SIOUX FALLS — Avera earned the highest level of recognition as a Level 10 “Most Wired” health care organization from the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) in its 2019 program.

While scrolling through my Facebook page, I came across a video of a very young athlete a parent had sent me of their son performing a barbell squat on his back. His knees caved in, his back was rounded and the weight he was using appeared to be too much, in my view, because of how he looked…

LINCOLN, Neb. — Open enrollment for the Health Insurance Marketplace began Nov. 1. Nebraskans have the opportunity to find health insurance coverage for the 2020 benefit year through Dec. 15, 2019, at Healthcare.gov.

During his Earth Day speech in 2019, the chief of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Missouri River Basin, stated openly that “ the flooding during the last two decades has gotten worse, and it is not getting better.” Acknowledging the impact of climate change on flows, he stated: “The longer…

This won’t be new news to you, but Congress sure has a hard time sticking to a budget. Let me back up — Congress has a hard time even creating a budget and many hardworking Americans, including our nation’s military, could end up paying the price.

I thoroughly enjoyed Jim Van Osdel’s column about Charlie Donovan. (Press & Dakotan, Oct. 24) I grew up on the bluff road and knew the Donovans well. The article brought back good memories of those uncomplicated days 80 years ago.

For many of us, when we hear we need to “recover from working out or training,” we think a vacation on the beach or curling up on a couch and making the next few days a movie marathon.

SIOUX FALLS — Walking Forward, along with a team of collaborators, announce a generous five-year grant of $3 million from the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, for a two-phase study to advance palliative care in Northern Plains American Indians.

PIERRE — Crisis counseling is available to help South Dakotans in areas impacted by the flooding this year.

Most folks don’t just one day wake up fit, toned and healthy. The majority got that way through a combination of a persistent and consistent program of exercise, diet and implementing healthy habits into their daily lives. The opposite holds true for those that DIDN’T watch food intake, spen…

DENVER — Many babies with eczema go on to develop food allergies, asthma and hay fever, and researchers at National Jewish Health say it’s not a coincidence. The cracks caused by eczema weaken the skin barrier, allowing allergens to penetrate the skin and cause a sequence of allergic disease…

PIERRE — Crisis counseling is available to help South Dakotans in areas impacted by the flooding this year.

The next Yankton Area Diabetes Support Group will be held on Monday, Aug. 12, at 1 p.m. on the Avera Sacred Heart campus, Pavilion, Conference Room 2.

Before you even get into this article — IF YOU ARE A CROSS FIT FAN — take a deep breath, get a chug from your water bottle and swallow a big “chill pill.” I know as soon as we get talking WOD — known as the “Workout of the Day” — and we bring up anything that might rough up the feathers of C…

PIERRE — State Division of Insurance Director Larry Deiter announced the proposed Essential Health Benefits (EHB) benchmark design for plan year 2021 has been approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid/Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (CMS/CCIIO).

OMAHA, Neb. — The Nebraska Regional Poison Center in Omaha has issued a warning on the dangers of using or abusing Kratom:

BROOKINGS — The Best Practices Academy™ is proud to announce that First Chiropractic Centers, PC of Yankton has achieved the Patient-Centered Medical Home Recognition for all six of its practice locations by The Compliance Team and also attained DMEPOS accreditation in their two largest loca…

In training, one of the hot topics that I get questioned about is recovery and what does it take to recover from workouts and training. With the jammed packed schedules I see from most of our athletes we train, and even the hectic agenda from our adults we work with, recovery is a bigger key…

PIERRE — The South Dakota Beef Industry Council (SDBIC), on behalf of the beef checkoff, provided educational opportunities and resources to future food and nutrition professionals through South Dakota State Universities’ (SDSU) Nutrition & Dietetic Internship Program. Media training bec…

Outside of crashes, heatstroke is the number one vehicle-related killer of children in the United States. As we enter the hottest months of the year, AAA South Dakota in an attempt to prevent these deaths, reminds parents and caregivers about the dangers of vehicular heatstroke and leaving c…

This happens often. Don’t know if it happens in other professions like it does in health, fitness and performance? I get bombarded all the time with folks asking if they should being doing “A” or do “B” instead?

SIOUX FALLS — Avera has ranked first out of the top 20 organizations that earned a 2019 Customer Approved Award from Lincoln, Nebraska-based healthcare-intelligence firm NRC Health. The award recognizes senior-care organizations across the country for creating an outstanding care experience …

DENVER — Sensitivity or intolerance to foods such as shellfish and milk are common and can cause significant cause for concern, but there is a difference between those symptoms and a true food allergy. Nearly 20 percent of adults report suffering from food allergies, but recent studies show …

BROOKINGS — SDSU Extension recently received two 2019 Administration for Community Living Grants, to fund two unique programs focused on preventing falls and chronic disease self-management.

You might have seen this statement from me before, or heard it on my radio show, “YOU CAN’T OUT TRAIN A BAD DIET.” Meaning if you eat bad, have bad nutrition habits and expect that hour on the treadmill that burns 500 calories to make a dent in the 3,000 calorie soda and candy bar diet you m…

OMAHA, Neb. — Over the past five years, nearly 3,500 people have been killed in crashes involving teen drivers during the 100 Deadliest Days — the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day — when the number of crash fatalities involving a teen driver historically rise.

“My knee just doesn’t feel quite right!”

SIOUX FALLS — During May, American Stroke Month, the American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association, the world’s largest voluntary health organization fighting heart disease and stroke, shares seven habits to help prevent stroke.

SIOUX FALLS — The medical journal Pediatrics will publish the first findings from the PASS ECHO study in which the Avera Research Institute’s Center for Pediatric & Community Research is a cohort and grantee.

SIOUX FALLS — Avera Health was this week named one of the nation’s 15 Top Health Systems by IBM Watson HealthTM (NYSE: IBM). The study spotlights the best-performing health systems in the U.S., based on a balanced scorecard of publicly available clinical, operational and patient satisfaction…

An open house for National Cancer Survivors Day will be held from 4-6 p.m. Wednesday, June 5, at the Avera Cancer Institute in Yankton.

We all know that exercise, we can even call it “moving,” is good for us. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services just came out in their newest report and said that, “Seven of the ten most common chronic diseases are favorably influenced by regular physical activity.” Or in coach lan…

Avera Sacred Heart Hospital has been granted a three-year reaccreditation in echocardiography from the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC). It applies specifically to the areas of adult transesophageal and adult transthoracic echocardiography.

A healthy environment is important to the health of your body. Possible exposure to lead or damp, moldy indoor spaces may impact your health. TRICARE covers the screenings, services, and supplies needed to diagnose and treat allergies, asthma, and respiratory illnesses. Blood lead level scre…

Northeast Nebraska Community Action Partnership (NENCAP) can immunize your child with all recommended vaccines. We utilize recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) through the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Recommended vaccines for Kindergarten age are…

Assisted Living on the Avera Sacred Heart Majestic Bluffs campus will hold a community open house from 1-3 p.m. Wednesday, May 8.

PIERRE — State Division of Insurance Director Larry Deiter invites the public to comment on the proposed Essential Health Benefits (EHB) benchmark design for plan year 2021. The public comment period will run through May 15, 2019.

The City of Yankton and the Yankton Tobacco Education Coalition remind everyone that the Yankton parks are tobacco-free.

When we get an injury we know to see a doctor or a physical therapist to help deal with the problem and the pain. What about when we don’t have a major injury or severe pain? What about when we start to see, or feel signs, that maybe something isn’t quite right? It’s not at the point to call…

Colorectal cancer (often referred to as colon cancer) is the third most common cancer in the United States and the second leading cause of death from cancers that affect both men and women. Colorectal cancer affects all racial and ethnic groups and is most common in people ages 50 and older.

Many thousands of people throughout the world who have created problems due to excessive gambling have found the strength to quit by joining Gamblers Anonymous. If gambling is destroying you or someone you care about, you are welcome to attend.

I’ve been blessed to be able to be around athletics my whole life. As a player, coach and as a spectator. A few weeks ago I was honored to be able to travel with Coach Chris Haynes, head basketball coach at Yankton High School, his staff and the Yankton Boys Basketball team to the State AA B…

OMAHA, Neb. — The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will host its 17th annual National Take Back Day, Saturday, April 27, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., at designated sites across the nation where individuals can dispose of unwanted, unused and expired medications in a safe and secure location. Si…

SIOUX FALLS — The nursing home crisis in South Dakota is a hot topic in Pierre this year due to recent nursing home closures, low Medicaid provider rates, workforce shortage, aging facilities and a challenging regulatory environment. The problem will not go away any time soon with the popula…

LINCOLN, Neb. — As Nebraskans recover from a catastrophic storm system that devastated large swaths of the state, it’s natural to experience different and strong emotions. Coping with these feelings and getting help when you need it will help you, your family, and your community recover from…

SIOUX CITY, Iowa — Tap into the luck of the blood donor this March by rolling up a sleeve to give the gift of life.

BROOKINGS — Take control of your health by participating in educational sessions specifically designed for adults with chronic pain and their caregivers. A Better Choices, Better Health® SD (BCBH) Chronic Pain workshop will take place on Tuesdays, April 2 through May 7, 2019 at the James Val…

The Avera Sacred Heart Foundation is offering the Lori Ann Schrempp Memorial Nursing Student Scholarship to nursing students who are continuing their education to become a Registered Nurse.

Servant Hearts Clinic (free health care clinic) will be open each Monday from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at 232 Capital St. in Yankton.

We’ve all heard the saying expressed in the heat of competition, “that athlete, that team, that person really rose to the occasion and won the game!” To me, there was no magic! My take is, the athlete didn’t rise to the occasion, they elevated to the level of their training. While they eleva…