The Prairie Lakes Healthcare System Grief Support Group will begin the Fall six-week session on Tuesday, October 3rd.

Our support group offers an opportunity for those that have lost a loved one to find comfort, support, and hope. We provide a safe environment to learn about the process of grief, meet others who are dealing with losses, and share stories of your loved one. Grieving is always less painful when you know you aren’t alone. 

Informal presentations from 'Understanding Your Grief' by Alan Wolfelt are used to support those grieving and offer hope as we journey forward.

The Fall session will be offered each Tuesday from October 3rd to November 14th, omitting October 31st due to Halloween. Each group meeting will run from 4:30 - 6:00 pm in the Specialty Clinic Conference Room.

The grief support group meetings are open to the community and are free of charge, but registration is required. Please RSVP here or by calling 605-882-7714.

Register Today

The Fall season is a perfect time to set a new, healthier routine- Classes begin Wednesday, September 13th!

Change your lifestyle, change your eating habits, change your attitude and change your life! 

Effective weight management isn’t just about losing pounds. It’s about gaining a healthier, more rewarding lifestyle. During this twelve-week program, our Registered Dietitians will focus on boosting your overall health, relying on proven scientific methods to train you to improve your eating habits, lifestyle, and activity choices- for good! 

The 12-Week CORE4 Schedule:

• • Week 1: Introduction
  • Week 2: Individual Appointment with a Registered Dietitian
  • Week 3: Behavior Modification
  • Week 4: Grocery Store Tour
  • Week 5: My Plate Portion Sizes and Label Reading
  • Week 6: The Power of Movement
  • Week 7: Meal Planning and Dining Out
  • Week 8: Fat, Cholesterol and Triglycerides
  • Week 9: Carbohydrates and Fiber
  • Week 10: Protein, Stress, Sleep Hydration
  • Week 11:Vitamins and Minerals
  • Week 12: Moving On

Early-Bird Incentive: Enter promo code "Early" on/before Monday, September 4th and receive $20 off your registration fee.

There are two meeting times to choose from - one at noon and another at 5:30 pm. Each class will run for one hour and be held in the Specialty Clinic Conference Room on the Prairie Lakes Healthcare System campus. 

The program is limited to 8 attendees per session, so be sure to get registered before they fill up!

To enhance your Core4 experience, we are now offering the use of the PLHS Cardiopulmonary Rehab gym with healthcare staff assistance. More information will be shared at the first Core4 class.

Body Composition Analysis (BCA)

This analysis is based on an individual’s personal information using weight, height and age. The BCA shows the composition of your body in terms of fat, muscle, and water content. This can help you concentrate on losing body fat instead of just focusing on losing pounds. A body composition analysis is completed at the beginning and the end of this 12 week program.

Register Today!

Prairie Lakes Healthcare System (PLHS) recently received and celebrated an overall five out of five-star hospital rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on their Care Compare website.

“We are very proud of and grateful for all the staff that contributed to this top rating from CMS,” said Shelly Turbak, Chief Nursing Officer.  “The five stars is a product of our collective and collaborative efforts, dedication, and continued focus on the Prairie Lakes mission and vision of serving our community with exceptional care every single day.”

The overall star rating for hospitals nationwide is based on how well a hospital performs across quality-of-care measures, including readmission rates and safety of care. The overall rating, between 1 and 5 stars, summarizes a variety of measures across 5 areas of quality into a single star rating for each hospital. The 5 publicly reported measure groups include: mortality, safety of care, readmission, patient experience, and timely and effective care. Including Prairie Lakes, CMS awarded 481 hospitals nationwide with its top rating.

The more stars, the better a hospital performed on the available quality measures. CMS’s Care Compare website helps individuals and families decide and compare where to receive health care. Prairie Lakes achieved a four-star rating in 2022 and another five-star rating in 2021 from CMS.

About Prairie Lakes Healthcare System

Prairie Lakes Healthcare System serves a ten-county region in eastern South Dakota and western Minnesota. Prairie Lakes provides care at its hospital in Watertown as well as Prairie Lakes Cancer Center, Mallard Pointe Surgical Center, dialysis units in Sisseton, SD, Watertown, SD and Ortonville, MN, rehabilitation services, and specialty services. Specialty services are a focus of PLHS to bring needed care to the region. These specialties include Cardiology, Dermatology, Ear, Nose & Throat, General Surgery, Hospice, Home Care, Nephrology, Orthopedics, Pulmonology, Urology, and Wound Care. For more information, click here. 

In its first session, the Arrow Strength summer program was a huge success with 170 students participating!

The powerhouse behind this tremendously successful program is Aaron Jung, PLHS's new Strength & Conditioning Coach. Aaron joined the PLHS Sports Medicine team earlier this year and is based out of Watertown High School. He will spend the majority of his time working with various teams both at the high school and intermediary level to ensure proper strength and conditioning programs are being developed and followed in order to reduce injury and help student-athletes to reach their full potential. 

As a student-athlete himself, here at Watertown High School where he graduated in 2008 and then went onto Augustana University where he was a starting defensive tackle, Aaron jumped at the opportunity to return to his hometown and create the Arrow Strength program. Aaron shared his vision and passion in the following remarks:

"The main reason the program was developed was to offer a well thought out and progressive strength and conditioning program specifically designed with the athlete in mind. The program is designed for all athletes, whether the athlete is new to training or has spent numerous years following a strength and conditioning program. The program focuses on preventing injuries in the weight room, reducing sport-related injuries, helping enhance athletic performance, and promoting confidence not only physically, but mentally as well. We also wanted to start a program that the community can trust and understand that an athlete's potential can be reached by services close to home. I have a unique passion for helping young people try and reach their goals. A lot of it stems from my time as a student-athlete myself previously in high school and college. I realized the value of a sound training program and what it can do for someone physically. However, it also instills a level of confidence that allows someone to go out and perform to their fullest potential regardless of the outcome.  Now being in the strength and conditioning field for a decade, I think a community like this - one that I am very familiar with - has a lot of potential to grow and do something special."

In order to guage performance improvements, the student-athletes were offered an opportunity to participate in pre and post testing in the vertical jump, broad jump, pro-agility, and 20-yard dash. The results are listed below:

1. Vertical Jump: 71% improvement
2. Broad Jump: 76% improvement
3. Pro-Agility (measures change of direction): 83% improvement
4. 20-yard Dash: 73% improvement

We are lucky to have Aaron here, along with the entire Sports Medicine team, to provide a unique opportunity for Watertown student-athletes to improve their strength and performance.