RAPID CITY, S.D. – On the same day that Monument Health officially broke ground for the Cancer Care Institute expansion at Rapid City Hospital, the Monument Health Foundation announced that it has surpassed its $8.5 million fundraising goal for the institute’s “Together We Can” campaign.
In January the foundation committed $6.5 million in previously raised funds for the campaign. The remaining $2 million was to come from community donations. More than 1,100 donors helped the foundation surpass that goal, said Robin Zebroski, Vice President of Foundation and Brand Strategy. She made the announcement during Thursday’s groundbreaking ceremony.
“It’s been so heartwarming to see our community come together and recognize the impact this expansion project will have. Thank you all for helping make this vision a reality,” she said. “Every gift makes a difference – contributions big and small have come from patients and caregivers; businesses and foundations. Thank you to every single person who opened their hearts and offered dollars to make our dream a reality.”
The two largest donations were from the Dakota Charitable Foundation, founded by the late Ray Hillenbrand with his daughters, and the Monument Health Rapid City Hospital Auxiliary.
The fundraising campaign is a key part of the $36 million project to create a two-story, 70,000-square-foot Cancer Care Institute at the east end of the Rapid City Hospital campus. Work is already underway, and the project is expected to be completed in the summer of 2023.
“This project is about making sure cancer care is available close to home for thousands of patients each year,” said Paulette Davidson, President and CEO of Monument Health. “A cancer diagnosis upends a person’s life like few other things can. I am so proud to know that we are building a place that will allow us to care for more patients here in our local community.”
The expanded Cancer Care Institute will offer ample clinic space and a full range of cancer care services. The new second-floor infusion area will have private, roomy infusion bays separated by walls, not curtains. Large, well-equipped consultation rooms and conference areas will allow a variety of specialists to collaborate on the patient’s treatment options.
The institute currently serves 40,000 patients a year. They come from South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, Montana and Wyoming, as well as the Pine Ridge, Cheyenne River and Rosebud reservations. On an average day, 160 cancer patients pass through the institute’s doors.
