Montana Replacement Hospital Puts New Design on Display
By Fay Harvey
BILLINGS, Mont.— St. Vincent Regional Hospital, a leader in Montana’s healthcare system, has unveiled design plans to replace the existing regional hospital with a more modern, nearly $1 billion facility.
The new 14-floor, 737,000 square-foot structure will sit just east of the current St. Vincent Hospital, which is being replaced due to aging infrastructure and inefficiency. A team of over 1,200 workers have been employed in building out the project, and 600-700 workers will be on site during construction. The improved facility is deemed a full-replacement hospital, meaning that once it opens, all services currently provided at Intermountain St. Vincent will move to the state-of-the-art facility, ensuring continuity of care while bringing significant innovations to the community.
“We are thrilled to break ground in 2025 on our brand-new hospital in Billings,” shared Lee Boyles, president of Intermountain St. Vincent Regional Hospital and the Montana and Wyoming market of Intermountain Health, in a statement. “Building a replacement hospital affords a once-in-a-generation opportunity to take all we know about modern healthcare and design a hospital for high-quality, efficient care for decades to come.”
Included in the initial design are 243 patient beds and 16 additional beds will be added over time. All rooms will prioritize adaptability, offering the ability to shift rooms into ICU-level care spaces, preparing the hospital for changing demands or future outbreaks, according to an Intermountain Health statement. Operating rooms will also be designed with flexibility in mind to welcome various procedures and evolving technology, staying true to the goals of modernity the old facility lacked. Surgical areas will be home to pre-operation, operating and recovery rooms in one location for logistical purposes.
Care for patients, staff and visitors is at the forefront of the design. Public spaces on the entire first floor will include a thoughtfully designed chapel, an outpatient pharmacy, gift shop and discharge lounge. In addition, the first floor will improve emergency services by accommodating multiple points of traffic with a safe, secure, separate entrance to ensure privacy and attention to critical need. An outdoor garden will border the entrances, and all patient rooms will include large windows overlooking Billings. Numerous decentralized nursing stations throughout the facility will allow providers closer proximity to patients.
“What excites me about this project is the ‘why’ behind it. We are doing this to elevate healthcare in our area for future generations of Montanans,” said Dustin Strandell, chief operating officer of Intermountain St. Vincent Regional Hospital, in a statement. “The design you see today is the result of hundreds of meetings over the course of two years and includes insights and input from many of our talented providers, caregivers and experts.”
Ground will be broken in spring of next year, and doors are expected to open by 2029.
Caption for Featured Image: The new 14-story St. Vincent Regional Hospital in Billings will replace the existing regional hospital and will be the city’s third-tallest building. Photo Credit: Intermountain Health