Top-Quality Care
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) show Avera McKennan meets or exceeds national standards on quality measures related to heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia, surgical care, emergency care and stroke care. You'll also appreciate the professional, compassionate nursing care you receive at Avera McKennan, which is recognized with the Magnet® designation for excellence in nursing services.
Timeline of Avera McKennan History
As in the past and into the future, Avera McKennan continues to emphasize technological sophistication and medical expertise along with compassionate care to support delivery of quality, holistic health services.
- Avera McKennan's roots date back to the mid-1700s in Ireland, when Nano Nagle founded the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She became known as the "Lady of the Lantern" due to her journeys to homes of those in need by using a lantern to light her way.
- In the 1880s, Bishop Martin Marty invited a group of Presentation Sisters to serve in Dakota Territory. Health care and education were among their ministries.
1900s
- In 1906, Helen Gale McKennan willed much of her worldly estate for the betterment of Sioux Falls, including $25,000 to found a new hospital.
- At the invitation of Bishop Thomas O'Gorman, the Presentation Sisters of Aberdeen agreed to open and operate the new hospital. An advanced facility for its day, McKennan Hospital was dedicated on December 17, 1911.
- In 1919, the first major addition to the hospital was built to keep up with demands of population growth and worldwide influenza epidemic.
- In 1931, Avera added the Avera McKennan Chapel to provide a quiet place for prayer and meditation off the main hospital lobby.
- In 1957, an east wing was added to the 1919 building where a dedicated behavioral health unit was placed. During this time few hospitals in South Dakota were offering these services, making this addition a first of its kind for the state.
In 1970, McKennan Hospital had its first lay administrator. Previously it was led and operated by Sisters.- In 1975, still today known as East and West, McKennan Hospital experienced a major building addition that added over 100 beds in all private rooms. When completed, McKennan’s patient rooms were 100% private; an unheard-of feature at that time.
- In 1978, McKennan became a hospital within a larger system – the Presentation Health System, combining the strengths of hospitals operated by the Presentation Sisters.
- In 1988, McKennan developed a specialized cardiac care program. Then in 1991, the first cancer institute opened after having a specialized oncology unit in the hospital since 1982.
- In 1992-93, McKennan added a two-story addition to double space for maternity services, and began adding clinics and employed physicians to its network.
2000s
- In 2000, the Presentation Sisters joined with the Benedictine Sisters of Yankton to form Avera Health, comprised of hospitals, long-term care centers, clinics and a range of health services across a five-state region.
- In 2006, Avera added the Avera Behavioral Health Hospital as a stand-alone facility for its growing mental health services. A new wing was added in 2022.
- In 2019, Avera opened the first buildings on the Avera on Louise Health Campus in southwest Sioux Falls, home to Avera Specialty Hospital, Avera Addiction Care Center and Avera Human Performance Center.
- In 2024, Avera launched the largest building project in our history with an investment of $245 million to accommodate current and future growth. To date, this endeavor is also the largest expansion of hospital patient care space in Sioux Falls history at 350,000 square feet.
- Looking ahead: In 2027, the expanded Avera McKennan campus will include a six-story tower to house a center of clinical excellence for women’s and children’s services. The building will also provide a new welcoming front entrance to the hospital.
