Avera Sister James Care Center
2111 West 11th Street, Yankton, SD 57078 · Yankton County · 194 certified beds · avg 189 residents/day · certified since Jul 1, 1993
Part of chain: AVERA HEALTH (13 facilities, chain avg rating 3.7★)
What health inspectors found (on-site government inspections — the most independent evidence available)
Health inspection rating: ★★★★☆4/5 · CMS overall rating: 5/5
The health inspection star above is graded on a curve within each state — a set share of each state's facilities gets each star level — so a facility can have few citations and still rate 2–3 stars if others in its state did even better. The overall rating combines that inspection score with staffing and self-reported quality measures.
Most serious findings (actual harm or immediate jeopardy)
▲ Actual harm, one-off · Feb 5, 2026 · F-0689 · triggered by a complaint
The facility did not keep the environment free of accident hazards, or did not provide enough supervision to prevent accidents like falls.
Why it matters: This is one of the most common citations and directly relates to falls and injuries, which can be devastating for older adults.
Severity (G): One or a few residents were actually harmed — physically or emotionally — though not put in immediate danger of serious injury or death.
Corrected: Mar 5, 2026 (Deficient, Provider has date of correction)
All citations in the current public record (9)
CMS publishes roughly the last three inspection cycles plus recent complaint investigations. Older surveys drop out of the record as new ones are completed.
| Date | Severity | What the facility was cited for |
|---|---|---|
| May 14, 2026 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | The facility did not accurately assess a resident's health and needs. Assessments are the foundation for all the care a resident receives. |
| May 14, 2026 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | The facility did not get its food from approved, safe sources, or did not store, prepare, and serve food according to professional food safety standards. |
| May 14, 2026 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not provide safe and appropriate respiratory care — such as oxygen, breathing treatments, or care for residents on breathing equipment — for residents who needed it. |
| Feb 5, 2026 | ▲ G · Actual harm, one-off | The facility did not keep the environment free of accident hazards, or did not provide enough supervision to prevent accidents like falls. · from a complaint |
| Jan 8, 2025 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | The facility did not have policies on smoking. |
| Jan 8, 2025 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not allow residents to take their own medications when a clinical review showed they could do so safely. Residents have this right if their care team determines it's appropriate. |
| Jan 24, 2024 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | The facility allowed residents to lose the ability to do daily activities — like bathing, dressing, and eating — when there was no medical reason for the decline. Good care helps residents keep the abilities they have. · from a complaint |
| Sep 14, 2023 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not give the resident or their representative written notice of how long it would hold the resident's bed during a hospital stay or approved leave. |
| Sep 14, 2023 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility provided care that did not meet professional standards of quality — the accepted standards that nurses and other clinicians are expected to follow. |
Inspection trend by year
Citations from standard inspections increased between the last two inspection cycles (2 → 3).
| Year | Citations | Serious (G–L) | Worst severity that year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2 | 0 | D |
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | E |
| 2025 | 2 | 0 | E |
| 2026 | 4 | 1 | G ▲ |
Counts reflect the current CMS public record (~3 inspection cycles plus complaint investigations); years with no surveys show no row. Inspection frequency varies, so compare severity as well as counts.
Fines and enforcement (last 3 years)
1 fine totaling $8,492.
| Date | Type | Amount / length |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 5, 2026 | Fine | $8,492 |
Nurse staffing (from payroll records, adjusted for how much care residents need)
| Measure | This facility | South Dakota avg | U.S. avg | Where it stands |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total nurse staffing (hours per resident per day) | 4.27 | 4.32 | 3.95 | top 42% in South Dakota; top 30% in the U.S. |
| Registered Nurse hours | 1.22 | 0.91 | 0.69 | top 14% in South Dakota; top 9% in the U.S. |
| Weekend total nurse staffing | 3.84 | 3.71 | 3.50 | top 34% in South Dakota; top 28% in the U.S. |
| Weekend RN hours (not acuity-adjusted) | 0.79 | 0.51 | 0.48 | top 8% in South Dakota; top 12% in the U.S. |
| Total nursing staff turnover (%) | 31.3 | 48.2 | 45.8 | top 7% in South Dakota; top 17% in the U.S. |
| RN turnover (%) | 22.0 | 34.7 | 42.9 | top 29% in South Dakota; top 17% in the U.S. |
Hours are per resident per day, case-mix adjusted by CMS so facilities caring for sicker residents can be compared fairly (same basis as the CMS staffing star). "Top X%" means better than most facilities: more staffing hours, or lower turnover. Raw (unadjusted) reported hours: total 4.10, RN 1.17, weekend 3.68. Staffing rating: 5/5.
Self-reported quality measures
Note: these ratings are based on data the facility reports about itself to CMS. They are not independently verified by inspectors, and can look better than inspection findings. Give more weight to the inspection results above.
Quality measures rating: 4/5 · long-stay residents: 3/5 · short-stay residents: 4/5
Who owns this facility
Non profit - Corporation
| Owner / manager | Type | Role | Stake | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avera Health | Organization | 5% or Greater Direct Ownership Interest | — | 01/01/2001 |
| Demuth, Jonathon | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 07/01/2025 |
| Dover, James | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 10/23/2023 |
| Erickson, Anthony | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 03/30/2000 |
| Erickson, Anthony | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 02/16/2026 |
| Hanson, Victoria | Individual | Corporate Officer | NOT APPLICABLE | 05/03/2025 |
| Holstein, Martha | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 02/01/2025 |
| Holstein, Martha | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 02/16/2026 |
| Hunhoff, Bernie | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 07/01/2019 |
| Hurley, John | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 07/01/2020 |
| Kolecka, Debra | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 07/01/2017 |
| Lautt, Julie | Individual | Corporate Officer | NOT APPLICABLE | 03/01/2020 |
| Leon, Amy | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 07/01/2019 |
| Miner, Amy | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 07/01/2025 |
| Moeller, Arthur | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 07/01/2024 |
| Rezac, Barbara | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 07/01/2025 |
| Schindler, Steve | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 07/01/2024 |
| Schmeichel, Steve | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 07/01/2024 |
| Steward, Brian | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 07/01/2018 |
| Strom, Richard | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 07/01/2017 |
Questions to ask on your visit
Generated from this facility's actual citation record — bring them to a tour and ask the administrator directly.
- "What is your falls rate, and what specific steps do you take to prevent falls and supervise residents at risk?"
- "Who completes resident assessments here, and how do you check them for accuracy?"
- "What did your most recent kitchen inspection find, and can I see how food is stored and prepared?"
- "How many residents here use oxygen or breathing equipment, and who checks that equipment each shift?"
- "What are your smoking rules, and how do you keep residents who smoke — and everyone around them — safe?"
- "If my family member is able to manage their own medications, would you allow it, and how is that decided?"
- "How do you help residents maintain their daily living skills, and how do you measure whether it's working?"
- "If my family member goes to the hospital, how long will you hold their bed, and will we get that in writing?"
- "What is your current ratio of nursing staff to residents on day, evening, and weekend shifts?"
- "Can I see the results and plan of correction from your most recent state inspection?"
Nearby facilities (within 20 miles)
| Facility | Distance | City | Overall | Inspection | Flags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SD Human Services Center - Geriatric Program | 2.8 mi | Yankton, SD | ★★★★★ | 4/5 | |
| Wakonda Heritage Manor | 18.6 mi | Wakonda, SD | ★★★★★ | 4/5 | |
| Sunset Manor Avera Health | 19.6 mi | Irene, SD | ★★☆☆☆ | 2/5 | abuse |
| Accura Healthcare of Hartington | 19.8 mi | Hartington, NE | ★★★★★ | 5/5 |
Compare this facility with the 3 closest →
Facility data as of CMS processing date 2026-08-01. CCN 435070.