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
Dusty Anderson
YRAHEC BOD Secretary/Treasurer
Vice President – First Dakota National Bank
Rita Blasius
CFO – Avera St. Benedicts Health Center
Sandy Durick
Sandy Durick Consulting
Dr. Lori Hansen
Physician – Yankton Medical Clinic
Dean – Yankton Ambulatory Program/Sanford School of Medicine
Dr. Michael Lawler
Dean – USD School of Health Sciences
Erica Peterson
YRAHEC BOD Vice Chair
CEO – Sanford Chamberlain Medical Center
Pam Rezac
YRAHEC BOD Chair
Retired CEO – Avera Sacred Heart Hospital
Mark Wilson
President – Mitchell Technical Institute
For IRS 990 documents
Please contact us at info@yrahec.org