Sacred Heart Health Services
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Avera is a health ministry rooted in the Gospel. Our mission is to make a positive impact in the lives and health of persons and communities by providing quality services guided by Christian values.
- Income
- $182.2 million
- Spending
- $160.2 million
- Spent on programs
- 91%
- Reserves
- 26.9 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- fees for its services, 89%
- Employees
- 1,320
- Volunteers
- 144
- Highest pay
- $1.3 million, cfo avera health;secretary/treasurer
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 95% of charities in its peer group (health care, over $100m).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 26.9 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 10% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 12% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 16% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1591% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 1 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 95 out of 100. Higher than 36% of charities in its peer group (health care, over $100m).
Independent board
25 of 2511 of 13 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
0 of 5Reports no independent review process for its chief executive's pay.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (1)
- $145.3 million spent. Avera Sacred Heart's mission is to provide healthcare services to Yankton, South Dakota residents and residents of the surrounding area. Avera Sacred Heart is a 501(c)(3) organization affiliated with Avera Health. Avera Sacred Heart consists of a 69-bed hospital and a 194-bed nursing home, congregate housing facility and a hospice house in Yankton, SD, a 17-bed critical access hospital and a 47-bed nursing home in Creighton, NE, and 15 physician clinics. The physician clinics include primary care, ob/gyn, ENT/audiology, gastroenterology, pediatrics, orthopedics, general surgery, internal medicine, radiology, oncology, podiatry, therapy, dialysis, behavioral health, and palliative care. Following is a breakdown of these statistics by facility:Avera Sacred Heart Hospital 2,926 Acute inpatient discharges 510 Newborn patient discharges 91 Swing bed patient discharges 95,890 Outpatient visits 462 Swing-bed patient days 1,209 Newborn patient days 38,335 Clinic visitsAvera Sacred Heart Majestic Bluffs 301 Long term care patient discharges 66,777 Long-term care resident daysAvera Creighton Hospital (CAH) 108 Acute inpatient discharges 54 Swing bed patient discharges 8,760 Outpatient visits 605 Swing-bed patient days 19,976 Clinic visitsAvera Creighton Care Centre 42 Long term care patient discharges 13,974 Long-term care resident daysAvera Sacred Heart maintains records to identify and monitor the level of charity care it provides. These records include the amount of charges forgone for services and supplies furnished under its charity care policy and equivalent service statistics. The amount of charges foregone, based on established rates, were $4,388,237.Avera Sacred Heart also provides community benefit health activities at less than or at no cost to support those in the area serviced, see Schedule H. As a member of the Avera Health Network, Avera Sacred Heart upholds the vision of the Presentation and Benedictine Sisters to work through collaboration to provide quality, effective health ministry and to improve the healthcare of individuals and our communities through a regionally integrated network of persons and institutions. Avera Sacred Heart engages in activities designed to improve the health of individuals and communities in response to a calling to heal the sick, the elderly, and the oppressed.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Worth knowing.
Not individually listed by the IRS as eligible, which is usual for local chapters covered by a parent organization's exemption. The master file records contributions to it as deductible.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending June 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since March 1946.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 21, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.