A groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday, Oct. 20, marked the start of two large construction projects for Sioux Center Health.
The $36 million project will expand Sioux Center Health’s Senior Living campus — where Royale Meadows and Crown Pointe sit — and double the size of its family medical clinic.
Though Sioux Center Health originally planned to break ground on the projects in the spring, building committee chairman Dale Vander Berg is excited to see this project start despite the coronavirus pandemic.
“2020 is the year nobody will forget,” Vander Berg said. “Sioux Center is a growing, vibrant community and one reason the community is so vibrant and continues to grow is that the people stay in our community, especially out of college, invest in our community and remain connected to the community throughout their entire lives.
“We see quite a few parents move to town off the farm or retire here from elsewhere because their children and grandchildren are here; the whole family is choosing to call Sioux Center home and we want to have options for all those individuals as their needs change.”
Vander Berg said providing high-quality medical care, independent and assisted living options and nursing home care are all part of that continuum.
“The board made the decision to move forward with the project because we’re focused on making solid operational financial decisions that meet the needs of the residents of Sioux Center and surrounding areas,” said Sioux Center Health CEO Cory Nelson. “If we know those needs are going to be there, we have to act on those and we know there are needs in the Senior Living campus area and additional access to care in our family medical clinic. We’re thinking about what’s happening now but also next 20, 30, 40 years of community needs. We want to make sure we can meet the needs of this generation and generations to come.”
Sioux Center Health is utilizing a USDA loan at 3 percent for $25 million toward the projects. Its capital campaign sought to raise $6 million for the project with the remaining to be covered with additional bank loans and internal investment.
Construction is planned to wrap up in 2022.
“I couldn’t be prouder of Sioux Center Health’s goal in keeping us safe, in caring for us and providing for us, so now today we celebrate additional preparation for that continuum of care this community needs,” said Sioux Center mayor Dave Krahling during the groundbreaking ceremony.
Senior Living campus
Construction at the Senior Living campus will officially begin Monday, Nov. 2. The main entrance at Royale Meadows will be closed at this time. Anyone entering the building will need to use the employee entrance at the receiving dock.
Construction at the Senior Living campus includes:
- Adding 32 skilled nursing rooms on the north side of Royale Meadows. The plan includes 32 private, wheelchair accessible rooms with showers, family-style kitchen with satellite warmers, dining area, family gathering area, private outdoor patios, additional therapy services and 24/7 staffing.
- Another portion involves building Sioux Center Health’s first memory care facility as Nelson said that’s where Sioux Center Health’s biggest waiting list is. The new 16-room assisted living memory care facility will be located on the northwest section of the Senior Living Campus — where Royale Meadows and Crown Pointe sit. The memory care facility will include a dining room, an enclosed private outdoor courtyard, activity and sensory stations as well as have specialty care of those with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.
- A third portion of construction includes remodeling what is the existing Crown Pointe entrance to be the main entrance for the Senior Living campus as well as raising up the overhead cover by the front door to allow an ambulance to park at the front door, which it can’t do currently.
- A fourth portion of construction includes developing a Main Street area between the existing Crown Pointe and Royale Meadows facilities that will include a welcome center, community center, a cafe, salon and spa, social club, media center and newsstand, chapel, an ATM, post office, outdoor courtyard with gazebo and walking paths, dining room and a large area to gather for family and friends. Nelson said natural lighting is being incorporated into the design as well as space to grow for adding other activities in the future.
- A fifth project involves adding 24 assisted living apartments between the Crown Pointe and Royale Meadows structures that will include multiple dining selections, private family gathering area, covered outdoor patios and central entrance into the campus’s Main Street.
The five construction projects total an additional 74,675 square feet for the Senior Living campus.
Hospital changes
Changes to the main Sioux Center Health campus include remodeling the hospital’s main entrance and adding on to the medical clinic for a total of 14,582 additional square feet.
Beginning of December, all hospital staff, patients and visitors will need to use the emergency entrance on the hospital’s main campus at 1101 Ninth St. SE due to the construction.
The entrance remodel will relocate and redesign how patients get into the medical clinic as well as provide private admission areas for the hospital and medical clinic patients, separate registration area for the specialty clinic and private waiting rooms for the medical and specialty clinics.
“One of the biggest confusions we have is people walking in aren’t sure where to go, where to register,” Nelson said. “We’re trying to clean that up, especially for the medical clinic.”
Sioux Center Health’s plans involve adding 16 medical exam rooms to the family medical clinic to be able to integrate the urgent care clinic within the medical clinic and expand behavioral health services.
Sioux Center Health opened its existing main campus building in May 2014. Vander Berg said the building was designed with possible expansion of the clinic in mind for the future.
“That need was originally thought to be 10 years or more down the road so why do we need to expand the medical clinic already? That a testament to our doctors and staff of continuing to serve our patients,” said Vander Berg, noting Sioux Center Health’s family medical doctors and practitioners are at 80 percent capacity. “We haven’t dropped any of our existing providers so that tells us there’s a need. The clinic is busy and may only get busier and we want to be able to provide for patients.”
The expansion will cut some parking spaces, but Nelson said the main campus has more than it needs currently.
“We know the construction will be a bit of an inconvenience but we believe those seeking service will greatly benefit when it’s all done,” Nelson said.
Medical office building
Once the Senior Living campus additions and medical clinic expansion is complete, Sioux Center Health hopes to build a 6,044-square-foot medical office building on the southeast portion of its main hospital campus.
This facility would move Avera Home Medical Equipment of Sioux Center adjacent to the hospital. It’s currently renting space at 38 19th St. SW.
Nelson said moving the business to the main campus will make it more visible, improve patient direct access, have more parking for semi-truck deliveries and offer additional opportunities for medical and business expansion.
“All of us at Sioux Center Health look forward to creating new opportunities for our community members to access care and needed services right here at home so they can continue to enjoy the support of family, friends and their faith community,” he said.