Monument Health plans new specialty hospital

Rapid City, SD (May 27, 2021) – Monument Health announced it will join in a partnership to build a new specialty hospital in Rapid City to serve the acute medical rehabilitation and long-term acute care needs of patients throughout the region.

The new hospital will be operated by a joint venture partnership between Monument Health and Vibra Healthcare, an industry leader that operates 29 long-term acute care & rehabilitation hospitals nationwide.

The Rehabilitation and Critical Care Hospital of the Black Hills will have 36 rehabilitation beds, as well as 18 long-term acute care beds. It will be built near the northwest corner of the Catron Boulevard and U.S. Highway 16 intersection.

Monument Health’s existing rehabilitation hospital, now located at The Village at Skyline Pines Assisted Living and Memory Care, will move to the new facility when construction is complete. The new Long Term Acute Care Hospital (LTACH) will be part of the new facility. It will be the first LTACH in the region.

“Patients are typically at these locations for weeks on end, which puts a significant burden on their families,” said Mark Longacre, Vice President of Operations for Monument Health in Rapid City. “It’s important for patients to be near their families, and we’re excited that we will be able to provide this care locally.” Currently, patients who need this type of advanced care may be transferred to Billings, MT, Bismarck, ND, Sioux Falls, Lincoln, NE, or Denver, CO.

When a patient suffers a heart attack, brain injury or other type of serious medical condition, they are admitted to an acute care hospital for surgery or other treatment, usually on a short-term basis. Monument Health Rapid City Hospital or Spearfish Hospital serve in this role.

However, when patients need long-term hospitalization for complex medical issues, an LTACH is often better equipped for that type of care. These hospitals specialize in treating serious respiratory, cardiac, multi-system, neurological and infectious disease, as well as wound healing and other conditions. Hospital stays are often 21 days or more.

Acute medical rehabilitation, the type of treatment currently offered at the Village at Skyline Pines, helps patients recover after a stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury or other traumatic event. Monument Health’s existing 16-bed acute rehabilitation unit has outgrown its space in The Village at Skyline Pines, said Dr. Kelly Stacy. M.D., Monument Health Executive Medical Director. “With this expansion, we will be able to offer a greater number of services to more patients, which will help in their return home,” she said.

“We are extremely pleased to partner with Monument Health to expand post-acute care services in the region,” added Brad Hollinger, CEO of Vibra Healthcare. “Our collective leadership and teams will continue to work closely together to bring the Rehabilitation and Critical Care Hospital of the Black Hills to Rapid City. We intend to complement and build upon the excellent services that Monument Health offers the community, and we look forward to providing patients and their families with two specialized restorative care options close to home.”

Construction on the 55,000-square foot hospital is expected to begin in the fall of 2021, said Dave Ellenbecker, Vice President of Facilities Management and Plant Operations.

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About Monument Health
Headquartered in Rapid City, S.D., Monument Health is a community-based health care system with a mission to make a difference, every day. The system offers care in 31 medical specialties and serves 14 communities across western South Dakota and in eastern Wyoming. With over 5,000 physicians and caregivers, Monument Health is composed of 5 hospitals and 40 medical clinics and specialty centers. Monument Health is a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network.