In 2006, the BWBR-designed, 110-bed Avera Behavioral Health Center became the first new freestanding treatment facility of its kind west of the Mississippi River since 1991. The Center reached capacity almost immediately and has been serving the region ever since. Nearly 15 years after the Center opened, a substantial grant made by the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust funded a new four-story wing designed to offer additional and new behavioral healthcare options for patients across the age spectrum.

Designated floor by floor, the new wing offers added inpatient capacity for the adolescent, adult, and senior populations, as well as 24/7 behavioral health urgent care and adult partial hospitalization (day treatment). Enhanced telehealth systems help patients across the state access care, as well as perform chemical dependency evaluations and mental health assessments.

New to Avera and the state of South Dakota, youth residential addiction care works to help patients overcome addictions that often accompany behavioral health disorders. Youth partial hospitalization is also offered for the first time in an Avera facility. The program allows patients to balance their school days with their treatment plans, helping them to succeed on more than one level.