Feb. 26, 2020

This paid piece is sponsored by Sanford Health.

Lynn Thomas was in eighth grade when her dad had a heart attack at age 42. As a mechanic, he was working underneath a car in his automotive shop when it happened.

“At that time, we didn’t do open heart surgery or angiograms in Sioux Falls, so there was a significant chance you’d die from a heart attack because we didn’t have the ability to do heart procedures like we do now,” she said.

Thomas’ dad ultimately pulled through, but that day would set the course for her lifelong commitment to provide heart care and education. As the director of clinic operations for the Sanford Health Cardiovascular Institute and the Sanford Cardiac, Thoracic & Vascular Surgery Clinic, Thomas has created several programs, bringing advanced, innovative and patient-centered heart care to Sioux Falls and the surrounding region.

She also serves as the director for the Sanford Center for Screenings and the Dakota Dunes Specialty Clinic, as well as the director of business development and outreach services for multiple service lines.

Leading cardiovascular care

After earning a bachelor’s degree in nursing, Thomas became a surgical nurse. But it didn’t take long for her affinity for business to fuse with her commitment to serving patients, making Thomas a powerful force in making care accessible when it matters most.

Lynn Thomas pictured with Dr. Tom Stys and their families.

After serving in a variety of leadership roles, Thomas was tasked with expanding heart and vascular care at Sanford Health. In 2007, the Sanford Cardiac, Thoracic & Vascular Surgery Clinic became an open-access clinic, with the ability to see patients the same day. Today, patients also can see a cardiologist without a referral from a primary doctor.

Thomas’ ability to set programs in motion comes from strong collaboration among the physicians, nurses and heart team she works with and her passion for championing new ideas.

“I work with physicians that practice at the top of their craft,” Thomas said. “And when you have a team of physicians who practice like that, the sky is the limit for bringing innovative care to patients.”

A focus on customer service 

One of Thomas’ guiding principles in business development is a commitment to customer service. Inside the heart space, she has helped create an environment that empowers patients with information about heart treatments, an area of care that often can be complex and intimidating.

Lynn Thomas, right, with her best friend Pam Brady

From treatment options to the role of genetics and the impact of diet, a patient’s care focuses on every factor of heart health.

“Every day, we save lives because our physicians serve our patients fearlessly, compassionately and with the most advanced care possible,” Thomas said.

Saving lives with screenings

After starting a preventive heart screening program in Sioux Falls in 2008, Thomas established a system for heart and vascular screenings across Sanford Health locations in South Dakota, North Dakota and Minnesota.

A painless screening assessment takes only about 20 minutes, “but by receiving a screening today, we can save your future so you don’t have a life-threatening cardiac event,” Thomas said.

Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in the U.S., but an estimated 80 percent of cardiovascular disease could be prevented through early intervention.

Heart care near and far

To bring heart screenings outside of Sanford Health locations, Thomas began taking them on the road in 2009 with the region’s only mobile screening unit.

Every weekday, the semi-trailer travels across South Dakota and into Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska to visit small towns, clinics, hospitals, Indian Health Service units, Hutterite colonies and local businesses. During certain times of the year and for special events, heart and vascular screenings are only $25 for each test.

In her efforts to make sure heart care reaches anyone who might need it, Thomas also has been instrumental in bringing access to places that don’t have heart specialists. Today, Sanford Health facilitates cardiologist visits to over 30 rural sites, helping even more families get ahead of heart disease.

“I made a full circle back to something that started when I was 13 years old, and it continues today,” she said. “My passion is right here doing this — helping to develop programs so we can save people’s lives.”