Sanford Roger Maris Cancer Center

03/23/2025

Mammograms help catch cancer at its earliest, most treatable stage.

We bring 3D mammography to communities where the technology might not otherwise be available through our mobile screening units. And it’s making a difference.

Patients across South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa are getting the care they need without having to go far.

03/22/2025

We're celebrating women all month at Sanford – women like Abbie Anderson, a local nurse who worked at several long-term care locations as a travel nurse before deciding Good Samaritan Society – Sioux Falls Center was where she wanted to remain.

"There's just something about the place as a whole that I really like," Abbie said. "All the residents are great, and the staff is great. It makes you feel like you're at home."

Read more: https://san.fo/4bJHvJG

03/22/2025

Kelly Pfeifer is a top-level college basketball official who referees nationally televised games throughout the United States. Josefine Combs, Psy.D., is a Sanford Health neuropsychologist who helps athletes with the mental side of competing. Pfeifer wanted to become a better referee and sought out Combs to help him do that.

Read more:https://san.fo/4frPLzC

03/21/2025

Keto? Intermittent fasting? Carnivore diet?

Here's why all the trendy diets you see online might not be the best long-term choice, according to Sanford Sports Performance senior sports dietitian Natasha Hansen.

Listen to this episode of the Health & Wellness podcast now:

In this episode, Sanford Sports senior dietitian, Natasha Hansen talks pros and cons of the latest, trendy diets and what really works.

03/20/2025

Dealing with a mental health disorder can be a challenge for both patient and caregiver. When a problem with substance use is also involved, the healing process can get more complex.

If a mental health disorder is ignored, substance use can get worse. This increased use of substances, in turn, can often make mental health worse.

Marcus Ibrahim, MD, a family medicine provider at Sanford Aberdeen Clinic, explains the unfortunate and common connection between substance use disorder and mental health disorders here:

Self-medicating for depression, anxiety and other conditions feeds an unhealthy cycle. Sanford Health can treat both together.

03/19/2025

Our extraordinary nurses consistently demonstrate unwavering commitment, surpassing the call of duty not only in delivering exceptional clinical care to patients and their families but also going above and beyond with their comforting touch and compassion.

At the heart of acknowledging and honoring these exceptional nurses is the prestigious DAISY Award, a beacon of recognition. Each month, nurses throughout Sanford Health are nominated by patients, families and coworkers who have been touched by their exceptional care, and each nomination is a testament to the dedication and compassion they exhibit.

Congratulations to our recent DAISY Honorees!

03/19/2025

Addison Klosterbuer is a basketball player at the University of South Dakota who needed an extensive procedure performed on her ankle to return to the court.
Surgery with Sanford Health orthopedist Dr. Alan Yan was the first step toward a successful recovery.

Learn about Addison's story:

USD guard Addison Klosterbuer needed surgery to recover from an ankle injury and get back to basketball. Sanford orthopedists helped.

03/19/2025

There’s more than one screening option for colorectal cancer.

A stool-based test can be a convenient screening method to detect early signs of cancer with no prep needed.

03/18/2025

We're celebrating women all month at Sanford – women like Haley Fisher, our Sanford Run Project Participant in Fargo!

Haley is an orthopedic surgery nurse practitioner with Sanford Health who is training with Sanford Sports Performance in preparation for the Fargo Half Marathon in May.

She recently completed her running assessment at the new Sanford Sports facility in the Fargo Parks Sports Center and was able to learn about her running biometrics, gait and more.

03/18/2025

Not sure how to find a mental health provider for your needs?

Clinical psychologist Jeffrey Leichter, PhD, explains the differences between some of the most common types of mental health professionals.

Learn more about behavioral health: https://san.fo/3Qrlw0q

03/17/2025

When Leigh Merritt, a customer service representative for Sanford Health Plan, was facing serious health issues, she reached out to the Sanford Health Employee Crisis Assistance Program and received assistance for rent, groceries and gas.

"That was a lifesaver for me," she said.

For Sanford employees, like Merritt, who may be facing extraordinary and unexpected financial hardships, the Employee Crisis Assistance Program is a lifeline.

Now fully recovered, Merritt remains grateful for the support – so much so that she recently made the decision to pay the kindness forward, supporting the work of Sanford Health through a payroll deduction program.

Learn more about how coworkers are supporting coworkers, with more than $2 million in assistance to more than 2100 employees since 2020:

For Sanford employees facing extraordinary and unexpected financial hardships, the Employee Crisis Fund is a lifeline to hope and healing.

03/17/2025

After the news that actor Gene Hackman's wife passed from complications associated with hantavirus, Infection Disease Physician Avish Nagpal, MD, joined JJ and Amy on It Takes Two to discuss the virus.

Learn more about hantavirus:

After the news that Gene Hackman's wife passed from complications associated with hantavirus, Dr. Avish Nagpal joins us to discuss the virus.

03/17/2025

Substance use disorder is the inability to control the use of drugs or alcohol. It can affect every part of someone’s life, impacting their relationships, job, finances and health.

Substance use disorder is complex, but it is treatable.

Find more resources at https://san.fo/4ixX4pY.

03/16/2025

When David Van Lith was first contacted by Sanford Health about taking a free pharmacogenomics test, he thought it was a way to check his ancestry. But the Army veteran was thrilled to learn the test could actually benefit his health care treatment.

Natasha Petry, PharmD, a PGx clinical pharmacist at Sanford Health Fargo, explained that the test can be broken down into two major health benefits for patients.

First is drug efficacy, or how likely a drug is to work for a patient based on their genetics. Second is drug safety, or how likely a drug is to cause an adverse reaction for a patient.

Read more: https://san.fo/3R8OvWW

03/16/2025

Every woman goes through perimenopause, the first stage of menopause.

How and when it happens can look a little different for each person.

Swipe to learn more about what to expect during perimenopause.

03/15/2025

Hanna Searcy, an office manager at Good Samaritan Society – Millard in Omaha, Nebraska, knows what it's like to be in skilled nursing care because she has been a resident herself.

Searcy, a wife and mother of two, came down with Influenza A and then GBS – Guillain-Barre syndrome, which "basically attacks your nervous system and shuts down your entire body." She was 27-years-old and living in Washington state when that week changed her life and altered her perspective.

After operations and intense dedication to occupational and physical therapy, Hanna moved to Millard to be close to family in 2023. She began walking on her own again a week before starting with Good Samaritan Society as a business office manager.

Learn more about Hanna's story and why she chose to work at Good Samaritan Society, caring for others who are facing challenges all to familiar to Hanna: https://san.fo/4eVDH8W

03/14/2025

Five years ago, a global pandemic changed the world from traveling to healthcare.

Infectious Disease Physician, Avish Nagpal, MD, at Sanford Medical Center in Fargo, remembers what the pandemic brought to the hospital like it was yesterday.

“I remember at one point in time that our entire Broadway hospital was just full of COVID patients and nothing else,” said Nagpal.

Read more about the 5-year anniversary of COVID-19: https://san.fo/4brYhwN

03/14/2025

When people typically think of brain injuries, they often associate them with athletes. However, brain injuries can occur to anyone, anywhere.

Tune in to Dakota News Now to watch Dr. Josefine Combs, PsyD, as she explains more about the different types of brain injuries. https://san.fo/41JRdae