Monument Health prepared for annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally

RAPID CITY, S.D. (Aug. 1, 202) – The Monument Health Daily Motorcycle Rally Tally from Monument Health hospitals in Custer, Lead-Deadwood, Rapid City, Spearfish and Sturgis will be updated each morning from Friday, Aug. 5, to Sunday, Aug. 14. The report will show the number of Rally-related inpatients (those hospitalized) on the morning posted, and emergency room (ER) visits for a 24-hour period by facility.

Monument Health begins preparations for the Rally up to a year in advance, both as a system and in cooperation with local, regional and state authorities. The daily snapshots posted on the Monument Health website provide an informative perspective as to the Rally’s impact on the region’s health care facilities.

As a way to connect with and thank the many law enforcement agencies Monument Health partners with during this time, the Sturgis Hospital caregivers chose to offer their conference room as a break room to first responders and law enforcement officers who may be between calls.

“It certainly takes a large group effort to ensure a safe Rally for visitors, community members and those working during this time span,” said Mark Schmidt, Monument Health President of Sturgis and Lead-Deadwood Hospitals and Markets. “We typically don’t need our conference room during the Rally as our team is focused on direct patient care. Rather than having an empty room, our team wanted to offer it as a location for our partners to use.”

The Christian Motorcycle Association (CMA) will again be providing assistance during the 2023 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. The CMA volunteers are available to assist patients and families impacted by injury during the Rally starting Aug. 7. These volunteers help collect belongings of those injured, assist in returning a motorcycle of the injured back to their home, help patients’ families with travel and lodging and offer companionship to bikers who may require hospitalization.

New to the 2023 Monument Health Sturgis Motorcycle Rally preparations is to continue to provide primary care appointments at the Sturgis Clinic between Aug. 4 – 14.

“The health care needs of our community members don’t stop just because we’re prepared to support the influx of visitors, and neither does our commitment to providing high-quality care close to home,” said Schmidt. “We also like to remind, and encourage individuals to utilize urgent care, primary care or the Nurse Triage Line when possible and appropriate to ensure our emergency room is able to care for those needing emergent care.”

The Monument Health Nurse Triage Line is a service individuals can call in order to speak with a trained Registered Nurse to help them understand the urgency of their symptoms and get the most appropriate type of care. This could include their primary care doctor, an urgent care clinic or the hospital emergency department, if needed. However, anyone experiencing chest pains, stroke symptoms or serious injury should call 911 and get medical help immediately.

The Nurse Triage Line can be reached by calling (605) 755-1350.

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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 38 medical clinics and specialty centers. Monument Health is a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network.

Media Contact:
Stephany Chalberg
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Monument Health