Former secretary of state taking over as CEO of Avera Pierre hospital
Shantel Krebs has served as interim head of Avera St. Mary's since March
PIERRE – Former Secretary of State Shantel Krebs has been named the regional president and CEO of Avera St. Mary’s Hospital in Pierre, a position she has been filling on an interim basis since March.
“It is a true honor to have been selected to lead the Avera St. Mary’s region into the future,” Krebs said. “Together, we will carry on the great work that this region is known for and keep inpatient and outpatient quality at the forefront of everything we do.”
Krebs will be a member of the Avera senior leadership team as part of her new position, offering her expertise in designated service lines intended to support the overall delivery model for the healthcare system.
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Krebs first stepped into the role of interim regional president and CEO following the medical leave and passing of Dr. Mikel Holland earlier this year.
“This great team is a true testament to Avera’s commitment to rural healthcare,” Krebs remarked.
A lifelong South Dakotan, Krebs has spent much of her professional career working in and around Pierre. The Dakota State University graduate spent 10 years in the state Legislature before being selected as the state’s top election official, a role from which she would run for Congress in 2018.
More recently, she held the role of administrator of the Avera Academy, a program she established to identify, train, and employ aspiring healthcare professionals.
A former Miss South Dakota, Krebs also served as the volunteer chair of the national Miss America Organization.
“It is a true honor to have been selected to lead the Avera St. Mary’s region into the future,” Krebs said, reflecting on her appointment. “Together, we will carry on the great work that this region is known for and keep inpatient and outpatient quality at the forefront of everything we do.”
Krebs and her husband, Mitch, plan to relocate to the Pierre area for the job.
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Congrats to Shantel and her family.
Our two boys have given us (and probably will continue to…) ample opportunity to give Avera money over the last four years. And despite our “rural” designation, it’s pretty clear that we don’t suffer from a dearth of medical talent in Pierre, but we do lack the management talent to creatively leverage it.
For example, why is it that people in Pierre can’t see someone in urgent care after noon on Saturdays? Why is it that urgent care - perhaps staffed by a nurse, rather than a doctor (if need be) is not open next door to the emergency room so that non-emergency incidents can be dealt with in the appropriate setting?
The advancements of telehealth are terrific, but why stop there -- why is it that Avera hasn’t leveraged technology like ZocDoc, for example, to provide patients with willing doctors and nurses after hours and on weekends?
Our family is hopeful that she’ll bring some simple innovation right away - not only for the community but also the medical professionals who serve us so well.