**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:**

Tammi Schone - (605) 352-1102

**AVERA HEALTH EXPANDS TELEMEDICINE PROJECT AND\
ESTABLISHES TELEPHARMACY**\
**[*USDA Rural Development Funds of \$976,344 Assist with Advancements*\
]{.underline}**

**(Sioux Falls, South Dakota -- October 27, 2008)** Avera Health is
expanding its telehealth programs to give people living in small
communities better access to their prescription needs and other health
care consultations from specialists and nurses.

Avera Health officials and USDA Rural Development State Director Jafar
Karim met to discuss two recently awarded USDA Rural Development
telemedicine grants totaling \$976,344 to Avera Health. The federal
grants will help fund efforts to improve health services available to
rural communities through the use of advanced communications technology.

"Access to quality health care is a major factor in improving the
quality of life in small communities," said Karim. "Some of the best
health care available is right in Sioux Falls. Through the use of
advanced telecommunications and medical technology, doctors, nurses and
pharmacists in large communities like Sioux Falls can care for the needs
of patients living in small communities without additional time or
travel."

"Avera's vision is to employ technology to improve patient safety,
support the rural health care workforce and provide 24-hour rural access
to specialty medical care physicians, emergency department physicians,
after-hours urgent care clinics and pharmacy care services," said John
Porter, President and CEO of Avera Health. "These services are essential
to providing additional services to rural communities."

Avera Health is a non-profit organization that provides health care
services to communities it serves and seeks to open healthcare access.
Of the \$976,344, \$485, 807 will assist in establishing a telepharmacy
project with 21 participating health care facilities in rural South
Dakota. The Avera ***e***Pharmacy project provides for the review and
approval of medication orders for patients around the clock and will
afford much needed pharmacy support to hospitals in the service area.
Pharmacists will be available for consultation, as well as assistance in
updating the electronic medication administration records of patients.
Counties served include Bon Homme, Charles Mix, Davidson, Grant,
Gregory, Hand, Kingsbury, Marshall, Milbank, Minnehaha, and Yankton.

The remaining \$490,537 will be used by Avera Health to initiate a
telemedicine project that will include twenty-one end-user sites. Rural
residents will benefit by having access to telehealth specialty
consultants at thirteen end-user sites, mobile intensive (critical) care
service at four end-user sites, fixed intensive care services at one
site, Avera ***e***Emergency at four sites and Avera ***e***Pharmacy at
two end-user sites. Counties served include Brown, Davison, Hand, Todd,
Minnehaha, Bon Homme, Moody, Charles Mix, and Yankton located in South
Dakota; Cedar, Knox, Holt, and Pierce located in Nebraska; Pipestone and
Lyon located in Minnesota; and Emmet, Osceola, Plymouth and Sioux
located in Iowa.

USDA Rural Development General Field Representative Kim Anderson also
attended the event. USDA Rural Development has eight offices in the
state that assist rural communities. Office locations include a state
office in Huron, along with area offices in Aberdeen, Mitchell, Pierre,
Rapid City, Sioux Falls, Watertown, and Yankton.

USDA Rural Development's mission is to increase economic opportunity and
improve the quality of life for rural residents. Rural Development has
invested more than \$90 billion since 2001 for equity and technical
assistance to finance and foster growth in homeownership, business
development, and critical community and technology infrastructure. More
than 1.7 million jobs have been created or saved through these
investments. Further information on rural programs is available at a
local USDA Rural Development office or by visiting USDA's web site at
[[http://www.rurdev.usda.gov]{.underline}](http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/).

**- USDA -**