Watertown, S.D.-based Prairie Lakes Healthcare System has merged with Sioux Falls, S.D.-based Sanford Health.
Prairie Lakes employs about 800 people — including 60 providers — and serves 90,000 people in a 10-county region in northeast South Dakota and western Minnesota, according to an Oct. 31 news release. The system is licensed to operate 81 acute care beds, and its services include a 24-hour emergency department, surgical capabilities, interventional cardiology, and diagnostic and imaging services.
The partnership includes financial investments in the Watertown community, according to the release. Over time, Prairie Lakes will transition to the Sanford Health name and brand while preserving and expanding health services across the communities it serves. John Allen, Prairie Lakes Healthcare System president and CEO, will continue to lead the organization.
“Our system is now part of the nation’s leading nonprofit health system that is driving innovation and excellence in rural health care,” Prairie Lakes Chairperson Chris Carter said in the release. “This partnership ensures that we will continue delivering exceptional, close-to-home care for years to come.”
The merger comes just over a year after Prairie Lakes signed an affiliation agreement with Sanford to implement Epic at its new EHR system.
