Kelli Dyck, right, and Sandy Sattler, left, work at the reception desk at the new Heart of America Medical Center. Their new space is a huge improvement from the old hospital in Rugby.

Hospital employees, movers, engineers, technicians and administration staff fought the ferocious North Dakota winds on Monday to move equipment and supplies from the old hospital into the new Heart of America Medical Center in Rugby.

The old hospital was placed where and when it was needed, but ended up needing to grow along with the town into a new facility.

Renderings of how the now empty building used to look adorn the walls and the building bears some but not great semblance to its old self. The old Rugby hospital was near the center of the town and took up about a city block, with some parking and a garden patio outside.

The new facility has more space within to grow, along with the land surrounding the building to grow if needed in the future. It has the capability to house those who need it in a nursing facility on-site, with a clinic available a couple minutes walk from occupants’ doors. There is ample parking, a helipad and even a view of rural North Dakota and part of Rugby from the windows on the single floor building.

The new facility is a 25-bed critical care facility, according to Lauren McClintock, a member of the Human Resources Department. McClintock said the space is easier to get around for patients because there is more space, more room in the bedrooms and the facility is a single floor.

When speaking about the layout of the new facility she said “It has a modern, fresh look and we’re one floor so the spaces for patients are a lot easier to get to. It’s something we’re very, very excited about!”

Sandy Sattler, one of two front desk receptionists who were working on Monday, said she is the most excited about the new medical center being a single level, noting “the ease of getting around for the elderly.” She pointed out the layout is easy to navigate for those with handicaps. Someone else said the new layout reminds them of a shopping mall, with each department having its own storefront along a central aisle.

According to McClintock, things went quite smoothly so far with the move and a month or two will be needed to get comfortable and learn where everything is in the new space.

The idea for a hospital came to life in 1904, according to hospital records, which show the original building had been modified repeatedly.

The new facility was made possible in part by a $55 million dollar federal grant to support rural infrastructure in the U.S.