YANKTON, S.D.(WNAX)- Avera Health announced last week that it would invest fifty million dollars in pay for new and existing employees and hold health insurance premiums steady for the next year.

Doug Ekeren, President of Avera Sacred Heart Hospital in Yankton and Avera Queen of Peace Hospital in Mitchell, says they need a full staff to fulfill their mission.

Ekeren says workforce is a challenge for all employers.

Ekeren says they are also focused on their current workers.

Current workers will see a minimum of a two dollar per hour raise and the minimum wage for new employees will now be seventeen dollars an hour.