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Vonda Hamill, PAHF Director, presents Carmen Peterson with a $1,000 donation to the 437 Project.

Each year, over 48,000 people (about twice the seating of Madison Square Garden) take their own lives in the United States. This act leaves many more loved ones behind, struggling to cope with not only the significant loss of someone dear to them, but with many unanswered questions and difficulties accepting the situation they now face.

The 988 Helpline is a nationwide calling center providing 24/7 crisis response to anyone in mental distress. It can be reached through calls, text or chat. Caring counselors answer these worrisome calls. The website helplinecenter.org/loss provides grief information, connections to resourses and a community of shared loss.

In South Dakota, the crisis line answered 10,800 contacts in 2023. Suicide is the leading cause of death in South Dakota residents aged 10 to 24 years. The SD Helpline Center provides many resources and support programs for residents of the state. School-based Hope Squads (peer to peer counseling) as well as mental health trainings for healthcare workers. Suicide postvention and aftercare services are also provided for those loved ones left behind.

Enter the 437 Project. This event provides direct funding to our own state’s helpline and its causes, helping train the volunteer counselors and providing the programs to complete their mission. The 437 Project was initiated in 2021 and strives to raise awareness about physical and mental wellness and the connection between the two.

A group of 12 runners made up of South Dakota community leaders will undertake a relay-style journey that leads them across the 437 miles of South Dakota over four days. Team members connect with communities along the way, braving weather and terrain changes while raising awareness and funds. They will run from Rapid City to Sioux Falls September 19-22. The course will lead them through part of Haakon County, near Bridger, along Highway 34.

Philip’s own team member, Carmen Peterson, joins the 437 Project team this year. Peterson and her family have promoted a culture of running in their own home. She has set and successfully completed many personal goals in her running career and is no stranger to running for a cause. Peterson says that running is her main driver for both physical and mental health.

There is a powerful connection between physical activity and mental health; the mission of this event seemed like a perfect fit. America’s mental health crisis has escalated in recent years, making suicide prevention and awareness even more important to address.

She and her teammates pledge to not only complete the grueling athletic event, running an average of 10 miles for each runner on each of the four days, but they also commit to raising $10,000 apiece for the Helpline.

Philip Area Health Foundation is proud to help sponsor Peterson in this important event by presenting her with a $1,000 gift. If you are interested in helping or would like more information, you can go to the website at www.the437project.org.4

The Helpline Center is South Dakota’s leader in suicide prevention and response. If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call 988 anytime, day or night. All South Dakotans have access to the crisis line all day, every day. The service is free and confidential.

Pictured is the Health Equity Team from PHSI, back row, Karlie Nelson and Abbi McDaniel; front row, Huaquin Laurido, Vonda Hamill, PAHF Director, Haley Ehlers and Ashley Slovek.

Imagine yourself in the emergency room of an unfamiliar community. You have experienced an accident. Your personal belongings are stranded in a vehicle that is no longer with you. Thankfully, your injuries are minor, and the staff has taken diligent care of you. You are lucky! However, you are being discharged and have no immediate availability for family members or friends to assist you for the next 24 to 48 hours.

The Hans P Peterson Memorial hospital is categorized as a critical access hospital (CAH), a designation that comes from its isolated geographical location. Because it is a CAH, this described scenario may play itself out several times a year, particularly in the summer months when traffic is heavy on the state’s highways.

The emegency room (ER) staff at Philip Health Services (PHSI) often use their personal resources to ease the immediate inequities for food, shelter, and lodging that strike travelers who are brought to the hospital for care. Haley Ehlers, RN, and Case Manager for PHSI, invited colleagues to help establish the PHSI Health Equity Team in February 2024.

“Because transportation needs and food insecurities often accompany patients in the ER upon discharge, we decided to form a committee to assess and alleviate those situations whenever possible,” she stated. The team identified several areas that can utilize assistance, but chose to start small, utilizing donations to buy gift cards to local businesses for food, gas, and lodging until such time as a discharged individual can get back on their feet and family can arrive, or make financial connections for them.

The Health Equity Team contacted Philip Area Health Foundation (PAHF) for seed money to proceed with the purchase of gift cards from local businesses that can provide food, fuel, and shelter. These cards will begin to be distributed to discharged patients in need in July.

At the annual Prime Rib Benefit and Auction, held April 13 at the Kadoka Auditorium, the Philip Area Health Foundation (PAHF) presented Kadoka Care Center (KCC) Director Heidi Coller with a check for $5,000.
The KCC made a request to PAHF for assistance in the purchase of an oxygen concentrator and vitals monitor. “It is the goal of the PAHF to be able to help with projects just like this,” stated Foundation director Vonda Hamill, “We formed the foundation to be used as a vehicle to funnel cash gifts to any health entities in the area that have a need to improve the quality of the care they provide.”

If you are interested in making a contribution to the Philip Area Health Foundation to assist in their efforts, contact Vonda Hamill at (605) 859-2342, or email vhamill@monument.health

KCC Director Heidi Coller accepts a gift from PAHF board member Jennifer Henrie.

The Philip Area Health Foundation recently held their regular meeting and welcomed two new board members into the fold of the organization.

Tate Guptill and Emily Kroetch joined the nine-member board in March. “We are grateful that community members are willing to set aside their personal time to help us have a well-rounded group of people to navigate the journey for the Foundation, “says Foundation director Vonda Hamill. “Because we have a large board, we have good diversity, but we also need good people in the wings to fill seats when they become vacant. We are glad to have Tate and Emily fill out our current board.”

Tate Guptill and Emily Kroetch have joined the Philip Area Health Foundation as two of its newest members. Pictured are, back row, left to right, Dillon Kjerstad, John Knutson, Roger Porch, Tate Guptill, Marion Matt and Ray Smith; front row, Vonda Hamill, Director, Emily Kroetch, Krista O’Dea, Jennifer Henrie and Jenna Finn. Not pictured, Chuck VanderMay.

Philip Health Services is thrilled to announce that it has received the 2024 Customer Experience Awards from Pinnacle Quality Insight. This recognizes Scotchman Living Center and Silverleaf Assisted Living Center’s outstanding performance and solidifies their position in the top echelon of care providers nationwide.

“It is our pleasure to congratulate these two Philip Health Services facilities for their well-deserved achievement in winning the Customer Experience Award,” says Bud Meadows, HCP’s CEO. “As this award is based on customer feedback, it demonstrates the dedication that they have towards providing its customers with an exemplary experience while ensuring their clients have well-trained, compassionate caregivers.”

Qualifying for the Pinnacle Customer Experience Award signifies that Scotchman Living Center and Silverleaf Assisted Living Center have consistently ranked within the top 15% of care providers across the nation over the past 12 months. This achievement underscores their unwavering commitment to delivering exceptional experiences to residents and their families.

Philip Health Services began recognizing “Milestone Anniversaries” this year. To celebrate, Maureen Cadwell, CEO, presented a check to two recipients to mark the five years each for nurses Tandra Welk (top photo) and Maralynn Burns. Congratulations to both of these Scotchman Living Center nurses for their hard work and dedication!

Pictured: Vonda Hamill, PAHF Director, Emily Iwan, Dietary staff, and Abbi McDaniel, Human Resources.

The Philip Area Health Foundation recently awarded new scrubs to the HR department. The scrubs are being distributed to new staff (that require scrubs) upon their onboarding completion.

We are also encouraging existing staff that can utilize a pair, to request them from their department directors. We are excited for everyone to have a professional appearance and feel good about their workwear.

The scrubs can be ordered in any color, if departments desire something particular, but we are encouraging charcoal for the floor, and black for dietary.

Cheryl Pearson (center) is celebrating 40 years of service at Philip Health Services, working mainly in the dietary department since being hired on January 31, 1984. CEO Maureen Cadwell (left) and Dietary Manager Colton Mayer (right) presented Cheryl with a check and Philip Bucks to help her celebrate this milestone. Congratulations, Cheryl!