CentraCare - Benson

11/18/2025

Please join us in welcoming physical therapy assistant student Leah Olson!

Starting today, you may see Leah during her 4-week clinical rotation with the Big Stone Therapies team at CentraCare - Benson.

Leah is studying at Lake Area Technical College in Watertown, SD, and plans to graduate in May 2026.

When asked why she chose Benson for this rotation, Leah said she had shadowed here before and each time learned something new.

“The staff have made me feel welcome and have answered any questions I have,” she said. “I am most looking forward to seeing a wide diversity of patients and am eager to use the knowledge I have gained in a clinical setting.”

Outside of school, Leah enjoys reading, staying active and rewatching 𝘍𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴. She’s also a proud dog lover with a black lab/German shepherd mix named Callie.

Welcome to Benson, Leah!

11/15/2025

Don’t let a foodborne illness ruin your Thanksgiving. A few simple safety steps can keep your holiday happy, healthy and delicious.

11/14/2025

Kindness is more than a gesture - it’s part of the care we give every day. Whether it’s a comforting word, a helping hand, or a simple smile, small acts of kindness can make a big difference in our hospital and throughout our community.

On World Kindness Day, we celebrate the simple acts of compassion that help our patients heal and remind us why we do what we do.

Join us in spreading kindness today and every day!

11/13/2025

For over a decade, nurse practitioner Shari VanBriesen has been caring for patients here at CentraCare - Benson, both in the clinic and emergency department. Her patients appreciate her communication and how she includes them in their care decisions.

Here's what some of Shari's patients have to say about their experiences:

𝑺𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒊 𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒖𝒍 - 𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈!

𝑨𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒕.

𝑺𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒊 𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒖𝒍! 𝑨𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒄𝒖𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒅𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒅!

𝑰'𝒎 𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒔𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒔𝒇𝒊𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝑪𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒄, 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒚 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝑰 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝑺𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒊. 𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒎𝒚 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒔. 𝑰'𝒎 𝒔𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒄 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒚 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆.

𝑺𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒊 𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒓. 𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒎𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒉 𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒖𝒆𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒔 𝒖𝒑 𝒊𝒇 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔.

𝑺𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒊 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒍𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒎𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒏 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒚. 𝑰 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍 𝒂 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒚 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒚 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔.

11/11/2025

This Veterans Day, and every day, we honor and thank all who have served our country, including the Veterans who continue to give back in extraordinary ways.

One of them is a military Veteran and CentraCare Hospice volunteer, Paul Hedin.
For nearly 14 years, Paul has devoted more than 575 volunteer hours and led 100+ We Honor Veterans ceremonies, bringing comfort and gratitude to fellow Veterans nearing the end of life.

As Paul shared, “It’s not just for the Veteran. It’s also for their family, including their grandkids. I've had pinnings with as few as four people and others with seventy. Each one is special. I appreciate when children are there to see their grandpa honored. They might not understand his sacrifice, but when they watch us salute him, they see what respect looks like."

Thank you, Paul — and all Veterans — for your courage, compassion, and service. 💙

Read Paul’s inspiring story and learn more about our We Honor Veterans and Sentimental Journey programs — two special ways CentraCare Hospice honors life, service, and legacy.

Paul's story:

Air Force Veteran and CentraCare Hospice volunteer Paul Hedin brings compassion and honor to fellow Veterans through the We Honor Veterans and Sentimental Journey programs.

11/07/2025

Do you need care today, but you're unable to get in to be seen by your primary care provider? CentraCare – Benson offers walk-in care for common illnesses and minor injuries, no appointment needed.

Walk-in care hours are Monday – Thursday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., and Fridays, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

We’re here for things like sore throats, earaches, rashes, sprains, urinary symptoms, and more. Patients are seen on a first-come, first-served basis.

To ensure safe and timely care, we may need to stop accepting new walk-in patients if wait times exceed our capacity. Thank you for your understanding.

For severe or life-threatening emergencies, please seek emergency care.

11/06/2025

Want to save time when arriving at the clinic? Make sure to complete eCheck-in and other routine check-in tasks in MyChart® before you arrive. To make it even easier, download the MyChart® app and access all your health information right from your smartphone!

11/01/2025

Don’t forget! Daylight saving time ends this Sunday.
Remember to turn your clocks back one hour before heading to bed Saturday night.

As you enjoy that extra hour of sleep, it’s also a great time to check on a few health and safety habits:
✅ Replace batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
✅ Review your emergency kit or first aid supplies
✅ Prioritize good sleep — your body and mind depend on it!

10/31/2025

Happy Halloween! 🎃 Drumroll please...🥁

This year's Pumpkin Decorating Contest winner is the Big Stone Therapies team, with their banana split entry! 🥇

Second place goes to Hospital Nursing's blow fish. 🥈

Third place was a tie between Clinic Nursing (Oscar the Grouch) and the Imaging Department (Skelton & Barbie MRI). 🥉

Thanks to everyone who stopped by and voted.

Isn't the creativity from our team members awesome? Which is your favorite? Tell us in the comments!

10/30/2025

Trying to stretch your grocery dollars while still eating balanced meals? You’re not alone! Here are some practical tips from CentraCare dietitian Natalie M. to help you stay nourished and save money:

𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐩 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐭:
➡ Check store sales and stock up on pantry staples when they’re on discount.
➡ Choose in-season produce and buy whole foods (like whole carrots instead of pre-cut).
➡ Use bulk bins and try homemade versions of convenience foods like soups or trail mix.

𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝:
➡ Cook once, eat twice - use leftovers for a different meal.
➡ Try a “use it up” box for foods that need to be eaten soon.
➡ Simplify recipes to use fewer ingredients.

𝐄𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬:
➡ Try meatless meals using beans, lentils, eggs, or tofu.
➡ Stretch ground meat by mixing in lentils or beans - it’s cheaper and adds fiber!
➡ Grow your own herbs or regrow foods like green onions or lettuce from scraps.

A balanced meal includes a protein, a carbohydrate and a vegetable. Small changes can make a big difference in both your health and your grocery bill! 🥗💲

10/30/2025

Feeling down as the days get shorter? You might be experiencing Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). It’s a type of depression that typically occurs during fall and winter when sunlight is limited.

Learn more about what to watch for and treatment options here: https://www.centracare.com/articles-stories/suffer-from-seasonal-affective-disorder/