Intermountain Health unveils plans for a new $1B, 14-floor hospital in Billings, MT, to replace current St. Vincent facility. Construction to begin in 2025, completion projected for 2029, with focus on modern design for high-quality, efficient care and economic impact on the community.
Photo courtesy of Intermountain Health St. Vincent Regional Hospital
A rendering of the Intermountain Health St. Vincent Regional Hospital.
Intermountain Health St. Vincent Regional Hospital on Nov. 19, 2024, unveiled the latest design plans for its new hospital in Billings, Mont., with a price tag of nearly $1 billion.
The new hospital will be a 14-floor, 737,000-sq.-ft. facility on the Intermountain St. Vincent campus at 27th Street and 12th Avenue North, just east of the current hospital building.
KTVQ reported that a specific cost for the project wasn't announced at the press conference.
"As a leader in Montana health care, we are thrilled to break ground in 2025 on our brand-new hospital in Billings," said Lee Boyles, president of Intermountain St. Vincent Regional Hospital and the Montana and Wyoming market of Intermountain Health. "Building a replacement hospital affords a once-in-a-generation opportunity to take all we know about modern health care and design a hospital for high-quality, efficient care for decades to come."
Photo courtesy of Intermountain Health St. Vincent Regional Hospital
At the peak of construction, it's anticipated there will be 600-700 workers on site at the project, and more than 1,200 total workers involved in the building project.
Having a skilled workforce focused on this project in Billings will have a significant economic impact on the community.
From earlier projections of the size and scale of the project, it's expected that, over the life of the project, $13.5 million could be spent on accommodations and housing, and $6 million spent in grocery stores and restaurants alone, from the increase in the construction sector as well, among other large economic impacts in other sectors.
This will be a full-replacement hospital, meaning the current St. Vincent facility will be replaced and, upon opening, all services offered at Intermountain St. Vincent will transfer to a 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 health care needs of the community.
Construction on the project is expected to begin in spring 2025 and is anticipated to be completed in 2029.
The design ensures the facility is built to meet the needs of hospital care as it continues to change. The new facility will have 243 patient beds with additional space ready to build out 16 additional beds when needed. All rooms are designed to be universal and can be converted into an ICU level of care, allowing the hospital to respond to changing demands and a potential future pandemic.
Additionally, all operating rooms were 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 were designed to have the pre-op, operating rooms and recovery areas all in the same location, allowing for more efficient care.
To provide an excellent patient and caregiver experience, the new hospital will offer several unique design aspects, including an entire first floor of public space, improved public and emergency entrances and improved care by design, as most patients' rooms will have large windows providing natural light and views of Billings. There will be separate staff, patient and visitor entrances and elevators.
"What excites me about this project is the ‘why' behind it. We are doing this to elevate health care in our area for future generations of Montanans," Chief Operating Officer Dustin Strandell said. "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."
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