March 20, 2025) – The American Cancer Society has awarded $25,000 in grants to Monument Health Cancer Care Institute to help patients pay for transportation and lodging related to their care.

The grants are part of more than $8 million in grant funding awarded to over 400 health systems to alleviate the financial burden of transportation for cancer patients. 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 the trip frequently, and the side effects can leave them exhausted.

“Cancer patients and their caregivers have enough on their plates without worrying about how to pay for travel,” said Kristi Gylten, Director of the Monument Health Cancer Care Institute. “The American Cancer Society’s grants make it easier for patients to concentrate on their care.”

The grants are available through March 31, 2026. For more information, contact the Cancer Care Institute at 605-755-2300.