Surgical Expertise, Right Next Door
May 27, 2025
HAVING TRUSTED, EXPERIENCED surgeons close to home makes a difference whenever you’re having surgery, but it.jpeg)
’s even more crucial when you need emergency surgery –something Huron resident Jann Johnson learned in November 2024. You don’t have to travel for the surgeries you need. We’re dedicated to high-quality care when it matters most.
A WELL-EQUIPPED TEAM ON CALL
Johnson was having severe abdominal pain, which, combined with other concerning symptoms, prompted a Saturday morning visit to the Huron Regional Medical Center emergency room. Lab work the emergency team ordered suggested a serious infection, and the team followed up with imaging that showed an issue requiring emergency surgery.
Fortunately for her, Anthony Loewen, MD, FACS, board-certified general surgeon at HRMC, was able to get her into the operating room as soon as possible.
“It was 9:30 on a Saturday morning, and I didn’t have to wait until Monday for surgery,” Johnson says. “To me, that was very impressive – that there was someone here locally who could do surgery on such short notice.”
“We have widely available operating room time and space for emergencies,” Dr. Loewen says. “That doesn’t always happen at other facilities. With us being smaller, we’re more mobile and agile than the big institutions, where it’s hard to get things moving in a timely manner.”
Huron resident Jann Johnson
LOCAL EXPERTISE
As a general surgeon, Dr. Loewen has experience with many different surgeries and surgical techniques. As a Huron native and second-generation physician, he appreciates the need to provide advanced services to the community.
For Johnson, Dr. Loewen used laparoscopy, a minimally invasive surgery that uses a small lighted tool called a scope that allowed him to see the problem in Johnson’s abdomen. Laparoscopies require several small incisions, rather than a single large one, which helps patients get back on their feet faster after surgery and, often, with less pain.
THINK LOCAL
Huron Regional Medical Center has invested in the people and technologies that allow for great experiences like Jann Johnson’s, so people in our community don’t have to travel to Sioux Falls (or even farther) for the care they need. “We’ve got a great surgical team,” says Anthony Loewen, MD, FACS, board-certified general surgeon at HRMC. “We’re also a small team, so that makes us tightly knit and offers certain efficiencies. In the bigger systems, there’s one person who does one thing and that relies on another person doing another thing and so forth. Our staff is trained to do all aspects of preand postsurgical care, and that leads to a seamless and efficient model that doesn’t always work at bigger institutions.”
ADVANCED CARE DELIVERED WITH COMPASSION
Johnson, who works at Potter’s Shoes in Huron, was able to go home in just four days. She was thankful to the entire team for their quick action and compassion throughout the entire experience. Dr. Loewen explained all her options and welcomed all her questions, so she could feel confident in the decisions she made.
“Dr. Loewen’s bedside manner was very calming, and the anesthetist was very good about explaining things,” she says. “I was very impressed with the nursing staff and the aides. All of them were very good about introducing themselves. I felt very comfortable.”
THE RIGHT PLACE
Before Johnson left the hospital, Dr. Loewen wanted to ensure she had a clear plan for her recovery. He worked closely with her to understand why she needed emergency surgery in the first place, and then they customized a treatment regimen that would help her recover and, hopefully, prevent the need for another emergency surgery.
The two developed a plan focusing on lifestyle changes. Their goal was treating Johnson’s health issue without medications if possible. So far, Johnson is doing well and, having spent much of her career in health care after moving to Seattle from her hometown of Carpenter, South Dakota, knows she received the best possible care.
“Dr. Loewen is so well prepared to care for people,” she says. “He’s professional and at the same time so relatable. I couldn’t have been in a better place for my surgery.”
■ HRMC’s providers can help you navigate a health concern that may need surgery. If you have concerning symptoms, find a provider who can help at www.huronregional.org/find-a-doc.
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