More than 1,200 team members at Avera Health have earned a title with special significance this year: legacy ambassadors.
Like the health system itself, which marks 25 years in 2025 since the Presentation and Benedictine orders brought their health systems together in a unique co-sponsorship model, the employees have been with Avera at least 25 years.
One of them is Shannon Backstrom, a nurse practitioner who says she has stayed with Avera because she always felt valued.
“I have encountered many different situations from exciting and happy to challenging. During those challenging times, I felt heard, and positive changes were made,” she said.
“The culture is very much a team approach with everyone working toward the same goal: quality care and the health of the patient.”
Backstrom’s experience likely is reflected in workplaces across Sioux Falls, and, as Avera has established, culture helps navigate change.
“Our culture is strong; we have a workplace culture that emphasizes mission and the opportunity to be part of something bigger than yourself to help others and contribute to the greater good,” said Dave Flicek, chief operating officer of Avera Health.
“In past generations, people were willing to put other things in life on hold for their career. Now, they are looking for life balance and well-being, which is important because if you pour yourself out completely trying to be competitive in the workplace, you have nothing else to give. Meaningful work is an important and satisfying part of life, but we as employers must recognize that our employees have families and outside interests, and need to practice self-care. So we encourage this balance.”
Flicek will share more insights from Avera as he helps lead off the annual WIN in Workforce Summit as part of a panel discussion titled “Bridging the Gap: What Inspires Leaders Now & Next.”
The annual event will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 23, with networking events before and after the event, at a new venue: the Canopy by Hilton in downtown Sioux Falls.
For a full agenda and to register, visit here.
The day will feature 10 impactful sessions highlighting local leadership, businesses and best practices.
One of them, “Navigating What’s Next in Healthcare and Higher Ed,” will feature Avera Health chief financial officer Julie Lautt.
Change is a constant in health care, but one that also makes people better and leads to new possibilities, she said.
“For a mission-based organization like Avera, it is important to me to always make sure my decision-making is consistent and aligned with the mission and values,” Lautt said.
“It is important to help people understand the ‘why.’ For me, putting the numbers into stories for nonfinancial leaders helps convey the reasoning behind the decisions.”
She also has developed best practices to share with other leaders.
“I think leaders need to develop and strongly support their teams,” Lautt said. “Surround yourself with people who share the same values with the ability to move the organization’s mission forward. Allow for development opportunities while coaching them and be willing to let them go so they can thrive. Only with a good, strong, committed team can you achieve the set goals.”
As a faith-based organization, Avera “has some practices that may seem uncommon to others,” Flicek added.
“For example, we pray at the beginning of each meeting. People of all faith backgrounds remark all the time that they value the fact that faith is considered important at Avera. We’re constantly talking about how we live out our values of compassion, hospitality and stewardship.”
It fosters a culture “where people truly care about each other,” he added. “People feel like they belong at Avera. As they care about our patients, co-workers care about each other. The stories are so numerous how employees help each other out in times of hardship or even covering for someone on busy days when they haven’t had the chance to grab lunch.”
This year’s Avera Cares employee giving campaign raised $7.5 million. Among other things, this fund helps Avera patients and colleagues with just-in-time needs.
Both Avera leaders point to an environment that encourages personal and professional development, along with a commitment to mutual understanding and communication.
“We rely on each other,” Lautt said. “One principle of a learning organization is deference to expertise. This means yielding to the person who knows the most about a given situation. At times, this is the front-line caregiver or the food service worker or the maintenance crew.”
As a people-centered industry, workforce development has always been important to Avera, Flicek said.
“Shortages in health care workforce are not new, but they are becoming more concerning,” he said. “One thing that’s been successful is helping to map out a career path that begins at the entry level and then helping people see how they can progress to a registered nurse, a lab tech or a surgical tech. These are just a few examples of many career paths one could take at Avera.”
The health system also has invested in scholarships as well as sponsorships, which is when someone receives tuition funds in exchange for agreeing to work for Avera for a certain period of time.
For example, someone can graduate from high school and get hired on as a certified nursing assistant, get training on the job and receive tuition reimbursement or perhaps a sponsorship/scholarship to get a four-year nursing degree.
“Giving people a workable plan toward a promising career path and partnering with them to achieve their goals is something any business could apply,” Flicek said.
That’s the whole goal of the WIN Summit, said Denise Guzzetta, vice president of talent and workforce development for the Sioux Falls Development Foundation.
“You don’t have to be an employer with the size and scope of Avera to learn from the incredible best practices this organization employs,” she said. “Dave, Julie and their team will offer insights you can immediately take back to your workplace and put into practice.”
