Jan. 6, 2026
This piece is sponsored by Avera.
Acute care is a convenient option when you need to be seen on the weekends or evenings. But unexpected illnesses and injuries happen during daytime hours too. That’s why Avera recently expanded acute care hours at its 2100 S. Marion Road location to offer all-day walk-in care.
“Ultimately, this is about living out the Avera mission and expanding access to care. We were definitely seeing a need and recognized that patients were looking for this level of care,” said Kami Young, a registered nurse and Avera Medical Group acute care clinic manager.
Acute care is for those medical needs that result in an unplanned visit, for example, a sore throat, fever, headache, sinus infection, virus, minor cut or wound that needs attention.
“These are conditions that patients need to see a provider for – they may not be able to wait until the next day or Monday morning,” Young said. “Expanding acute care to cover more hours in the day means that we can often help patients avoid a more costly emergency department visit, which should be reserved for the most serious conditions.”
When a medical need arises during weekday hours when clinics are open, a good first step is to call your primary care provider’s office to see if you can get a same-day appointment. If your provider is not available, another provider at that clinic might have time in their schedule to see you.
If a same-day appointment is not available at the clinic and you’re not able to wait for an appointment, all-day acute care can be the next best stop. You can go online to Avera.org and save your spot in line.
If your need involves a possible bone fracture, muscle strain or sprain, Avera offers orthopedic walk-in care at the Avera Specialty Hospital on the Avera on Louise Health Campus. Hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.
Acute care is not for yearly checkups, sports physicals, immunizations or medication refills.
“Those are needs that are best fulfilled by making an appointment with your primary care provider, who knows you best,” Young said. Acute care also does not offer advanced imaging such as CT, MRI or ultrasound. X-ray is available, for example, to see if that intense pain in your arm after a nasty fall is a bone fracture or just a soft-tissue injury.
Acute care is not designed to handle serious illness such as a possible heart attack or stroke, serious trauma or bleeding, or other life-threatening conditions.
“Those are situations for calling 911 or getting to the closest emergency department as quickly as possible,” Young said.
The Avera Family Health Center at Marion Road also has an on-site, full-service emergency department. “Having both these levels of care available at the same site helps us ensure that people get the best level of care for their condition,” Young said.
All-day acute care at Marion Road is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Evening and weekend acute care is open at Avera’s clinics at Dawley Farm Village and at 69th and Western from 5 to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
“We get very positive comments from patients on how nice it is that we’re open evenings and weekends, and also a good response from people who are traveling through. They see it as being quick and convenient, and easier than they thought it would be to get care,” Young said.
Learn more about urgent and acute care in Sioux Falls.