Intermountain Health St Vincent Regional Breaks Ground On ‘Once-in-a-Generation’ Replacement Project

A “once-in-a-generation” investment in the health of the Billings community and region began this week with the start of construction on the new Intermountain Health St. Vincent Regional Hospital in Montana.

The new hospital will be a 14-floor, 737,000 square-foot facility located at 27th Street and 12th Avenue North just east of the current hospital building. This will be a full-replacement hospital, meaning the current St. Vincent facility will be replaced, and upon opening, all current services offered at St. Vincent will transfer to the new facility.

The project is designed to address the current needs of patients in the region, while accommodating both long-term population growth and future healthcare needs of the community.

“St. Vincent has deep roots, from our humble beginning as Billings’ first hospital, founded by the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth to reveal and foster God’s healing love as we care for our community to an innovative, nationally ranked hospital for safety and quality,” said Lee Boyles, president of St. Vincent Regional Hospital and the Montana and Wyoming market of Intermountain Health. “And now, we are entering our next chapter: building a replacement hospital to support the work of our incredible caregivers and foster a healthy community.”

Construction of the new facility is expected to take four years and be completed in 2029.

Innovative design for patients and caregivers

The decision to replace the current facility was made to address aging infrastructure and to create a modern and efficient hospital. The guiding principles of the new hospital’s design will meet patient needs for many years to come. The innovative and adaptable design ensures that the facility is built to meet the evolving nature of hospital care. The new facility will have 243 patient beds with additional space ready to build 16 additional beds when needed. All of the rooms are designed to be universal with the ability to be converted into an ICU level of care, allowing the hospital to respond to changing demands and a potential future pandemic.

Additionally, all of the operating rooms have been designed to adapt to multiple types of procedures and will be fully integrated to handle changes in technology and accommodate the latest and future developments in robotic surgical technology. The surgical areas of the hospital have also been designed to have the pre-op, operating rooms, and recovery areas all in the same location, allowing for more efficient care.

“We are constructing a replacement hospital to improve the healthcare in Billings and surrounding states for future generations and to build a healthier community for all we serve,” said Rob Allen, president & CEO of Intermountain Health. “The new St. Vincent Regional Hospital will enhance the care experience of our patients, families and caregivers as it will be the most staff-efficient facility in the region.”

To provide an excellent patient and caregiver experience, the new hospital will offer several unique design aspects:

• Dedicated Public Space: The entire first floor has been dedicated as public space for patients and visitors, providing a healing and welcoming environment and privacy for patients. It will include a prominent, beautifully designed chapel, an outpatient pharmacy, gift shop, and discharge lounge.
• Improved Public and Emergency Entrances: The public entrance will include a beautiful outdoor garden and will accommodate multiple streams of traffic, improving flow. The emergency department entrance has been designed to be safe, secure and separate from the public entrance to allow for patient privacy and efficient critical care, including a separate, covered garage entrance for ambulances.
• Improved Care by Design: All floors will feature decentralized nursing stations, allowing caregivers to be closer to their patients. Most patients’ rooms will have large windows providing natural light and beautiful views of Billings. There will be separate staff, patient and visitor entrances and elevators, allowing for privacy, creating a quiet and healing environment for patients.

Intermountain Health is excited to be making this investment on the current St. Vincent campus in the heart of the existing medical corridor in Billings.

With Intermountain Health’s annual contribution of nearly $1 billion to the local economy, the additional economic impact of the construction of the replacement hospital will be substantial. At the high point in construction, it is anticipated that 600-700 workers will be on site at the project, and 1,200 total workers are expected to be involved in this project. This infusion of financial resources will support various sectors, including construction, healthcare services, and local businesses, leading to sustained economic growth and development in the region. In addition to the construction jobs, 500 additional local jobs are expected to be created in the community to support the workforce and project.

“The new hospital is poised to be a significant driver of economic growth in Yellowstone County and the city of Billings,” said Boyles. “We look forward to building a broad coalition of philanthropic, clinical, and community partners committed to transforming healthcare in our region.”

About Intermountain Health

Headquartered in Utah with locations in six states and additional operations across the western U.S., Intermountain Health is a nonprofit system of 33 hospitals, approximately 400 clinics, medical groups with some 4,600 employed physicians and advanced care providers, a health plans division called Select Health with more than one million members, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is committed to improving community health and is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes at sustainable costs. For up-to-date information and announcements, please see the Intermountain Health newsroom at https://intermountainhealthcare.org/news.