Avera to build cancer center in Pierre, South Dakota

By Lisa Gibson

Avera Health will build a new cancer center in Pierre, S.D., using up to $10 million in grant funding from the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, an organization with locations in New York City and Sioux Falls that supports rural health care.

The Pierre facility will be named the Helmsley Center and will provide cancer care, along with space for primary and specialty care, according to Avera. The Helmsley Charitable Trust will donate $7.5 million toward construction of the new facility, a linear accelerator for radiation treatment, specialized infusion chairs and a robot that delivers medications including chemotherapy. The trust also will donate up to $2.5 million in matching funds. Avera St. Mary’s Foundation will lead a fundraising campaign in 15 counties in central South Dakota to meet the $2.5 million challenge through donations from individuals, families and businesses.

Construction on the Helmsley Center will begin next summer and the facility is expected to be up and running in fall 2018. The center will add upwards of $1 million in salaries to the community, according to Jay Gravholt, director of media relations for Avera Health. “In addition to adding $1 million in salaries and benefits annually, the project will have local subcontractors and will add economically to the region during the construction process,” Gravholt tells Prairie Business. “Down the road, Avera expects to see patients from all over the central South Dakota region adding additional revenue to the community