The new Heart of America Medical Center is truly reimagined rural healthcare. This new facility offers Rugby and the surrounding area a hospital, clinic, long-term care facility, pharmacy, physical therapy, 24/7 wellness center, cancer center, surgical center, and cafeteria open to the community.
Heart of America Medical Center (HAMC) provides crucial medical services to more than 13,000 people within a 50-mile radius of Rugby, North Dakota. Founded in 1905 by a group of dedicated ministers, their efforts are sustained by Good Samaritan Hospital Association, a non-denominational, non-profit organization supported by 27 area churches. To further meet the growth in their region, HAMC worked with JLG Architects to explore schematic design and financial solutions that would address their aging facility built in the 1940s with wings added on in 1964, 1973, and 1991. As a result of fragmented additions and inefficient use of the larger space, HAMC was challenged with missed Medicare reimbursement, as well as ongoing and costly maintenance issues. In 2021, the Good Samaritan Hospital Association approved JLG’s plans to build a new 77,000 SF critical access hospital that is scheduled to break ground in mid-2022. With a campus site selected on the east side of the City, JLG has moved forward in the facility’s design, creating a right-sized solution that will cut wasted space, improve the Center’s bottom line, and increase Medicare reimbursement. The solution provides a better patient and provider experience that reworks the entire infrastructure of a community for more reliable healthcare availability, creating a café, clinic, and wellness center that will attract new residents and help retain aging residents with higher levels of care.
The New Heart of America Medical Center Includes:
-A cutting-edge hospital, clinic and care center that will help recruit and retain top talent.
-An enhanced surgical department with the capacity of growing into orthopedics.
-A new cancer center that will keep chemotherapy treatment close to home.
-A new, residential-style swing bed department known as the Living Center.
-An enhanced entrance and a more visible front door.
-A therapy department and 24/7 wellness center that is easily accessible, filled with natural light, and features space for equipment, a walking track and a pediatric gym.
-Back-of-house staffing and respite areas that increase efficiencies and workplace well-being.
-A Main Street design for simplified circulation and wayfinding, with a “Grab-N-Go” community cafe.
-Strategically located departments that allow nursing staff to transition quickly from emergency services to acute care, radiology and the Living Center.
-One floor for enhanced safety, security and cross-department collaboration.
-Daylit spaces that promote patient and employee well-being.