A groundbreaking ceremony was held Friday, March 8 for the West River Health Science Center. The $15 million center, located at the Black Hills State Campus in Rapid City, allows the SDSU College of Nursing to fully move to this site. This creates room for nursing skills labs, a simulation center, and nursing faculty offices. When open, the center anticipates the number of graduates will increase each semester from 72 to 120. This nearly doubles the region’s capacity to educate and train new Registered Nurses.
“Health care is our region’s fastest-growing sector. And Rapid City has something that nobody else has in the world, which is the Black Hills,” said Elevate Rapid City President & CEO, Tom Johnson. “This investment provides opportunity for people to get their education, find a career, and build their lives here, while also offering them the quality-of-life that is second to none.”
Monument Health contributed $2 million toward the project. In 2022 the South Dakota Legislature appropriated additional state funding. The center is a new addition to the current BHSU-Rapid City campus including renovation of the current facility.
“This facility will help make sure we serve a health care region of over 400,000 people,” said Jeff Partridge, vice president of South Dakota Board of Regents.
This will serve as the principal center for education pathways and employment resources in health care for Western South Dakota. This project is a collaborative effort between Black Hills State University (BHSU), South Dakota State University (SDSU), Monument Health, and the West River Area Health Education Center.
