Monument HEALTH Magazine, Issue 18, Spring/Summer 2025
DEVOTED
Trust in her care team led to an innovative surgery that has established a better rhythm for her heart and her life.
POSITIONS AVAILABLE:
- No Experience Necessary
- On-the-Job Training
- Competitive Wages
- Growth Opportunities
For more information, scan this QR code, visit monument.health/careers or call 605-755-JOBS.
CLINICAL ASSISTANT
STARTING WAGE $16.36-$18.81/HR
MEDICAL ASSISTANT*
STARTING WAGE $19.66-$22.60/HR
LAB ASSISTANT
STARTING WAGE $16.96-$22.19/HR
NURSE AIDE
STARTING WAGE $18.02-$23.41/HR
PATIENT ACCESS SPECIALIST
STARTING WAGE $16.95-$19.48/HR
PHARMACY TECHNICIAN
STARTING WAGE $16.44-$25.80/HR
* National certification required, experience preferred. Up to $5000 sign on bonus for qualified candidates.
Monument Health offers a variety of positions that cater to different interests and expertise within the medical field. Individuals have the opportunity to work in diverse settings, including critical access hospitals, behavioral health facilities, long-term care environments, clinics and hospital outpatient services. In additional to a competitive salary, we provide professional development and advancement opportunities.
For more information, scan this QR code, visit monument.health/careers or call 605-755-JOBS.
EA WELCOME FROM
Paulette Davidson
President and Chief Executive Officer, Monument Health
veryone who works at Monument Health shares the same mission: to make a difference, every day. This core principle informs everything that we do and it is a measure of our devotion to delivering high-quality health care. The stories in our Spring and Summer issue are all about being devoted.
Our cover story is a testament to the devotion of our physicians at the Heart and Vascular Institute to collaborating and finding the right solution to care for Sammi Wetch’s complicated heart condition and bring some relief back to her life. In turn, it’s also about Sammi’s faithfulness in delaying treatment
a full year for her trusted care team to be able to perform her procedure, close to home.
You can read about devotion to ideas, as in our story about Bobbi Rae Thuen, M.D.’s efforts to keep health care available to the small, relatively remote community of Belle Fourche. Or, witness 2025 Monument Health Children’s Miracle Network Program Champion Sam Biberdorf’s commitment to persevering in life, athletics and in his love for funky socks.
Then there are also stories of devotion to recovery, as demonstrated in Scott Buchtel’s devotion to his wife and his recuperation from cancer through their shared dance lessons, and Scott Busack’s devotion to relearning how to walk, despite losing a leg due to unfortunate complications from a serious bout with COVID-19.
Finally, some updates on our continued expansion projects and a recognition of the generosity of the Helmsley Charitable Trust to our fledgling Children’s hospital underscore our devotion to meeting the health care needs of our growing communities who are, in turn, so devoted to each other and the communities that they call home.
Thank you for joining us again as we share the stories that keep us devoted to making a difference, every day. When you experience the devotion shown in these stories, it isn’t hard to understand why we at Monument Health are so united in our devotion to who we are, what we do and why we do it.
Managing Editor
Melissa Haught
Editor
Stephany Chalberg
Contributors
Colette Gannon
Kory Lanphear
Bob Slocum
Anna Whetham
Art Director
Stacy Brozik
Layout
Stacy Brozik
Terri Upward
Photographer
Bob Slocum
CONTENTS
SPRING/SUMMER 2025
In case you missed it Our roundup of all the latest news and happenings throughout Monument Health. page 4
Where are they now: Sam Biberdorf
Still recovering from a Traumatic Brain Injury, the 2025 Monument Health Children’s Miracle Network Program Champion has his sights set on college and a career in health care. page 6
My Space: Sydney Underhill With support from mentors and scholarships, kindness and compassion help drive Clinical Assistant Sydney Underhill’s pursuit of her career goals. page 8
Ask the expert: Eating Disorders
Abbie Lambert, Clinical Dietitian, dispels myths and misconceptions about eating disorders. page 12
Patient Story: The Long Haul
A severe seizure brings Scott Buchtel under the skilled care of Monument Health and closer to his wife. page 14
Foundation Feature: Shelter from the Outside World
A $2 million grant from the Helmsley Charitable Trust makes breathing easier for Monument Health’s most vulnerable patients. page 18
Cover story: Saving Sammi Heart and Vascular Institute physicians perform a groundbreaking Hybrid Convergent procedure, offering a young mother a fresh start and freedom from a debilitating heart condition. page 20
Nurse Feature:
Ashley Adams, RN
Transitioning from environmental chemistry to nursing, Ashley is driven by a desire to help her community and honor her patients. page 24
Patient Story:
Celebrating Every Step
Scott and Lisa Busack overcome a life-changing medical emergency by relying on inspiring gratitude and strength. page 26
Feature:
Growth & Innovation
Details on the Spearfish Hospital expansion project, the new Mall Drive Campus, and the new Box Elder and Rapid Valley Clinics. page 28
Physician Spotlight:
Bobbi Rae Thuen, M.D.
Get to know Dr. Thuen, Family Medicine Physician at the Belle Fourche Clinic. page 32
Introducing
Get to know physicians who have recently joined Monument Health. page 34
Crossword Puzzle
A challenging and entertaining stroll through this issue via a fun puzzle that you’re sure to enjoy. page 37
Directory
Find a Monument Health provider near you. page 38
Calendar Upcoming events at Monument Health. page 40
American Association of Critical-Care Nurses recognizes Heart and Vascular Unit at Rapid City Hospital with silver Beacon Award for Excellence
The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) recently conferred a silver-level Beacon Award for Excellence on Heart and Vascular Unit (HVU) at Rapid City Hospital.
The Beacon Award for Excellence — a significant milestone on the path to exceptional patient care and healthy work environments— recognizes unit caregivers who successfully improve patient outcomes and align practices with AACN’s six Healthy Work Environment Standards. Units that achieve this annual, threelevel award with a gold, silver or bronze designation meet national criteria consistent with the ANCC Magnet Recognition Program®, the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and the National Quality Healthcare Award.
More expertise per patient. That’s worth celebrating.
MONUMENT HEALTH CELEBRATES 5 YEARS IN MAYO CLINIC CARE NETWORK
Monument Health is celebrating its five year anniversary as a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network. Through this membership, our physicians and providers get special access to Mayo Clinic resources, knowledge and teams of specialists.
Monument Health Supports Preservation of Medical History with $150,000 Gift to Historic Rapid City
Monument Health announced a $150,000 donation to Historic Rapid City (HRC) to support the restoration of the McGillycuddy House, a landmark that will soon showcase the region’s rich medical heritage. The donation enables HRC to complete construction work on the historic residence of Valentine McGillycuddy, the first doctor to be appointed state Surgeon General, one of the first mayors of Rapid City and a significant figure in early South Dakota health care. Once restored, the property will serve as a medical museum, preserving and sharing the story of health care development in the Black Hills region.
Monument Health Rapid City Hospital Ranks Among 5 Hospitals in the U.S. with Lowest Heart Failure Readmission Rates
Monument Health is proud to announce that Rapid City Hospital has been recognized by Becker’s Hospital Review among the 5 top performing hospitals in the U.S. for lowest heart failure readmission rates. According to data published by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on Feb. 19, Monument Health Rapid City Hospital ranked fifth among hospitals with the lowest heart failure readmission ratios between July 1, 2020 and June 30, 2023.
A low readmission rate for heart failure is crucial because it indicates better quality of care and improves patient outcomes which leads to a better quality of life and potentially longer survival rates.
MONUMENT HEALTH DONATES ADVANCED ATHLETIC TRAINING EQUIPMENT TO BLACK HILLS STATE UNIVERSITY
Monument Health has donated a state-of-the-art Therm-X compression and cryotherapy unit to the Black Hills State University (BHSU) Athletic Training department, further strengthening its commitment to supporting local educational institutions and student-athletes.
The portable Therm-X unit provides innovative medical technology capable of delivering simultaneous static or oscillating compression with hot or cold therapy. This cutting-edge equipment will enhance the BHSU athletic medicine staff’s ability to provide top-tier care and treatment for student-athletes.
Monument Health Spearfish Hospital recognized by Chartis as a Top 100 Rural & Community Hospital
Monument Health Spearfish Hospital announced it has once again been named among the 2025 Top 100 Rural & Community Hospitals by The Chartis Center for Rural Health. The Chartis Group’s annual Top 100 award program honors outstanding performance among the nation’s rural hospitals based on the results of the Chartis Rural Hospital Performance INDEX®.
Monument Health awarded Gold Recognition Level from the American Heart Association for promoting a healthy work culture
The American Heart Association, a global force for longer, healthier lives for all, has awarded Monument Health Gold Recognition Level recognition in the 2024 Well-being Works Better™ Scorecard, representing a notable commitment to the health of its workforce and community.
Monument Health Rapid City Hospital Earns an ‘A’ Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group
Monument Health Rapid City Hospital earned an “A” Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit watchdog focused on patient safety. Only about 30% of U.S. hospitals achieve a Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade of “A” and Rapid City Hospital is the only South Dakota hospital to achieve this in the Spring 2025 release. Leapfrog assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” or “F” grade to general hospitals across the country based on over 30 measures of errors, accidents, injuries and infections as well as the systems hospitals have in place to prevent them.
JUST WATCH HIM
Box Elder teen Sam Biberdorf hasn’t yet met a challenge he couldn’t stare down. That includes recovering from a brain injury and graduating from high school.
Story and photo by Bob Slocum
What does it mean to be a CMN Champion? Each year, as a member of Children’s Miracle Network, Monument Health selects a local “Champion” to represent children treated at our hospitals. This ambassador spends the year advocating for the charitable needs of pediatric care within Monument Health.
One sunny Saturday last fall, Sam Biberdorf ran in the state cross country meet. No small feat considering it was not long ago he was unsure if he’d be able to run again. The senior at Douglas High School ran the course and finished his high school cross country career with a full heart. His performance, designation as team captain and very presence at the state meet is impressive enough, as Sam overcame an obstacle those who saw him run at state wouldn’t guess. During his sophomore year Sam was in a car wreck that left him with a serious brain injury. Running competitively again is just another example of Sam refusing to let his setback dictate his path forward.
We first introduced you to Sam in Issue 09 (WINTER, 2023), telling his story of recovery and determination as he healed from his Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Sam worked relentlessly through a long period of recovery with a motto of “I can. I will. Watch me.”
Now, Sam is graduating high school and is excited for what is ahead. He has also been announced as Monument Health’s Children’s Miracle Network Champion for 2025. From an accident that temporarily reframed his life and left him with an uncertain future to a quietly confident young man transitioning into adulthood, Sam has grown and progressed in numerous ways since he was first featured in these pages.
“I feel like the accident is all the way behind me now, but at the same time I still kind of carry it with me,” Sam said. “Everyone I meet now; they don’t know what happened to me. I will tell people that I had a bad car wreck and had a TBI, but they can’t necessarily tell that just by meeting me and speaking to me. I’m thankful for how far I’ve come.”
Three years removed from the accident, Sam is largely the same as he was first described in our pages. He is the kind of guy with whom you want to be friends. He’s smart, cheerful and fun to be around. He’s an athlete (black belt in Tae Kwon Do), a good student (National Honor Society) and just an all-around good dude known for wearing fun, silly socks.
Now, though, the 17-year-old is beginning to see a future on the horizon where his injury and its lingering effects are left behind for good. His health care journey has even inspired him to pursue a career in physical therapy. He took multiple dual-credit classes in high school to earn college credits and job shadowed with physical therapists at Monument Health Orthopedics and Specialty Hospital (MHOSH). Sam has been accepted into an accelerated PT program at Clarke University in Dubuque, IA and has also signed to run track and cross country in college, as well.
“There were some physical trainers who really made an impact on me, and I’m interested in helping others in that way,” Sam said. “It’s been awesome shadowing at MHOSH
and getting a closer look at what a PT does for patients. I’m interested in neurologic physical therapy as well, because of what I’ve been through.”
The Accident
Sam, who doesn’t remember getting in the car that morning of March 2022, had to be extricated from the vehicle by firefighters and was rushed to the Rapid City Hospital Emergency Department (ED). The ED and surgical team met with Stacey and Terry Biberdorf, Sam’s mother and father, and CAT scans and MRIs revealed what Sam’s care team suspected—his unconsciousness was the result of a traumatic brain injury.
“We didn’t know what to make of anything,” explained Terry. “There’s the fear of the unknown, and you worry if he’s going to wake up.”
Stacey added, “We had fantastic doctors and nurses who helped try to work through everything.”
Once Sam had opened his eyes and EEGs verified that he was experiencing brain activity, he was transferred to the Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital Lincoln Campus in Lincoln, Nebraska, where Sam began occupational, physical and speech therapy.
Sam had to relearn everything: how to speak, eat, walk and talk. Everything he knew was still in his mind, but he had to learn how to access the information and coordination all over again. That would be an intimidating task for anyone, but Sam was relentless, coming up with his motto that served him for every step of his rehabilitation.
Big Things Ahead
From his initial 11-day stay at Rapid City Hospital through today, Sam has continued to receive care and build relationships at Monument Health. After they received travel assistance through Monument Health’s Children’s Miracle Network Program for their stint in Nebraska, the Biberdorfs were grateful and wanted to give back. Thus, Sam has often been a presence at Monument Health Foundation events for the past few years.
“The more I can share my story and put it out there, it really shows what CMN does,” Sam said. “I’m proof of what those donations can help do, and that a lot of people can benefit from it.”
As a local Monument Health CMN champion, Sam will continue to advocate for charitable needs of Monument Health’s pediatric patients, representing and raising awareness throughout the next year. Although he is not necessarily one who enjoys the spotlight, Sam knows his role with CMN is part of his healing journey. He hopes he can encourage others to persevere through the challenges of their lives; whether medical or otherwise.
Beyond that, he’s a young man with a gift for connecting with people; someone with a bright future ahead who can do anything he sets his mind to.
He can. He will. Just watch.
FROM PATIENT TO PROVIDER
Story by Colette Gannon
Photo by Bob Slocum
Sydney Underhill never expected to find her calling on Oct. 25, 2023, shaken and terrified from a serious car accident. But as paramedics and nurses at Monument Health Spearfish Hospital comforted her, she realized she wanted to be the one providing that same reassurance to others.
In many ways, Sydney, 19, is like any other young adult. The Belle Fourche graduate enjoys sushi nights with friends, thrift shopping, staying active, paddleboarding and spending time with her German Shepherd-Husky mix. But unlike many of her peers, she has a clear vision for her future—and the drive to make it happen.
Currently a Clinical Assistant at Monument Health Sturgis Clinic, Sydney starts her workday at 7:00 a.m., assisting with patient care, taking medical histories, performing EKGs and supporting nurses during procedures. Motivated and eager to learn, she’s also enrolled in Western Dakota Technical College’s Practical Nursing Program, a step toward her goal of becoming a Licensed Practical Nurse.
Though Sydney always wanted a career helping others, a car accident when she was 17, solidified her path.
“It was a bad accident. It totaled everything. I was really scared, because I was in the ditch, and I was terrified about what happened to the other girl. I didn’t know what was going on,” said Sydney.
As paramedics checked her vitals, they found that Sydney’s blood pressure and heart rate were extremely high, raising concern about cardiac arrest. As she went into shock over what had just occurred, paramedics at the scene and nurses at Spearfish Hospital sat with
Sydney, providing a calming presence.
“The kind of compassion that they had, I hold close with me every day. We need those kinds of people, and I wanted to do that,” said Sydney.
Following the accident, Sydney moved to online school as she recovered, eventually graduating high school early. Her graduation led her to a job as a Patient Access Specialist at Monument Health Sturgis Clinic, helping her learn about the administrative side of health care, including processing patient information, answering emails and managing the front desk. Over time, though, she realized she wanted a more hands-on role.
“The kind of compassion that they had, I hold close with me every day. We need those kinds of people, and I wanted to do that,” said Sydney.
SYDNEY UNDERHILL, ON THE CARE SHE RECEIVED FROM PARAMEDICS AND NURSES
AFTER HER ACCIDENT
“I started talking to my clinic director, and I voiced that I’d like to get to the more physical side of health care. And so, I was offered the Clinical Assistant role, and ever since then, I have loved my job. Every single day I come to work, I’m excited to see my patients,” said Sydney.
Soon after beginning her new role, Sydney also realized that her experience in administrative and now clinical roles gave her a unique perspective.
“I became a middleman between the front desk and clinical staff,” Sydney said. “I saw things we could improve because I understood both sides.”
Recognizing her potential, fellow Sturgis nurses and providers encouraged Sydney to pursue her nursing license. With the guidance of Jimmy Seward, Director of Ambulatory Operations, and Kirstan Keffeler, RN, Supervisor Nurse, she learned about the Build Dakota Scholarship Program and Western Dakota Technical College’s Practical Nursing Program.
Established in 2015, the Build Dakota Scholarship Program helps address South Dakota’s workforce gap by providing financial support for students pursuing critical health care roles. In 2024, Monument Health sponsored 85 scholarship recipients, covering half of their tuition,
or
with the rest funded by the state. Graduates have a 98100% job placement rate.
“I am so thankful for their guidance, because I had no idea what I was doing applying for school at all. They got me connected with people at Western Dakota and were able to build a path for me through the Build Dakota Scholarship,” said Sydney. “My schooling is completely free. I will come out 100% debt free, which was a big thing because I didn’t know how to get to college, and I really wanted a career.”
As she completes her general education courses this summer and enters clinicals in the fall and spring, Sydney remains focused on her next steps. She plans to finish the Practical Nursing Program in one year, but she’s not stopping there.
“My goal is to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing,” she says. “That’s where I’d ultimately like to be.”
To learn more about the Build Dakota Scholarship fund or to see a full list of qualifying programs, scan the QR code or visit builddakotascholarships.com.
TO LEARN MORE about how Monument Health can help pay for your education, scan the QR code
If you or your child were born with hip problems, you don’t need to face a lifetime of limitations. Monument Health Hip Preservation Institute, features the only surgical team in the region who specializes in performing the periacetabular osteotomy (PAO) hip preservation procedure, which alleviates pain, restores movement and preserves hips for a lifetime.
Preserving Hips For A Lifetime.
Eric Krohn, D.O.
Fellowship Trained
Pediatric Orthopedic Surgeon
Kenneth Milligan, M.D.
Fellowship Trained
Orthopedic Surgeon
Total Joint and Hip Preservation Specialist
ASK THE EXPERT: EATING DISORDERS
ABBIE LAMBERT, CLINICAL DIETITIAN
ABBIE LAMBERT IS A CLINICAL DIETITIAN at Rapid City Clinic, Flormann Street. She is passionate about counseling clients through a non-diet approach and fostering a positive environment for people of all shapes and sizes. She helped to create Monument Health’s first Eating Disorder Steering Team, which supports individuals struggling with eating disorders, their loved ones and the providers who care for them.
When Abbie isn’t in her office, she is hiking in the Black Hills, spending time with friends and family, catching a Chicago Cubs baseball game, a South Dakota State University football game or baking gluten-free goodies.
What are some common misconceptions about eating disorders?
That eating disorders are rare and not serious illnesses. Research shows that 1 in 10 Americans will be affected by an eating disorder—equating to over 77,000 people in South Dakota alone. Many individuals engage in disordered eating behaviors, which can be a precursor to developing an eating disorder. Another harmful misconception is that eating disorders only affect people in smaller bodies. Only 6% of individuals with an eating disorder are considered underweight. This means that 94% of those struggling live in larger bodies. The belief that eating disorders only look a certain way can prevent people from receiving proper assessment, diagnosis and treatment.
If you or someone you know struggles with an eating disorder, there is help. The National Alliance for Eating Disorders helpline: 1-866-662-1235
National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders helpline: 1-888-375-7767
How does the role of a registered dietitian differ when working with clients who have eating disorders?
The role of a registered dietitian is to assess nutritional status, provide evidence-based nutrition guidance, create meal plans and support clients in improving their overall health and well-being.
An eating disorder dietitian has similar responsibilities, but with a greater emphasis on adequate nourishment, positive relationships with food and body and applying coping strategies learned in therapy. We work to dismantle harmful diet culture and empower clients to cultivate a sense of peace and trust with food, their bodies and themselves.
How do you collaborate with other professionals?
Eating disorders are complex illnesses with biological, psychological and social components. A multidisciplinary approach is essential to address the full spectrum of a client’s needs.
The American Psychiatric Association recommends that, at a minimum, an eating disorder treatment team include a primary care provider, a registered dietitian, and a mental health professional—all of whom should ideally be eating disorder-informed. Additional team members may include psychiatric providers, case managers or social workers, family therapists, physical therapists and pharmacists.
I often serve as a bridge between the medical and psychological aspects of treatment, ensuring that nutrition interventions align with both physical health goals and therapeutic work. Through ongoing communication and shared decision-making, the team works together to provide patient-centered care that supports long-term recovery.
How do you help clients develop a healthier relationship with food and their bodies?
Eating disorders impact nearly every aspect of an individual’s life, so I focus on clients’ motivations and personal goals, as these play a crucial role in fostering change.
I also help clients deconstruct past beliefs and rigid rules around food and body image. Our conversations often explore topics such as rejecting diet culture, honoring hunger and fullness cues, making peace with food, finding satisfaction in eating, respecting the body, engaging in joyful movement and embracing gentle nutrition.
Autonomy is the foundation of recovery. I often remind clients that I don’t have the power to change their minds—only they do. I walk alongside them as a support person and offer guidance and encouragement for as long as they choose to have me on their journey.
What advice would you give to someone considering a career as a registered dietitian specializing in eating disorders?
Anyone considering this career path should start early and connect with health care professionals already working in the field. The eating disorder community is small and incredibly supportive and we collaborate to help both clients and each other. We are eager to support and mentor new professionals who share a passion for this important work.
THE LONG HAUL
Story by Kory Lanphear
Photos by Bob Slocum
An extended saga of medical nightmares triggered by a seizure brought Scott Buchtel under the life-saving care of numerous specialties across Monument Health and, ultimately, closer to his wife.
A Changed Life
One moment, Scott Buchtel was taking his dogs out. In seemingly the next, he found himself regaining consciousness on the floor of his house, his wife, Alisha, standing over him.
“My wife was asking, ‘What’s wrong? Are you okay?’ For some reason I couldn’t get up. I was grabbing the table and real shaky,” Scott, 51, a long-haul trucker from Rapid City, recalled. “And then I remember getting up, and there were these two EMTs standing in front of me. I used to be a civilian law enforcement officer in Ellsworth for 10 years, so I thought they were giving me a field sobriety test because I felt like I was drunk. I said, ‘Hey, I might be drunk, but I didn’t do any driving. I’m in my home.’”
But Scott wasn’t drunk. He was having a seizure so powerful that he had bitten through his tongue. “Right then and there, I knew my life was going to change.”
Scott was whisked to the Rapid City Hospital Emergency Department for scans, which revealed a malignant brain tumor. A biopsy uncovered a grade 3 astrocytoma, a type of brain cancer so named because it forms in astrocytes, cells that resemble the shape of a star, the function of which is to protect brain and spinal cord neurons.
Three months later, Glen Pollack, M.D., a Monument Health Neurosurgeon at the time, conducted surgery to remove the tumor from Scott’s brain. “The tumor was displacing part of my brain as it was infecting it; it was changing
my brain into cancer.” Scott said.
As is the case with most brain operations, there was a significant danger in removing the tumor. “There was about a one out of three chance I’d end up paralyzed because of the surgery,” he said. “They told me that I’d probably be paralyzed on the right side. And I said, ‘Just remove what you can and I'll take my chances with chemo and radiation.’”
What Death Feels Like
After the brain surgery, Scott rested for three months before he embarked on a very aggressive schedule of radiation and chemotherapy—a six-week course of five times per week. “As an active person, it was very frustrating for me to just sit there. I went from working out at least an hour, six days out of seven, to nothing,” he said.
Additionally, the tumor was so pernicious that Scott suffered several seizures in the intervening year and a half. He had to give up his hobby of body building, and his job as a truck driver. He has since been diagnosed as epileptic. Also known as seizure disorder, epilepsy causes brain signals to misfire.
“The area of our brain where the cell bodies of our neurons live, called the cortex, is especially susceptible,” said Donald Barr, M.D., Monument Health Neurology and Rehabilitation, who continues to treat Scott’s epilepsy. “When we have brain cancer or have surgery that disrupts those cells—that can predispose us to seizures, as this is an area of injury.”
The way epileptics experience seizures varies from person to person—from obvious bodily impairment to subtler emotional or cognitive symptoms. For Scott, the seizures were physically severe. “I remember being tased twice when I was a police officer,” Scott said. “And I thought that was the worst thing. I remember thinking, ‘This is what death feels like.’ And that’s only five seconds. Grand mal seizures contract all of your muscles at the same time.
So the last two seizures I've had, I’ve ended up in the hospital on a ventilation tube.”
Grand mal (from the French “great illness”) typically known as tonic-clonic seizures, have two associated phases. In the initial, 10-20 second tonic phase, a person makes uncontrollable noise and loses consciousness as their muscles stiffen, which can result in falls or other injuries.
In the second, clonic phase, muscles begin to jerk spasmodically, then relax, then contract again. This convulsing can go on for several minutes. The seizures are dangerous and exhausting. The aftereffects can last for days. “It’s like having a Charlie horse over your entire body, all your muscles get rotten,” Scott said of how he feels after a seizure.
“Tonic-clonic seizures are caused by diffuse abnormal
electrical activity,” said Dr. Barr. “People can have muscle and joint injuries just from the mechanical component of the seizures. They can also have respiratory arrest or autonomic dysfunction, resulting in strokes and even death. When that abnormal electrical activity is prolonged, we call this status epilepticus, which results in death of the neurons and further brain damage.”
Because of his epilepsy, Scott must now carry emergency medication on him at all times. Should he feel a seizure coming on, the medication helps prevent the seizure from evolving into a tonic-clonic seizure, or if it does evolve, it can shorten the seizure duration.
Trickle Down Effects
To make matters worse, Scott also suffered several other debilitating setbacks. “There was this pain in my side,” he
remembered. “I was almost crying. I just couldn’t find a comfortable position to sleep. And finally, I told my wife, ‘Honey, I gotta go to the hospital. I think something’s really wrong.’ When she picked me up from work, she asked me, ‘Why do you look like a pumpkin?’” Scott was showing signs of jaundice due to a malfunctioning gallbladder.
Scott had to pause cancer treatment for six weeks so he could have surgery to remove his gallbladder. He then resumed chemo and radiation, only to get kidney stones. To top it all off, Scott started feeling pain in his left ankle after his chemotherapy had concluded. “I’d been off chemo for about three months at the time. And my left ankle just wouldn’t heal,’” he said.
Seeking treatment from Abbie Metzler, D.O., Primary Care Sports Medicine, Orthopedic & Specialty Hospital, Scott had X-rays and was diagnosed with arthritis in his left ankle.
“When a person’s going through something such as cancer, there’s all these trickle down effects that they are experiencing,” said Dr. Metzler. “We help address those things because it comes down to quality of life. Scott used to be a bodybuilder, and so he was having a lot of identity stuff around that—and rightfully so—like, losing muscle mass. So it’s about how to still feel active and still feel like yourself amongst all the chaos of the medical stuff.”
For Scott, it was especially important to find a solution for his ankle pain, not just because he was starting to develop a limp, but also because the pain threatened one of his treasured ways to spend time with Alisha—dance classes.
“Without my wife, I’d be totally hosed. I would have lost everything,” he said. “The dance classes were an effort first of all, for my wife and I to do something together that we could grow doing, and also to improve my coordination because dancing is completely foreign to me. So, we’re taking these classes at National Dance Clubs in Rapid City. We've been doing it for a year and a half now. It’s fun.”
Dr. Metzler gave Scott a cortisone injection, which worked immediately, and worked so well that Scott has not had to return for a second shot. “The dancing has been great,” he said. “It still gets sore if I push too hard, just like a normal ankle would. But I can’t tell you how beneficial that cortisone shot was.”
“I’m not a quitter. I’ll keep coming back. I have faith that it’s going to work out.”
SCOTT,
ON HIS RECOVERY AND DETERMINATION FOR THE FUTURE
Coming Back
Now, exactly two years after his first seizure, Scott is working as a truck driving instructor at Welch. Inc, a subcontractor for FedEx. In addition to the many medications and various forms of physical and mental therapy and rehabilitation required in recuperating from such a trying and detrimental disease, he and Alisha are still taking dance lessons—learning to tango, to waltz— which is helping immensely with Scott’s recovery. “It was twofold: it helped my wife and I grow together as a couple, and it helped me rewire my brain,” he said.
His brain cancer is also in remission. “I've been cancer free since ‘23. They say for half of the people, it comes back in three to five years. But I don’t accept that. Aim high, you know, aim for perfection. If you miss, you don’t miss by much, right? And here's something you’ve got to realize: I’m not a quitter. I’ll keep coming back. I have faith that it’s going to work out.”
SHELTER FROM THE OUTSIDE WORLD
A $2 million grant from the Helmsley Charitable Trust is making life easier for Monument Health’s most vulnerable patients.
To a newborn baby, the world outside the womb can seem like a very hostile environment. When the baby is born several weeks early, the environment is downright deadly. To survive, the tiny infant needs a warm, oxygen-rich setting. Modern hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU) are designed to meet those needs. But when the tiny baby needs surgery or a higher level of care than the birth hospital can provide, the child must travel by ambulance, helicopter or airplane. To help make the journey as safe as possible, Monument Health now has two Airborne Transport Incubators, sophisticated devices that provide all of the child’s needs during transit.
The transport devices were part of a recent $2 million grant from the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust. The trust’s Rural Healthcare program aims to improve access to quality health care in sparsely populated, rural areas that
often struggle to provide the level of care that urban areas enjoy. In all, the Helmsley grant allowed Monument Health to buy more than 20 advanced NICU and pediatric medical devices.
“The Helmsley Charitable Trust’s transformative gift of more than $2 million will help ensure that our most vulnerable patients receive the highest level of critical care when they need it most,” said Paulette Davidson, Monument Health President and CEO. “This investment in life-saving equipment demonstrates their deep commitment to improving children’s health care in our region.”
High-Frequency Ventilators
The Helmsley Trust donation also made it possible for Monument Health to acquire high-frequency oscillatory ventilator (HFOV) equipment that gently pumps oxygen
Story by Dan Daly
Photos by Bob Slocum
Monument Health Foundation raises vital funds that ensure compassionate care for those in our community. Your donations help provide special equipment, programs and items that save lives. monument.health/foundation
into a child’s tiny lungs.
Regular mechanical ventilators pump air at the rate of 30 to 60 breaths per minute. That can be difficult for underdeveloped lungs. The high-frequency oscillatory ventilators circulate air at the rate of thousands of times per second. Oxygen goes in and carbon dioxide comes out with barely a perceptible flutter.
For Dom and Abbie Milliken of Rapid City, whose daughter, Laney, contracted a life-threatening viral infection at 6 weeks of age, the HFOV allowed them to stay close to home while Laney recovered. Now, the rosy-cheeked Laney is a happy, healthy 1-year-old.
“If we didn’t have the oscillator at that time, Laney would have had to be transferred to another hospital, either across the state or in a different state, to get the care that she needed,” said Kyle Lemley, M.D., Medical Director for Rapid City Hospital’s Children’s Program.
“In Rapid City, we consider ourselves an oasis in a care desert, as we are more than 350 miles from the nearest children’s hospital,” Dr. Lemley said.
The Helmsley Charitable Trust “Bringing life-saving care closer to home is a priority for the Helmsley Charitable Trust,” said Walter Panzirer, a Helmsley Trustee. That’s especially important for families of NICU babies.
“An infant’s extended NICU hospital stay can lead to months away from home for families, which can be financially and emotionally draining,” Panzirer said. “The addition of this equipment will ensure that families in the region spanning South Dakota, Nebraska and Wyoming can access the same top-notch care available to residents of major cities.”
The Helmsley Charitable Trust began active grantmaking in 2008 after the passing of Leona Helmsley, a New York hotelier and real estate developer.
Panzirer, a grandson of Leona Helmsley, was raised in California and subsequently lived in South Dakota, having
worked as a first responder in both states, he saw the disparities that affected the quality of health care in rural areas. As a Helmsley Trustee, he has made it a priority to improve access to health care in nine rural American states and two U.S. Pacific territories.
Under Panzirer’s guidance, Helmsley’s Rural Healthcare program has invested in telemedicine, expanded access to behavioral health services and increased the availability of lifesaving equipment and technology.
“Our partnership with the Helmsley Charitable Trust has opened the door for unlimited possibilities. We are so blessed to have a charitable trust that believes in supporting rural health care throughout South Dakota,” said Hans Nelson, Director of the Monument Health Foundation.
With this Helmsley grant, Monument Health Foundation works to expand health care capabilities through funds from organizations like The Helmsley Charitable Trust, and individual donors like you. Monetary gifts help ensure that the region’s most vulnerable patients will be able to survive— and eventually thrive—despite the hostile environment of the outside world.
Women’s Children’s Hospital Children’s expansion announced
In the spring of 2026, Monument Health will break ground on a new Women’s and Children’s Hospital. Kyle Lemley, M.D., Medical Director for the hospital Children’s Program, made the announcement during a March press conference for the Helmsley Charitable Trust donation. Monument Health has been raising money and laying plans for the project since 2022. It will be the first major expansion of the pediatrics and Neonatal Intensive Care departments since 1983. The three-story, 25,000-square-foot Women’s and Children’s Hospital will be located in the northwest corner of the Rapid City Hospital campus at Fairmont Boulevard and Fifth Street. It will include a lobby for the children and birthing areas, a new NICU and a space for future postpartum care.
SAVING
When a rare heart condition debilitated registered nurse and active young mother, Sammi Wetch, to the point of despair, Monument Health Heart and Vascular Institute in Rapid City implemented a cutting-edge care plan. Two years after a groundbreaking procedure where two cardiology surgeons worked in tandem to restore a more normal rhythm for her heart, Sammi knows her trust in her cardiac care team has realized powerful dividends for herself and her family.
Beginning in 2017 through sometime in 2023, the Wetch family was in survival mode. Sammi, mother of two with a full-time nursing career, was constantly exhausted. She could barely get up and get ready in the morning. She felt lightheaded and dizzy frequently. She avoided stairs and any extra physical activity. Eventually she began to avoid just about everything outside of the absolute bare minimum in her day-to-day life. Her heart was constantly beating fast. Something was wrong with her heart and she and her husband Rich knew it.
“I couldn’t keep up with my kids,” Sammi said. “I felt like I couldn’t function like a healthy person in their 30’s should be able to do. I didn’t understand why I was so tired all the time.”
Sammi was referred by her primary care physician to the Heart and Vascular Institute (HVI), where an extensive evaluative process led to a diagnosis of inappropriate sinus tachycardia (IST). Many patients with IST have success managing their arrhythmia with lifestyle changes and medication, but Sammi’s case was particularly difficult to treat. Despite being younger than many IST patients and otherwise healthy, she did not respond to a medication approach and continued to have severe symptoms that degraded her quality of life. While the average heart rate for adult women is 78-82 beats per minute, Sammi had been living in the 130-160 range. At work one day feeling awful, she even recorded a range in the 190s prior to seeking medical attention.
Cardiac Electrophysiologist Ethan Levine, D.O., FHRS, is no stranger to arrhythmia problems. Dr. Levine and his colleagues at HVI have built one of the busiest and most esteemed atrial fibrillation (AFib) clinics in the nation, and he set out to treat Sammi by first discovering where in her heart the inappropriate rhythm was coming from.
“Her case was concerning because her symptoms had been going on for a while and her other health markers were good,” Dr. Levine said. “With IST the group of cells which govern heart rate are overactive and it makes everything you do feel like running a marathon. It can be very frustrating for patients because they can’t do anything, so they continue to get more de-conditioned and depressed, and these things compound.”
Unfortunately for Sammi, discovery of the location of her triggers put her IST case on the severe end of the spectrum. Some of her problems were with the sinus node of the atrium, which is often referred to as the heart’s natural pacemaker. Potential complications of performing an ablation—a procedure that affects abnormal heart tissue that causes arrhythmias—to Sammi’s sinus node could mean she might need a pacemaker for the duration of her life. At her young age, that was an outcome she and Dr. Levine were hoping to avoid. Sammi and Rich had long been scared about everything and were getting desperate for something to help.
SAMMI
Story and photos by Bob Slocum
Convergent: A New Hope
“Dr. Levine said he had heard of a new procedure that could maybe work for me, and if I could hold off, he could possibly arrange for it to happen,” Sammi said. “He said, ‘Let me talk to Dr. Mungara. Let’s see what we can do for you.’”
Dr. Levine was referring to a new approach where an electrophysiologist and a cardiothoracic surgeon would work in tandem to perform a hybrid thoracoscopic ablation in one procedure, rather than mapping the heart and then treating with ablation in separate procedures 30 days or more apart. A European firm, AtriCure, had recently completed a trial which aimed to demonstrate safety of the Hybrid Convergent procedure for the treatment of symptomatic persistent and long-standing persistent AFib caused by IST. After consulting with Charan Mungara, M.D., a Cardiothoracic Surgeon at Monument Health, Dr. Levine and the HVI team began the process of arranging the case. One major hurdle was moving the Electrophysiology (EP) lab from its normal home in Rapid City Hospital into an operating room large enough to accommodate the considerable technical footprint needed for the surgery. Planning and executing this move from a logistical and
infrastructural standpoint meant it took several months to come together.
“Moving all the mapping systems and the entire EP lab into the operating room and doing this case collaboratively with Dr. Levine was very rewarding,” Dr. Mungara said. “It was a very highly complex operation that has never been done in this institution, and it took true collaboration of the EP and the surgical teams to be able to do it.”
Eventually the EP lab was moved and AtriCure brought a team over from Belgium to consult on the case. It was one of the first such cases to be performed in the United States. While all this was happening, from the time planning began to the day of the surgery, Sammi had to wait nine long months. During this time her general condition continued to deteriorate and her resolve was tested, but Sammi believed in her HVI team’s commitment to making sure her case could be done right.
“There was a lot going on behind the scenes; probably more than I knew,” Sammi said. “But in the meantime, in those nine months, I just kept getting worse. I had to knock down my hours at work. I had nothing to give and I had to be so strategic about everything I did. Dr. Levine and Dr. Mungara were committed to helping me, and I believed in both of them and trusted both of them so fiercely that I was willing to wait until we could get it done here. I wanted the two of them to be the ones to do it.”
Using the relatively new OCTARAY™ Mapping Catheter device, of which Monument Health was the first hospital in South Dakota to have, Dr. Levine mapped the patient’s heart to create a three-dimensional electron atomic map, a computer model of the heart that plots the electrical signal in tens of thousands of places throughout the chambers of the heart.
“It’s kind of like a GPS, and after we get that model made we project it on a screen and then we can turn to the surgeons and say, ‘That’s where we want to be.’ It’s like taking your EKG from 5,000 different spots,” Dr. Levine said.
That is when Dr. Mungara and his team took the reins of the procedure. Dr. Mungara used catheters to reach the heart with a camera and his tools for performing acute actions to affect the sinus nerve. Once Dr. Mungara’s work was complete, Dr. Levine resumed mapping and recording rhythms, which would inform the team of immediate results.
“I think it’s truly a testament to Monument Health as an organization and to Sammi and her family’s trust for us to do this and take excellent care of her,” Dr. Mungara said. “I think it's a milestone in HVI’s history. Better rhythm means a better life. Dr. Levine lives and breathes helping patients with their heart rhythms, so it’s a privilege to collaborate with him.”
Following acute recovery, Sammi still had a long road of
CHARAN MUNGARA, M.D.
ETHAN LEVINE, D.O.
physical therapy to regain a healthy lifestyle. Her body had been so used to operating with an elevated heart rate, it took some adjusting to her new normal.
“We realized very quickly that I was going to need a lot of rehab afterwards, because I lived like that for so long,” Sammi said. “I was not able to exercise, was not able to go out and enjoy life in any capacity, really, so we had to slowly build my stamina back up again and get me to a good point.”
Advanced Practice Provider Jason Nies, working with Dr. Mungara, helped Sammi with a recovery plan that was carried out by Orthopedic & Specialty Hospital Outpatient Physical Therapist Codi Grable, PT, CLT, as they did PT three times a week for nearly nine months.
“Codi was incredible. We started very slowly. She just built me back up to where I was running a mile on a treadmill and feeling amazing,” Sammi said. “I don’t think I had run a mile since I was 16 years old. It was a total high for me to feel, ‘This is what normal people feel like. This is what a normal 35 year old should feel like.’”
The successful convergent procedure was a huge win for Sammi in her journey with IST, but managing symptoms remains a persistent presence in her life. She was able to abstain from heart medications for nearly a year, but now she’s back on some meds. Because the procedure she received is on the bleeding edge of cardiac knowledge and technology, advancements to how it’s now done have happened even in the two years since.
“There are some spots they are ablating now that Dr. Levine and I discussed going back into the EP lab and touching up,” she said.
“Now we know we have the best care in the world right here. You don’t have to go anywhere else, and I will stand by that from personal experience for the rest of my life.”
SAMMI, ON THE CARE SHE RECEIVED AT MONUMENT HEALTH HEART AND VASCULAR INSTITUTE
Out of the Darkness
There are a lot of good days in the Wetch house these days. Sammi’s improved condition has been a rising tide that has lifted all ships in their lives. Their gratitude for her care is rooted in some somber and lonely times when IST was a dark cloud over their lives. Are things perfect now? Certainly not, and Sammi still struggles to manage IST, but the difference since the surgery has been marked.
“There was a lot of emptiness; nights where you’re sitting at home wondering what tomorrow would bring,” Rich said. “Are we going to be better? Are we going to be worse? Are we going to be an inpatient in the hospital?”
Rich and Sammi have been married 18 years, but he says sometimes it feels like 13 because “we nearly lost her there for those years she was so sick.” They both admit that mental health struggles and guilt were factors during their journey to find a medical solution that helped her.
“This procedure put a whole new perspective on her life, where she’s able to do what she's able to do today, and it’s just been a godsend,” Rich said. “Being here in Rapid City for Sammi’s care was our priority and they paid that off by moving mountains; all for her.”
Two years since the groundbreaking surgery, Sammi is grateful that her trust in the process and her care team finally led to a remediation of her suffering.
“Now we know we have the best care in the world right here (at Monument Health),” she said. “You don’t have to go anywhere else, and I will stand by that from personal experience for the rest of my life.”
A CLEAR PATH AHEAD
Ashley Walton, RN, Float Pool at Rapid City Hospital, transitioned from environmental chemistry to nursing, driven by a desire to help people in her newfound community and to honor her parents’ health care experiences. Now, she’s looking forward to settling into a new career at Monument Health.
Story and photo by Bob Slocum
Ashley Walton didn’t always want to be a nurse; the same way she didn’t always know she’d be a transplant to the Black Hills. She is now thankful to say she’s both after a season of change in her life led her here. A multiple time recipient of scholarship funding from Monument Health Foundation, she’s also grateful to be looking forward to a job waiting at Monument Health.
Shifting Gears
Previously, Ashley spent 11 years as an environmental chemist utilizing a master’s degree in environmental policy. Although the work was fascinating, the lifestyle of travel and living in a bustling Colorado community led Ashley and her husband to consider relocating to the Black Hills.
“The Hills are beautiful, and they offer a lot of what’s to love about Colorado, while not being like it in other ways that we were excited for,” Ashley said. “Colorado is getting so busy and expensive. There’s a lot to do here, and the people are nice.”
After relocating to the Black Hills, Ashley decided to pursue a career change that would more effectively align with her new territory.
“I have always been interested in science and the human body, and just helping people,” Ashley said. “My parents both have had some chronic illnesses, and so I feel like in a way I’m paying back the tremendous value they’ve received from the health care workers in their lives.”
Stearns Scholarship
Working in Rapid City Hospital through the South Dakota State University nursing program, Ashley was told about the Gwendolyn Stearns Scholarship for the first time. Available for those who wish to pursue a health care career at Monument Health, Ashley applied and has received the endowment multiple times.
“I applied that first time and was really surprised and excited when I got it,” she said. “It’s a big deal, and I really have appreciated how it has been able to allow me to succeed in school and be successful—to be able to focus on school rather than focusing on paying for school.”
On The Floor
Ashley is transitioning into a career in nursing,
“It’s a big deal, and I really have appreciated how it has been able to allow me to succeed in school and be successful—to be able to focus on school rather than focusing on paying for school.”
ASHLEY, ON HOW HER SCHOLARSHIP HELPED TO SHAPE HER CAREER IN NURSING
having finished with nursing school and her boards. Following her externship in the Intensive Care Unit and a fellowship in the float pool gathering a wealth of different experiences in nursing, she sees herself in a bedside nursing role in ICU or somewhere with a similarly fast-paced environment.
“I love ICU, and I think it’s been really worthwhile to get my bearings with float pool and get a stronger sense of where I’d like to be, eventually,” Ashley said. “That’s one of the things I think is so great about nursing; there are so many different roles and experiences under the scope of it and so many places you can work and care for patients in different ways.”
Monument Health believes in empowering the next generation of health care professionals. Our scholarship opportunities are designed to support individuals who are pursuing careers in health care to gain access to quality education and training. In addition to the Gwendolyn Stearns Student Assistance Program, aspiring Monument Health employees can pursue scholarships from the Build Dakota Scholarship Fund, The Student Nurse Extern Program, The Nursing Scholarship Program and The Respiratory Therapist Scholarship Program.
If you are interested in applying for a scholarship, scan the QR code or go to monument.health/ careers/scholarships/.
CELEBRATING EVERY STEP
How one couple overcame a life-changing medical emergency and its aftermath with gratitude and strength.
Story by Colette Gannon Photos by Cassandra Scholl, Muse Media
To overcome a near-death illness, to lose a limb, to learn how to walk, talk, eat and write again: these are the things that most of us cannot imagine for ourselves, but even more, for our life partner, our best friend.
But this was the reality for Scott and Lisa Busack. Despite how easily the couple could have succumbed to this devastating challenge, they chose differently. They choose to be grateful.
It was October 2021, and the weight of the pandemic still hung heavily. Scott, the owner of a plumbing and heating business in Hill City, drove back early from a job in Sundance, Wyoming, and what started as familiar fatigue escalated into something more. When he arrived home, Scott got out an air mattress to sleep in another room, so as not to get Lisa sick.
But after Scott had been sick in bed for two days and began experiencing a charley horse-like pain in his leg, Lisa, a former EMT, felt in her gut that something was off.
“I told Scott, ‘You have two choices: either I’m calling an ambulance, or I am taking you to the hospital.’ So, we went to Monument Health Custer Hospital, and that’s when everything unfolded. I was telling the doctor about the charley horse, and that’s when I saw the panic in her eyes. I knew now that this was even worse than I thought,” said Lisa.
Doctors discovered that Scott had a severe blood clot in both legs, liver failure and a partially deflated lung, complications related to pneumonia caused by COVID-19.
“At that time, every hospital in South Dakota, Minnesota, Colorado and North Dakota was full. They didn’t know where he was going to go,” said Lisa.
But thanks to a stroke of luck, or as the Busacks believe, divine intervention, a bed became available at Monument Health Rapid City Hospital. Scott was transferred there quickly, where doctors performed surgery on his legs to address the blood clots.
Unfortunately, the clot in his left leg had caused irreversible damage, and the doctors were faced with the difficult but life-saving decision to amputate.
“I thank God that the Monument Health doctors and nurses were put in our path because they, along with the man upstairs, saved his life,” said Lisa.
After 45 days in the hospital, Scott had finally recovered enough to be discharged and transferred to a rehabilitation hospital in Sioux Falls, where he would face a challenge he never imagined for himself: learning to walk again.
Resilience in the
Face of Adversity
Scott’s illness had left him a shadow of his former self. Down 65 pounds, he could no longer walk, talk or even write.
“When I arrived, the staff asked me what my goal was,” Scott recalled. “I told them, ‘I’m going to walk again.’ They wrote it on my board, and it became my focus—something I kept in front of me every day.”
Throughout his month and a half at the physical
Don’t sweat the little things, because you never know what’s going to happen tomorrow. Enjoy and be grateful for what you have in front of you now.
LISA BUSACK, ON LIFE AFTER SCOTT’S RECOVERY
rehabilitation hospital, Scott kept his attention focused on his goal, going through an intense process of relearning essential skills and rebuilding his strength.
“There were so many moments when he could have said, ‘I can’t,’ but instead, he just found a way to do it. It might not always be the easy way, but we figure it out together. I think it’s a lesson for our grandkids and the rest of the family,” said Lisa. Thankful for Every Day
More than two years later, Scott has regained much of his function. He is now able to walk on his prosthetic leg, return to work and continue spending precious time with his family and grandchildren.
Reflecting on their journey, Lisa shares the couple’s changed outlook on life: “We don’t take life too seriously anymore. Don’t sweat the little things, because you never know what’s going to happen tomorrow. Enjoy and be grateful for what you have in front of you now.”
COMMUNITY COMMITMENT:
Breaking ground in August of 2023, the Spearfish Hospital expansion allows for 94,000 square feet of additional space and 13,000 square feet of remodeling. The project is taking place over three phases: a three-floor addition, a new surgery and surgery support area and finally a new Emergency Department. Earlier this winter, work required the import of a massive, 200-foot crane from Sioux City to place the steel beams for the first phase addition. The net add to the hospital will also include 15 medical surge inpatient rooms, four Intensive Care Unit rooms, six operating rooms, two endoscopy procedure rooms, new surgery preoperative and postanesthesia care rooms, all-new central sterile to support surgery, a new loading dock and a new kitchen and dining area. Work on the first phase is expected to be completed sometime in early 2026.
GROWTH & INNOVATION
In order to provide greater access along the Interstate 90 corridor, this one-story, 16,750 square-foot, free-standing Emergency Department will be equipped with laboratory services, X-ray services, a CT scan, a covered ambulance garage, one trauma room, eight emergency exam rooms and two inpatient rooms. This location and facility will give Monument Health space and infrastructure to continue growing to meet the needs of our community. This space not only provides land for additional space to the north, but the infrastructure also allows for additional stories to be added to the building. If a second story is deemed necessary in the future, an additional 20 inpatient rooms could be added. With construction underway, the Monument Health Mall Drive Campus is scheduled to open in Summer 2026.
MONUMENT HEALTH
BOX ELDER CLINIC
Research indicates that the fastest growing area of Rapid City in terms of population percentage growth is Box Elder. Such growth brings the need for urgent care facilities. Consequently, an eight-thousand square foot Urgent Care and Family Medicine facility is in the finishing stages for the community of Box Elder. The clinic will be equipped with five urgent care exam rooms and six family medicine exam rooms. It will also feature X-ray and laboratory capabilities. Construction is on schedule to finish the first week of June and plans call for the clinic to open by the end of July.
MONUMENT HEALTH
RAPID VALLEY CLINIC
Research also reveals that right behind Box Elder’s population percentage growth is the Rapid Valley area. This planned clinic—identical in layout, scope and services to that of Box Elder Clinic—will be conveniently located right off of Elk Vale Road and SD-44. Construction on the project will wrap up the second week of July with plans for the facility to open in September.
COLE BRUNNER, PATIENT RADIAL FRACTURE
“I’ve always been drawn to helping people. Science was my compass, and medicine became my calling.”
HEALING HORIZONS: A JOURNEY FROM RANCH TO RURAL MEDICINE
Story and photos by Bob Slocum
BOBBI RAE THUEN, M.D., ON HER CAREER IN MEDICINE
The vast, sweeping landscapes of North Dakota have a way of shaping those who call them home. For Bobbi Rae Thuen, M.D., Family Medicine and Primary Care at Belle Fourche Clinic, those rolling prairies and endless skies were more than just a backdrop—they were the crucible that forged her passion for medicine and community care.
Growing up on a ranch near Minot, Dr. Thuen’s childhood was a tapestry of hard work, family bonds and western grit. Between school lessons and college studies, she carved out a unique path, training horses and giving riding lessons along the rodeo circuit. These early experiences weren’t just about horsemanship—they were her first lessons in patience, understanding and the art of listening.
“I’ve always been drawn to helping people,” said Dr. Thuen. “Science was my compass, and medicine became my calling.” And for her, being a physician was about connections.
Her journey took a turn when she chose to work on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. Those three years were more than professional experience—they were a transformative education in rural health care. “Working in an underserved community taught me everything textbooks couldn’t,” she explains. “It showed me that
BELLE FOURCHE CLINIC SERVICES:
• Primary Care
• Heart & Vascular Care
• Endocrinology
• Laboratory Services
• Medical Imaging
• Physical Therapy
• Occupational Therapy
• Speech Therapy
good medicine is about truly hearing your patients.”
Now practicing at Monument Health Belle Fourche Clinic, Dr. Thuen has found her home. Her practice spans generations—from pediatrics to elder care—with a special focus on women’s health and diabetes management. Patients speak not just of her medical expertise, but of her remarkable ability to listen and understand.
When she’s not in the clinic, Dr. Thuen enjoys horseback riding, hunting and fishing and outdoor adventures with her family.
A member of the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Medical Association, Dr. Thuen represents a new generation of rural physicians: compassionate, versatile and deeply committed to community health.
Back Row (L to R): Maxine Rysavy, Nicole Hoyme, Allan Schlechten, Bethanie Zeestraten, Jamie McKay, Karen Mosier, Alicia Porsch, Vanessa Jones. Front Row (L to R): Michelle Jensen, Karen Buresh, Abigail Marek, Dr. Bobbie Rae Thuen, Andrea Pedersen, Rebecca Bishop.
Welcome our newest physicians
EMERGENCY MEDICINE
Nicholas Reynolds, d o., is an Emergency Medicine physician at Spearfish Hospital. Dr. Reynolds was a resident in Osteopathic Family Medicine at Medical Center of Southeastern Oklahoma and Durant Family Medicine Clinic in Durant, Okla. Prior to that, Dr. Reynolds completed an Osteopathic Internship with an emphasis on Emergency Medicine at Saint Anthony Hospital in Oklahoma City. He obtained a Doctorate of Osteopathic Medicine from Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences in Missouri.
EAR, NOSE AND THROAT
Liam Duffy, m.d., is an Ear Nose and Throat physician at Monument Health Rapid City Clinic, 4150 5th Street. Dr. Duffy took residency for Otolaryngology at University of Wisconsin in Madison and acquired a doctorate from Sanford School of Medicine at University of South Dakota.
FAMILY MEDICINE
Bradley Hohwieler, m.d., is a boardcertified Family Medicine physician at Spearfish Clinic, North 10th Street. A resident in Family Medicine at the Rural Training Track Program University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha and at the Good Samaritan Hospital System in Kearney, Neb., Dr. Hohwieler attended medical school at University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. He was previously employed at Bryan Physician Network’s North Pointe Family Medicine in Lincoln.
Alyssa Weaver, m d., is a Family Medicine physician at Monument Health Rapid City Clinic, Flormann Street. Formerly, Dr. Weaver was in the Monument Health Family Medicine Residency program. She obtained her M.D. from the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine.
Connor Weisser, d o., is a Family Medicine physician at Monument Health Custer Clinic. Dr. Weisser completed his family medicine residency at North Colorado in the Wray Rural Training Track. He obtained his D.O. from Rocky Vista College of Osteopathic Medicine.
GENERAL SURGERY
Wendy Peterson, m d., facs, is a fellowship-trained, board-certified General Surgeon, specializing in Robotic Surgery in the General Surgery Clinic at Rapid City Hospital. Dr. Peterson completed a residency of General Surgery at University of California San Francisco Fresno Medical Education Program in Fresno and attained an M.D. from University of Nebraska College of Medicine in Omaha.
HOSPITAL MEDICINE
Ignatius Oyula, m.d., is a board-certified Internal Medicine Hospitalist at Rapid City Hospital. Dr. Oyula completed residency and an internship in Internal Medicine at Atlantic City Medical Center in NJ and acquired a Masters in Public Health at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston. Previously, Dr. Oyula secured a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery from University of Nairobi, Faculty of Medicine in Nairobi, Kenya.
Felix Litvak, m.d., is a Hospitalist at Rapid City Hospital. Board-certified in Internal Medicine, Dr. Litvak completed an Internal Medicine Residency at St. Mary’s Medical Center in San Francisco and acquired a Doctor of Medicine from Sackler School of Medicine, NY State/ American Program at Tel Aviv University in Israel.
INFECTIOUS DISEASE
Nicholas R. Goodhope, m.d., Pharmd, is an Infectious Disease physician at Rapid City Clinic, Flormann Street. A Fellow in Adult Infectious Diseases at University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. Dr. Goodhope is also a Clinical Fellow at Harvard Medical School Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Mass., at which he also conducted his residency and internship in Internal Medicine. Dr. Goodhope acquired an M.D. from University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine in Vermillion.
William Greene, d.o., is a board-certified Infectious Disease physician at Rapid City Clinic, Flormann Street. An Infectious Disease Fellow at University of South Florida, Tampa, Dr. Greene completed an Internal Medicine Residency at Billings Clinic in Montana and received a doctorate from Debusk College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Green has certifications from ACLS/BLC, University of Washington’s National HIV Curriculum and the IDSA Academy of Antimicrobial Stewardship course.
INTERNAL MEDICINE
Burton Hayes, m.d., is a board-certified Internal Medicine physician at Rapid City Clinic, Flormann Street. Dr. Hayes was Chief Resident, Internal Medicine at University of Tennessee, Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis, where he also completed a Residency and Internship in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. Dr. Hayes acquired a Doctor of Medicine from University of Arkansas College of Medicine, Little Rock and a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Hendrix College in Conway, Ark.
NEPHROLOGY
William Scott Stuart, m.d., is a Nephrologist at Rapid City Clinic, Flormann Street. Board-certified in both Nephrology and Internal Medicine, Dr. Stuart received fellowship training in Nephrology from University of Minnesota. Previously, Dr. Stuart was Chief Resident, completed residency and an internship at the University of Iowa-affiliated Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines. Dr. Stuart received both a Doctorate and a Bachelor’s of Medicine from University of Nebraska Medical Center in Lincoln.
NEUROHOSPITALIST
Conny Tran, m.d., is a fellowship-trained Internal Medicine physician at Neurology and Rehabilitation in Rapid City. Dr. Tran was a Neurology Resident at University of Texas Southwestern in Dallas and attained a Doctor of Medicine from Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia.
NEUROLOGY
Francisco Gomez, m d., is a Neurologist at Monument Health Neuroscience Center in Rapid City. A Fellow of Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology at University of Alabama at Birmingham, Dr. Gomez was previously Chief Resident of Adult Neurology at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center and Texas A&M College of Medicine in Temple, where he previously completed both residency and an Internal Medicine internship. Dr. Gomez attained a Doctor of Medicine from Texas A&M University College of Medicine in Bryan.
PALLIATIVE CARE
Emily Duffy, m.d., is a Palliative Care physician at Monument Health Rapid City Hospital. A Palliative Care Fellow and Internal Medicine Resident at University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics in Madison, Dr. Duffy received a Doctor of Medicine at University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine in Vermillion.
PEDIATRICS
Mauricio Rendon Bernot, m.d., faaP, is a Pediatrician at Monument Health Spearfish Clinic, 10th Street. Dr. Rendon was previously the Attending Physician of General Pediatrics at the Highland Community Hospital in Picayune, Miss. Dr. Rendon was also a fellow in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and the Weill Cornell New York Presbyterian Hospital, both in New York, NY. He completed his residency in pediatrics at the University of South Alabama in Mobile and his internship at Hospital Metropolitano del Ecuador School of Medicine.
Paula A. Marsland, m.d., is a Pediatrician at Monument Health Spearfish Clinic, 10th Street. Dr. Marsland completed residency at the University of Washington, Seattle Children’s Hospital where she also trained for one year at the Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage. Dr. Marsland attained her Doctor of Medicine from the University of Washington School of Medicine. Dr. Marsland is a veteran of the Airborne 250th Forward Surgical Team of the United States Army.
PSYCHIATRY
Kyle Siefers, d.o., is a board-certified Psychiatrist at Behavioral Health Center in Rapid City. Dr. Seifers completed the Psychiatry Residency Training Program at University of Oklahoma in Tulsa. He possesses a Doctorate in Osteopathic Medicine from Des Moines University, a Master of Science in Health and Human Physiology and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from University of Iowa in Iowa City. His primary clinic interests are adult inpatient, consult-liaison and chemical dependency services.
PODIATRY
Roger Racz, dPm, facfas, is a boardcertified Podiatrist at Wound Care in Rapid City. Dr. Racz trained as a podiatric surgical resident at the University of Texas Health Science Center and the South Texas Veterans Health Care System. He received a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine from Des Moines University College of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery in Iowa.
THERE ARE NO SICK DAYS ON THE RANCH
365 days a year, no matter the weather, you are preserving a way of life through passion and commitment.
You are leaving a legacy for the next generation.
At Monument Health, we believe protecting your health and well-being is just as important as preserving your way of life.
We believe a trip to town is an opportunity to catch up on life’s essentials. Whether you’re picking up supplies, catching up with neighbors or simply taking a well-deserved break from the ranch, we’re here to ensure your health is always a top priority.
Our convenient location, easy access and comprehensive services mean you can cross off ‘doctor’s appointment’ from your to-do list with ease. Make your trip to town count. Let us take care of your health needs while you take care of everything else.
ISSUE 18, SPRING 2025 // DEVOTED
DOWN
2. Established in 2015, the Build Dakota ______________ Program helps address South Dakota’s workforce gap
4. The Helmsley Charitable Trust, in partnership with Monument Health Foundation, donated $2 million to support the purchase of two Airborne Transport
5. Monument Health Box Elder Clinic and Rapid Valley Clinic will both offer urgent care and what services
7. Monument Health celebrates ____ years in the Mayo Clinic Care Network
8. Monument Health broke ground on a new free-standing Emergency Department located on what drive
10. Abbie Metzler, D.O., Primary Care Sports Medicine, injected Scott Buchtel’s ankle with what
12. Dom and Abbie Milliken’s daughter
ACROSS
1. The Monument Health Children’s Miracle Network Program Champion, Sam Biberdorf, plans to pursue a career in_______________________
3. Sammi Wetch was diagnosed with inappropriate sinus __________________ (IST)
6. Bobbi Rae Thuen, M.D., Family Medicine and Primary Care, at what Monument Health Clinic
9. Abbreviation: Monument Health donated a state-of-the-art Therm-X compression and cryotherapy unit to which local university?
11. Eating disorders are complex illnesses with biological, psychological and _______________ components
14. Each year, as a member of Children’s Miracle Network, Monument Health selects a local _______________ to represent children treated at our hospitals
16. Monument Health Heart and Vascular Unit received the __________________ Award for Excellence
17. Monument Health Rapid City Hospital earned an “A” Hospital Safety Grade from what group?
13. Scott Buchtel and his wife are able to enjoy this activity
15. Abbreviation: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
We’re near you
ASSISTED LIVING
Monument Health
Assisted Living
432 North 10th Street Custer, SD 57730
605-673-5588
AUDIOLOGY
Monument Health Rapid City Clinic 4150 5th Street Rapid City, SD 57701
605-755-5700
Monument Health Spearfish Clinic 1445 North Avenue Spearfish, SD 57783
605-644-4170
BARIATRICS
Monument Health Gillette Clinic
620 W Four-J Court Gillette, WY 82716
307-682-1204
Monument Health
Bariatric and Metabolic Institute 1445 North Avenue Spearfish, SD 57783
605-644-4170
Monument Health
Bariatric and Metabolic Institute
353 Fairmont Boulevard Rapid City, SD 57701
605-755-5700
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH
Monument Health Behavioral Health Center 915 Mountain View Road Rapid City, SD 57702
605-755-7200
Monument Health Family Medicine
Residency Clinic
502 East Monroe Street Rapid City, SD 57701
605-755-4060
Monument Health
Lead-Deadwood Clinic 71 Charles Street Deadwood, SD 57732
605-717-6431
Monument Health Rapid City Clinic 640 Flormann Street Rapid City, SD 57701
605-755-3300
Monument Health Spearfish Clinic 1445 North Avenue Spearfish, SD 57783
Rehabilitation 2449 East Colorado Boulevard Spearfish, SD 57783 605-644-4370
Monument Health
Orthopedic & Specialty Hospital 1635 Caregiver Circle Rapid City, SD 57701 605-755-6100
TRAVEL MEDICINE
Monument Health Rapid City Clinic 640 Flormann Street Rapid City, SD 57701 605-755-3300
Monument Health Spearfish Clinic 1420 North 10th Street Spearfish, SD 57783 605-717-8595
URGENT CARE CLINICS
Monument Health Rapid City Urgent Care 1303 N Lacrosse Street Rapid City, SD 57701 605-755-2273
Monument Health Rapid City Urgent Care 2116 Jackson Boulevard Rapid City, SD 57702 605-755-2273
Monument Health Lead-Deadwood Urgent Care Services 71 Charles Street Deadwood, SD 57732 605-717-6431
Monument Health Spearfish Urgent Care 1420 North 10th Street Spearfish, SD 57783 605-717-8595
Monument Health Sturgis Urgent Care Services 2140 Junction Avenue Sturgis, SD 57785 605-720-2600
UROLOGY
Monument Health
Rapid City Clinic 2805 5th Street Rapid City, SD 57701 605-755-5700
WOUND & OSTOMY CARE
Monument Health
Rapid City Clinic 2929 5th Street Rapid City, SD 57701 605-755-1309
Monument Health Spearfish Clinic 1445 North Avenue Spearfish, SD 57783 605-644-4170
June 7
June
Ronald McDonald House: Hustle for the House 5K and Bubble Paradise
June 21 Walk to Defeat ALS
June 19-20
July 1-5
Compassionate, skilled providers work with patients and families to meet physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs for patients nearing the end of life. Care and support are provided by an experienced team including nurses, social workers, nursing aides, physical therapists, counselors, chaplains, physicians, pharmacists and volunteers.
• A shared Electronic Medical Record makes the coordination with Monument Health hospitals and services seamless.
• Our Hospice House located in Rapid City provides 24-hour hospice care if/when a patient needs it.
• Ability to provide a full line of services from home medical equipment, pharmacy, specialty pharmacy and home care.
• Referral to the correct level of care is seamless and easy for families.
