RAPID CITY, S.D. – Building upon a shared commitment to advancing excellence in rural health care, Sanford Health, Black Hills Orthopedic and Spine Center (BHOSC) and Black Hills Surgical Hospital (BHSH), announced today they are joining together to expand comprehensive, world-class care to patients in western South Dakota and across the region.
Sanford Health will be the parent organization of the Black Hills Orthopedic and Spine Center, the Black Hills Surgical Hospital and the group’s associated facilities in Rapid City, South Dakota, and Black Hills Surgery Center in Gillette, Wyoming, including urgent care locations, clinics and ambulatory surgery center. Upon closing, these locations will transition to nonprofit status and begin operating as part of Sanford Health. The region can continue to expect high quality patient-centered care from the combined organization.
Patients will be more easily connected to Sanford Health’s full range of integrated health care, including specialty and subspecialty care, clinical trials, veterans precision medicine and more.
Sanford Health will continue to partner with local independent physician groups to ensure the full health care needs of the community are met for decades to come.
“As a mission-driven nonprofit health system, our sole purpose is to care for the local community, and every dollar we earn is reinvested back into patient care. We are committed to engaging with local stakeholders to ensure we’re meeting community needs today and well into the future,” said Bill Gassen, president and CEO of Sanford Health. “We look forward to establishing a more permanent presence in the region and continuing to work with others to expand comprehensive health care services to patients in western South Dakota, including Rapid City and the surrounding area.”
“We could not be more excited to welcome this extraordinary team of caregivers to Sanford Health and to growing longstanding partnerships with local independent physician groups to provide the best possible care for our patients when they need it,” added Gassen.
“We sought out a partner who shares our unwavering commitment to exceptional, high-quality care and a vision for bringing innovation and the most advanced medicine to those we serve,” said Lew Papendick, M.D., chair of Black Hills Surgical Hospital, LLP. “We’re inspired by Sanford Health’s commitment to being the premier rural health system in the United States and excited to help move that forward in western South Dakota and Wyoming on behalf of our patients.”
This partnership builds upon Sanford Health’s long history of providing care in the region, including specialty outreach, AirMed transport and other vital services for Rapid City and western South Dakota. Sanford Health also operates a specialty reference laboratory in Rapid City and has provided specialty outreach for families in the area for more than two decades. Outreach services include specialty pediatrics, reproductive endocrinology, fertility and genetic counseling and maternal fetal medicine. Sanford Health also provides long-term care to residents in the area through the Good Samaritan Society at St. Martin’s Campus, Home Health of the Black Hills, Echo Ridge Campus and New Underwood.
Black Hills Orthopedic and Spine Center has been western South Dakota’s premier physician-owned orthopedic practice for more than 50 years. Their team of orthopedic surgeons and doctors provide a full continuum of care and innovative technology to support their patients. Black Hills Surgical Hospital is also known for its dedication to delivering exceptional, nationally recognized care in a range of areas, including orthopedics, neurosurgery, rehabilitation, cardiology, pain management, sports medicine, occupational medicine, imaging and urgent care.
The combination is expected to close in the next week. A regional board of community leaders will be established to govern the operations and strategy of the Western SD/Wyoming region with Dr. Papendick, a longtime physician and community leader serving as chair. Kyle Wiese will serve as regional president and CEO, and local physician leaders will represent the Western SD/Wyoming market within the Sanford Health organization.
