**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:**

Tammi Schone - (605) 352-1102\
\
**AVERA HEALTH OFFERS ELECTRONIC CRITICAL CARE TO OVER 168,640 RURAL
RESIDENTS**\
**[*\$453,469 USDA Rural Development Funds Assist With Advancements*\
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**(Sioux Falls, South Dakota -- November 29, 2006)** USDA Rural
Development State Director Tim B. Potts was in town today to present a
USDA Rural Development distance learning and telemedicine grant award in
the amount of \$453,469 to Avera Health. The federal grant will assist
with distant learning and telemedicine education.

Potts said, "This project will bring safe, timely and quality healthcare
to over 168,640 rural residents and serve fourteen South Dakota counties
including Brown, Davison, Yankton, Minnehaha, Gregory, Hutchinson,
Walworth, Jerauld, Spink, Roberts, McPherson, Hand, Marshall, and
Charles Mix as well as counties of Madison and Holt, Nebraska and Sioux
County, Iowa."

Aver Health is a non-profit organization that works to improve the
health of communities we serve and are committed to healthcare access
for everyone. This project focuses on electronic monitoring of intensive
care patients through computed teleradiology with remote access to
physicians and distance education accompanied by videoconferencing
equipment for patients and health care professionals.

Avera Health is the first healthcare system in the United States to
offer electronic intensive care through eICU to rural and critical
access hospitals (CAH). Thirteen hospitals and clinics will receive
equipment based on the community needs and individual facility's ability
to support a new level of equipment and technologies. One or any
combination of the proposed equipment and technologies will be
implemented at end-user sites to deliver healthcare or educational
opportunities and two sites will receive videoconferencing equipment.
Benefits to rural residents include a reduction in health care
disparities due to access to radiological and other specialty
healthcare. Healthcare providers will benefit from having a system
available for timely and accurate diagnoses of medical conditions.
Information technology is critical to rural Americans. The quality of
health care and the ability to gain access to education programs is
significantly improved and it betters prepares them to compete in the
global market.

"This grant will allow Avera to provide additional telemedicine and
Avera eICU CARE (advanced critical care telemedicine) to facilities
across the region," said John Porter, President and CEO of Avera Health.
"These services are essential to providing additional services to rural
communities."

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

USDA Rural Development's mission is to deliver programs in a way that
will support increasing economic opportunity and improve the quality of
life of rural residents. As a venture capital entity, Rural Development
provides equity and technical assistance to finance and foster growth in
homeownership, business development, and critical community and
technology infrastructure. 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](http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/).

**- USDA -**