Sioux Falls,

Sioux Falls has emerged as a major center for health care in a four-state region of the Upper Midwest. Central to the health care community is the University of South Dakota School of Medicine; several of the city's practicing physicians serve on the faculty of the School of Medicine, which maintains an association with five hospitals in the area. The Sioux Valley Hospitals and Health System is a network of more than 150 healthcare facilities with 537 beds. The largest hospital in the system in Sioux Valley Hospital USD Medical Center, and the Sioux Valley Clinic is the largest and most comprehensive in the region. In 2002 Sioux Valley opened the NORTH Center, specializing in orthopedic and neurosciences. The Heart Hospital of South Dakota is the area's only hospital specializing in cardiovascular disease, and the 429-bed Avera McKennan Hospital offers the region's only burn unit, bone marrow transplant program, and kidney transport program. Other facilities include the Sioux Falls Department of Veterans Affairs Medical and Regional Office Center, the Children's Care Hospital and School, and Select Specialty Hospital, providing long-term acute care to patients with such health problems as traumatic brain injuries, ventilator dependence, and postsurgical complications.