About Us
Yankton Rural Area Health Education Center, a non-profit organization, serves a primary 24-county area in southeastern South Dakota: Aurora, Bon Homme, Brule, Buffalo, Charles Mix, Clay, Davison, Douglas, Gregory, Hanson, Hutchinson, Jerauld, Lake, Lincoln, Lyman, McCook, Miner, Minnehaha, Moody, Sanborn, Tripp, Turner, Union, and Yankton counties. YRAHEC also serves an extended area of Bennett, Custer, Fall River, Haakon, Jackson, Jones, Mellette, Pennington, Shannon and Todd Counties.
YRAHEC works with partners to create a sustainable healthcare workforce in our rural South Dakota service area. Some YRAHEC’s activities include: illustrating healthcare career opportunities to young people, offering continuing education opportunities for professionals, and developing venues for interprofessional education for post-secondary students in rural communities.
Established in 1979, the mission at YRAHEC has remained the same. “To enhance access to quality healthcare, particularly primary and preventive care, by improving the supply and distribution of healthcare professions through community/academic education partnerships.”
YRAHEC Board of Directors
Benjamin Aaker, MD
Physician – Avera Sacred Heart
Asst. Professor, Sanford School of Medicine
Rita Blasius
CEO – Avera St. Benedicts Health Center
YRAHEC – Board of Directors, Chair
Sandra Durick
Sandra Durick Consulting
YRAHEC Executive Director
David Gillies
Business Banking Officer
First Dakota National Bank
Tammy Hatting
VP Post-Acute Care and Education
South Dakota Association of Healthcare Organizations
Whitney Lucas Molitor, Ph.D
Assistant Professor, Capstone Director, Chair of Admissions
University of South Dakota
Erica Peterson
CEO – Sanford Chamberlain Medical Center
YRAHEC Board of Directors – Vice Chair
Pam Rezac
Retired CEO – Avera Sacred Heart Hospital
Mark Wilson
CEO – Mitchell Technical Institute
For IRS 990 documents
Please contact us at info@yrahec.org
