Jan. 8, 2026
A new three-story building at the Avera on Louise campus will see its first gastroenterology patients this month.
Avera Pavilion 2 Digestive Health and Gastroenterology, which is connected by an underground tunnel to the Avera Specialty Hospital at 69th Street and Louise Avenue, is designed to address the growing demand for GI care.
The new 127,000-square-foot building is designed to go up three more floors as needed, as well as connect to Avera Specialty Hospital through a skywalk.
“On the inside, it looks a lot like the existing Specialty Hospital, with some newer, even more modern things,” said Dr. Ron Place, regional president and CEO of Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center, adding that the emphasis on GI services is being driven by “a growing Sioux Falls population, more people willing to travel for specialty care and changing recommendations.”
It’s now recommended that colon cancer screening start at age 45 instead of 50.
“And you don’t just screen once, so it adds to the screens that need to be done, and those who are positive need to repeat (more often),” Place said.
The new pavilion will increase Avera’s GI procedure capacity by 100 percent, including general GI procedure rooms for uses such as colonoscopy and endoscopy, plus two advanced procedure rooms for specialized procedures such as fluoroscopy, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, endoscopic ultrasound and any case requiring general anesthesia rather than sedation.
The new building also will allow for more pre- and post-procedure rooms and clinic exam rooms.
At $70 million, it’s part of Avera’s recent record $245 million overall investment in Sioux Falls facilities, which includes the new women and children’s tower on the Avera McKennan campus in central Sioux Falls.
“It opens up a building that’s centered around just GI and gives us the ability to grow and accommodate the growing community,” said Justin Snyder, assistant vice president for surgical services. “Anytime you have an area that’s very focused on one area, you experience those efficiencies that get passed down to the patient in terms of their experience and how focused that care is.”
Patients will find “the feel of it with the lighting and windows just feels inviting,” he continued. “I think our patients will notice that.”
Inside, “it’s really state-of-the-art equipment for scope processing,” he added.
Parts of the building, including the third floor, will be built out when expansion is needed.
Avera Gastroenterology in Sioux Falls has six gastroenterologists and nine advanced practice providers, including nurse practitioners who offer navigation for patients diagnosed with GI cancer.
The system is actively growing that team, “not only our physicians but also nurses and GI techs to accommodate that growth,” Snyder said.
In early 2026, when the pavilion is complete, Avera will refit former GI space in Avera Specialty Hospital for the in-demand specialty of orthopedics, meaning a greater portion of the specialty hospital will be dedicated to orthopedic clinic visits and surgical procedures.
Avera will hold an open house from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 11, to tour the new building. The first patients are expected to be seen in the clinic on Jan. 19, while the first procedure is scheduled for Jan. 26.