CALS is honored to share that Dr. Darrell Carter has been named the 2026 Outstanding Educator Award recipient by the National Rural Health Association (NRHA).

Dr. Carter has dedicated more than 50 years to caring for patients at Avera Granite Falls Hospital and has been a visionary force behind the Comprehensive Advanced Life Support (CALS) program. His leadership helped shape CALS into an internationally adopted training model that strengthens rural healthcare teams’ ability to manage time-critical emergencies with limited resources.

His belief in the capability of rural clinicians—and his commitment to practical, team-based training—has elevated emergency care in communities across the country and around the world.

Please join CALS in congratulating Dr. Carter on this well-deserved national recognition and in celebrating his extraordinary contributions to rural health.