Sioux Center Health celebrated its 75th anniversary on Thursday, June 25th, a milestone celebrating the organization’s evolution from a grassroots community effort into a modern regional medical hub. The event featured a meal and a demonstration from their new DaVinci 5 robot, which they rolled out to show the public.
Beginnings to Modern Medical Campus
Sioux Center Health started in the mid-20th century when residents recognized a gap in healthcare options. In 1951, community members established a non-profit known then as the Sioux Center Community Hospital, constructing the original site along what is now Highway 75.
By the early 2000’s, the administration found itself unable to expand for the growing community. This prompted the purchase of land on the east side of Sioux Center, leading to the 2014 opening of the current $50 million facility. Funded by local contributions and USDA loans, the modern campus features a 19-bed hospital, a family medicine clinic, outpatient therapies, advanced surgical suites, labor and delivery rooms, a laboratory, and a pharmacy.
Sioux Center Health CEO Cory Nelson emphasized that the current campus stands as a testament to those early founders:
“Back in 1951, a group of individuals in this community recognized the need for health care. So they came together and formed a non-profit Corporation. At that time, it was the Sioux Center Community Hospital, and they proceeded to raise some funds and build a the first hospital in Sioux Center.”
Regional Care and Patient Expansion
The transition to the new facility allowed the hospital to scale up its operations. Today, the medical clinic manages over 36,000 patient visits annually, while the hospital performs nearly 1,500 surgical procedures and processes between 70,000 and 80,000 laboratory tests each year. To accommodate this growth, the facility now hosts 12 physicians and 13 advanced practice providers.
Dr. LoriAnne Anderson, a family medicine physician who has been with the hospital for 19 years, recalls when she was only the sixth or seventh provider on staff. Today, the provider count has more than doubled. Dr. Anderson notes that the hospital’s specialized capabilities, such as advanced orthopedic options, regularly attract individuals from across the country.
“We pull from different communities for our orthopedic surgeries. I had a patient come from Minnesota to have a knee surgery done here. My friends’ parents came from Florida to have a surgery here and then they recovered here as well.”
To support a changing local demographic, Sioux Center Health has bilingual personnel across patient-facing roles, employing interpreters alongside front desk staff, nurses, and physicians.
Robots in the Operating Room
Robot integration has altered the hospital’s care capabilities. Five years ago, the hospital performed roughly 17 joint replacements annually; today, through the assistance of an orthopedic robot acquired around 2022, they perform more than 100 per year.
The latest addition to Sioux Center Health’s robot team arrived in December of last year with the delivery of the DaVinci 5 robot. Following staff training, the first robotic abdominal procedures commenced in mid-to-late January of this year. Operating Room Manager Kim Brummel noted that Sioux Center Health is among the few regional facilities to host this exact version, outpacing larger providers like Sioux City.
General Surgeon Dr. Nick Mouw, who uses the robot in operations, explained that it acts as a highly specialized tool holder controlled entirely by the surgeon at a console, providing unmatched visibility and range of motion:
“The main advantage to the robot is that the tools that it utilizes are wristed instruments. So, rather than a straight stick with limited mobility, these instruments have essentially almost human risks, so that they’ve got this dramatically improved range of motion. The advantage to the patient is generally less pain, smaller incisions.”
Kim Brummel expressed amazement at the rapid trajectory of medical advancements:
“I’ve been in surgery for over 20 years, and it is amazing to me to see the technology that has grown throughout my only like 20 years in the field, but I need to think of this hospital being 75 years old of where they started to where we are now is pretty amazing.”
Regional Cooperation & Looking Ahead
As Sioux Center projects its population to approach 10,000 residents by 2030, hospital leadership is mapping out the next five years of medical service lines. Current initiatives include advanced insulin pump management for diabetes care, certified sleep apnea implant services, allergy testing, and dedicated hormone replacement therapy.
Despite competing with multiple hospitals across Sioux County, Sioux Center Health relies heavily on cross-facility cooperation. The hospital shares its Chief Financial Officer with Rock Valley, and its general surgeons regularly cover procedures in both Rock Valley and Rock Rapids.
Dr. Anderson shared a personal memory highlighting this unique medical network, recalling a time when an infant required immediate care:
“I needed a life-saving medication for a baby a few years ago, and we just called around and Orange City had a dose of the medicine I needed, and they sent it over with the Sioux County Sheriff so it could get here fast, and I saved a life because Orange City helped me.”
Reflecting on the 75th anniversary, CEO Cory Nelson emphasized that the facility’s legacy is tied directly to its foundational community ties, including sustained partnerships with the City of Sioux Center, local employers, Dordt University, and Promise Community Health.
“We’re super proud to be just a partner in the community because none of this gets done without the Partnerships that we have in the community. We don’t exist without them.”
