The Redwood Valley Drum Line performed as the last I-beam was lifted into place for the new Carris Health – Redwood facility Thursday afternoon.

As of last Thursday, the new Carris Health – Redwood hospital and clinic being constructed on the south side of Redwood Falls has 1.3 miles of PVC pipe and six miles of electrical conduit already installed.
And they haven’t even installed any of the medical equipment yet.

On Thursday, Carris Health Redwood had a bit of a celebration as the last major I-beam was lifted into place by a crane. During the ceremony, administrator Bryan Lydick said that with all the turmoil going on with rural health care these days, it’s a sign of hope that someone is investing in the Redwood area:

Dr. Joshua Friese was one of the spectators who got to tour inside the hospital-in-progress.

According to Communications Manager Katherine Brozek, there will be approximately 100 workers on-site when construction hits its high point. David Larson, Vice-President of Facilities for CentraCare Health, said he was pleased with the number of local firms contributing to building the new facility:

In the radiology section, the special concrete pad for the MRI machine was being set into place.

In addition to the hospital itself, Carris Health is making sizable investment into Redwood’s growth in other ways. Lydick said:

Larson said that although CentraCare has some basic ideas it applies to all its hospitals, they’ve had to tweak this hospital for a better fit with this community’s needs:

Lydick also confirmed this past week that the new Carris Health ambulance system will operate out of the current North Ambulance building, and that the current Carris Health clinic building will be repurposed into off-site business offices for the new hospital and clinic.

In the clinic area of the facility, interior walls for the consulting rooms were being set up this past week.

In addition, Carris Health is currently intending to set aside space in the new facility for a Western Mental Health office, under a long-term lease agreement.

The new Carris Health Redwood hospital and clinic is currently expected to open for patients in the spring of 2021.