Good Samaritan, one of the nation’s largest nonprofit providers of senior care and services, is committed to transforming the aging experience through innovation, compassion and personalized care As part of Sanford Health, an integrated nonprofit health system headquartered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Good Samaritan serves 10,000 seniors and offers access to a full continuum of care, including 95 rehabilitation and skilled nursing centers, 60 assisted living and memory care facilities, 51 independent living locations and 42 home health and hospice agencies The senior care provider delivers services across the upper Midwest, with 70% of residents living in rural communities Learn more about Good Samaritan's mission and commitment to delivering high quality senior care in rural America at goodsamcom
Sanford Health, the largest rural health system in the United States, is dedicated to transforming the health care experience and providing access to world-class health care in America’s heartland Headquartered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the organization has 55,000 employees and serves more than 2 million patients and nearly 415,000 health plan members across the upper Midwest including South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wyoming, Iowa, Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan The integrated nonprofit health system includes a network of 58 hospitals, 289 clinic locations, 145 senior care communities, 4,500 physicians and advanced practice providers and 1,100 active clinical trials and studies The organization’s transformational virtual care initiative brings patients closer to care with access to nearly 80 specialties. More than 400 residents and fellows are trained each year through graduate medical education with Sanford Health fully funding and supporting 29 of the 40 available programs Sanford Health also includes Lewis Drug, a pharmacy and retail chain with 60 locations in three states and nearly 190 pharmacists Learn more about Sanford Health’s commitment to shaping the future of rural health care across the lifespan at sanfordhealthorg or Sanford Health News
FOUNDATION FOCUS
The Good Samaritan Foundation, which was founded more than 100 years ago, is fueled by philanthropy. Through the Foundation, 100% of every dollar given supports enhancements to care, meaningful programming, facility updates and more. In 2025, the Foundation received $4.3 million in total contributions from more than 2,000 donors, and disbursed $3 9 million across the communities we serve. Learn more about the Foundation.
Check out the Foundation’s Annual Report
LETTER FROM NATHAN SCHEMA
GOOD SAMARITAN PRESIDENT &
CEO
Providing exceptional care to those we serve is the foundation of Good Samaritan’s purpose and the guiding force behind every decision we make Each day, residents and their families place their trust in us, and we are committed to honoring that trust by living out our mission to care, comfort and cure.
I’m proud to share Good Samaritan’s 2025 Quality Report. This report reflects our commitment to strengthening the safety and quality of care we provide, expanding access to care, fostering strong community partnerships and supporting a dedicated, skilled workforce Within these pages, you will find stories that illustrate the expertise of Good Samaritan team members and the ways in which they care deeply for our residents, family members and each other
Whether we care for residents in long-term care centers, assisted living facilities or their homes, Good Samaritan provides person-centered care that supports the evolving needs of seniors Being part of Sanford Health’s integrated health system allows us to coordinate the best care in even the most rural of our locations.
I extend my sincere appreciation to our team members whose dedication and professionalism make this work possible By working together alongside residents, families and community partners we remain focused on continuously advancing the quality of care and experience we provide It is an honor we embrace fully
Nathan Schema President & CEO Good Samaritan
ACCESS TO CARE ACCESS TO CARE ACCESS TO CARE
As the largest nonprofit provider of skilled nursing services, Good Samaritan is committed to solving the unique challenges of rural health care delivery so we can ensure seniors have access to care close to home.
EXPANDING VIRTUAL CARE SERVICES
In the fall, Sanford Health expanded virtual care services to 27 Good Samaritan skilled nursing and assisted living facilities in South Dakota, as part of Sanford's $350 million virtual care initiative My Care Line virtually connects Good Samaritan caregivers with Sanford Health registered nurses (RNs) and advanced practice providers (APPs) during evenings, weekends and overnights The service is available 6 pm - 6 am Monday through Friday, and 24 hours a day on Saturdays and Sundays My Care Line is designed to enhance the existing care residents receive, reduce after-hours disruptions and support caregivers around the clock The RNs and APPs can triage fall assessments, condition changes, medication administration and more The program bridges gaps by bringing care directly to residents, especially in the most remote communities Good Samaritan serves Sanford Health plans to expand My Care Line to additional Good Samaritan locations in the coming months
FOUNDER’S CROSSING
Progress continues on Good Samaritan Society - Founder's Crossing, a full continuum of care senior living community in Sioux Falls, set to open in 2026 Founder's Crossing will offer all health and wellness services under one roof, including independent living apartments and villas; assisted living and memory care services; short-term rehabilitation and long-term care; home-based services; life enrichment programs; a Sanford Health clinic and Lewis Drug Throughout 2025, Good Samaritan hosted First Friday events for community members interested in learning more about Founder’s Crossing, including campus development updates from the Construction and Design team, and overview of the home care and clinical services that will support residents who choose to live at Founder’s Crossing
In June, leaders from Good Samaritan and administrators from its locations met with elected officials at the 2025 American Health Care Association/National C for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) Congressional Briefing on Capitol Hill advocating for policies like the Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, which wo help build the nursing workforce by tapping into the pipeline of internationall trained nurses. The Good Samaritan delegate spoke to elected officials about importance of protecting access to long-term care in rural communities, an the positive impact of technology and innovation on the workforce.
88% of agencies achieved a hospice care index score of 9 or 10
Learn more about Good Samaritan leaders advocating for quality senior care
SAFETY & EXPERIENCE SAFETY & EXPERIENCE SAFETY &
At Good Samaritan, we are deeply committed to the care and well-being of the residents, patients and communities who place their trust in us. Our priority is to deliver high-quality care and create an experience where every individual’s unique needs are met through personalized services
NEW
SAFE
INITIATIVES
Sanford Accountability For Excellence (SAFE) is Sanford Health's high-reliability initiative to prioritize safety first in every decision and interaction. In 2025, Good Samaritan introduced two significant SAFE-related initiatives. In April, Good Samaritan launched the SAFE Event Reporting Platform, an advanced risk management system designed to streamline and enhance the reporting of safety events across Good Samaritan and Sanford Health's post-acute locations. The platform promotes early identification of concerns and the ability to address potential errors before they reach residents/clients.
In August, Good Samaritan implemented daily safety meetings designed to address patient care, concerns about daily processes and policy needs. The meetings begin at the regional level, where an administrator or nurse leader from each location is present. Any relevant information is then elevated to a smaller meeting of Good Samaritan leaders and, finally, to an enterprise call that includes representatives from each of Sanford Health's sectors. The daily meetings have been an impactful way to share timely information, actionable solutions and policy updates.
Good Catches are instances where potential harm was averted due to an error being identified before it affected a resident, family member or fellow employee Good Catches reported in 2025
Daily safety meetings held in 2025
McKnights Long-Term Care News has the feature on daily safety reporting
URINARY TRACT INFECTION REDUCTION
From July 2023 to December 2025, UTIs dropped 2.43%, from 5.12% to 2.69%, sustaining improvements each quarter.
Good Samaritan identified an opportunity for improvement with urinary tract infections (UTIs) and selected UTI reduction as a 2025 performance improvement priority. UTIs are one of many quality measures for which skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) receive performance data. Good Samaritan's infection prevention (IP) team developed a UTI Reduction Critical Thinking Guide a compilation of best practices related to UTIs for the population Good Samaritan serves. The IP team began educating on best practices at monthly IP meetings, reviewing UTI performance as quarterly data became available and working one on one with 26 locations that had the greatest opportunity for improvement. This included an initial education session, followed by quarterly check-ins to achieve and sustain improvements in their UTI quality measures.
WALKER TUNE-UPS
Good Samaritan and Sanford Health Equip which offers home health accessories and medical equipment brought walker tune-ups directly to residents. Equip's teams visited nine Good Samaritan locations in 2025 across South Dakota and Minnesota, offering walker adjustments at no charge. The team tightened brakes, made height adjustments, and brought demo walkers and wheelchairs for residents to try. While visiting locations, Equip team members also took time to educate residents on how to acquire new walkers or wheelchairs through their medical payors. Equip plans to visit more locations in 2026 and beyond, ensuring as many Good Samaritan residents as possible remain secure with their mobility devices
COMMUNITY
Community partnerships with schools, churches and local organizations are a vital part of supporting rural skilled nursing facilities and ensuring our residents have quality care and a great quality of life
MEET ART HARRIS: CHERISHED
NURSING HOME VOLUNTEER
Four days a week, Art Harris, 85, volunteers at Good Samaritan SocietyLoveland Village in Colorado. Loveland Village first became a second home for Harris when his wife, Jeanette, moved into long-term care where he visited her every day. Despite losing his wife a few years ago, Harris continued to visit and strengthen his connections with the staff and residents. Since October 2023, Harris has already logged more than 500 hours of volunteer service. His favorite activitiy is what he calls "visiting the troops" recognizing veterans for their service and providing support as a Korean and Vietnam War veteran himself. Learn more about Art and his story.
“It’ s wonderful for me to get here and see the people and do what I do.”
HOME HEALTH NURSE HELPS VETERAN GET NEW FURNACE
Kellie Plutowski, a certified home health nursing assistant, visits Thor Sannes, 96, weekly providing home health care to the Korean War veteran who still lives alone in the same house he's owned for nearly 40 years. After working with Sannes for a while, Plutowski noticed his furnace was acting up, so she nominated him to receive a new furnace, donated to a veteran each year by a local heating and cooling company. No one was more thrilled than Plutowski when Sannes was chosen as the 2025 recipient.
Learn more about Kellie, Thor and his new furnace
MATCHING GRANTS FUND 30+ VITAL PROJECTS
In 2025, the Good Samaritan Foundation launched a matching grant program to inspire local engagement and amplify donor impact. Each participating Good Samaritan location was challenged to raise $10,000. Once they did, the Foundation awarded them a $10,000 matching grant resulting in $20,000 to fund meaningful projects that directly benefit residents. Thirty locations received matching grants last year, and the projects included building enhancements like a newly renovated courtyard in Minnesota and newly constructed pergola in Colorado as well as technology upgrades, new furniture and updated equipment.
Lear
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
Good Samaritan is focused on developing its workforce through programs that emphasize leadership retention, such as employee engagement surveys, an administrator council and a policy of prioritizing internal promotions.
NEW ORIENTATION PROCESS FOR LICENSED NURSES
In 2025, as part of the ongoing commitment to strengthening quality of care and improving nurse retention, Good Samaritan launched a new orientation process for licensed nurses in skilled nursing facilities The new onboarding process enhances orientation and complements online training overall improving the new hire experience, retention and clinical outcomes The creation of this formal orientation process and pathway provides consistency across Good Samaritan locations and equips our nurses for long-term success
As part of the orientation, new nurses complete an interactive webinar series, participate in a check-in with their clinical learning and development specialist to validate understanding and address questions, spend time with interdisciplinary team members learning about responsibilities and procedures, and begin with one-on-one shifts with a preceptor
DNS PATHWAY PROGRAM
Good Samaritan began offering an onboarding pathway program for all new directors of nursing (DNSs) hired into a nursing home/long-term care facility. The program, which is individualized to the DNS and their experience levels, includes computer-based training, four weeks of onboarding, eight basic virtual sessions and nine advanced virtual sessions. Following the virtual sessions, there is a week-long workshop in Sioux Falls, where DNSs get an in-depth look at finances, clinical daily oversight, survey preparation, human resources, documentation and more. The workshops also provides a networking system for new DNSs connecting them with others in the same role who they can lean on for learning and partnering. Since its inception, the pathway program has cut the DNS vacancy rate in half.
EAchieving xcellence in 2025
Increased Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) by 5 points
EVER FORWARD CHAMPION AWARDS
Good Samaritan is proud to recognize its dedicated employees through programs like the Ever Forward Champion Awards Ever Forward is Good Samaritan’s annual celebration of employees who demonstrate Good Samaritan's mission, vision and values Good Samaritan employees can be nominated in the following categories of champions: Employee, Caregiver, Leader, Volunteer, Nursing, Administrator or Director of Nursing
2025 National Ever Forward Champions
Employee | Amber Meyer
Director of Nursing | Lori Johnson
Nursing | Jeanny Camden
Volunteer | Jean Klein
Administrator | Sarah Angelo
Caregiver (CNA) | Rosa Avila
Leader | Chris Hanson
DAISY AWARD FOR EXTRAORDINARY NURSES
The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses celebrates and recognizes nurses who personify the mission-driven values of Good Samaritan demonstrating excellence through clinical expertise and compassionate care. Nominations can be submitted at any time by anyone, and a winner is chosen each month.
The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) National Quality Award Program recognizes organizations that meet progressively rigorous standards of performance to further improve the lives of residents and staff in long-term care The National Quality Award Program has three progressive levels: Bronze, Silver and Gold. At the Silver level, recipients have met the criteria for the Bronze award and move on to evaluate and improve their processes, creating a systematic approach for all aspects of the organization that leads to positive outcomes and success.
SILVER — ACHIEVEMENT IN QUALITY AWARDS
Active Good Samaritan Silver Quality Award holders as of Dec 31, 2025
SKILLED NURSING
Good Samaritan Society – Albion | Albion, NE
Good Samaritan Society – Ambassador | New Hope, MN
Good Samaritan Society – Howard Lake | Howard Lake, MN
Good Samaritan Society – Jackson | Jackson, MN
Good Samaritan Society – Le Mars | Le Mars, IA
Good Samaritan Society – Woodland | Brainerd, MN
ASSISTED LIVING
Good Samaritan Society – Fargo | Fargo, ND
Ridge View Estates Assisted Living | Pipestone, MN
BRONZE — COMMITMENT TO QUALITY AWARDS
Active Good Samaritan Bronze Quality Award holders as of Dec. 31, 2025
SKILLED NURSING
Edgebrook Care Center | Edgerton, MN
Good Samaritan Society – Albert Lea | Albert Lea, MN
Good Samaritan Society – Auburn | Auburn, NE
Good Samaritan Society – Battle Lake | Battle Lake, MN
Good Samaritan Society – Bethany | Brainerd, MN
Good Samaritan Society – Bloomfield | Bloomfield, NE
Good Samaritan Society – Canton | Canton, SD
Good Samaritan Society – Comforcare | Austin, MN
Good Samaritan Society – Davenport | Davenport, IA
Good Samaritan Society – Holstein | Holstein, IA
Good Samaritan Society – Luther Manor | Sioux Falls, SD
Good Samaritan Society – Luverne | Luverne, MN
Good Samaritan Society – Manson | Manson, IA
Good Samaritan Society – Millard | Millard, NE
Good Samaritan Society – Miller Pointe | Mandan, ND
Good Samaritan Society – Oakes | Oakes, ND
Good Samaritan Society – Park River | Park River, ND
Good Samaritan Society – Pine River | Pine River, MN
Good Samaritan Society – Pohai Nani | Kaneohe, HI
Good Samaritan Society – Sioux Falls Center | Sioux Falls, SD
Good Samaritan Society – St. Martin Village | Rapid City, SD
Good Samaritan Society – Superior | Superior, NE
Good Samaritan Society – Syracuse | Syracuse, NE
Good Samaritan Society – Tyndall | Tyndall, SD
Good Samaritan Society – Waukon | Waukon, IA
Good Samaritan Society – Westbrook | Westbrook, MN
Sanford Hillsboro Care Center | Hillsboro, ND
BRONZE — COMMITMENT TO QUALITY AWARDS
Active Good Samaritan Bronze Quality Award holders as of Dec. 31, 2025
ASSISTED LIVING
Edgebrook Estates | Edgerton, MN
Good Samaritan Society – Arthur | Arthur, ND
Good Samaritan Society – Brandt Ridge | St. James, MN
Good Samaritan Society – Echo Ridge | Rapid City, SD
Good Samaritan Society – Hidden Creek | Albert Lea, MN
Good Samaritan Society – Lakota | Lakota, ND
Good Samaritan Society – Poplar Creek Estates | Luverne, MN
Good Samaritan Society – Prairie Creek | Sioux Falls, SD
Good Samaritan Society – St. Martin Village | Rapid City, SD
Good Samaritan Society – Sioux Falls Village | Sioux Falls, SD
Lakeview Senior Living Apartments | Battle Lake, MN
Sanford Orchard Hills | Dell Rapids, SD
The Lodge of Howard Lake | Howard Lake, MN
The Lodge of Winthrop | Winthrop, MN
Achieving Excellence in 2025
21 facilities with a CMS star rating of 4 or 5 6.2% occupancy growth for assisted living communities
