Wednesday, Mar. 4, was a big day at the Mountrail Bethel Home in Stanley as the new nursing home was opened to the public for the first time with a dedication and open house in the afternoon.
The day began earlier for the residents of Mountrail Bethel Home as they got their first look at what will be their new home in the morning. Residents were able to participate in a ribbon cutting ceremony that included a prayer of dedication with activities director Chuck Repnow.
Following the ribbon cutting, they were able to tour the new facility and find their new rooms. Faces lit up as they were given their tours of all of the new spaces before going back to the older wings of the nursing home for now. Residents were expected to begin moving into their new rooms on Monday, Mar. 9.
The new rooms are larger and more modern. There is a new family room for private events and a new outdoor patio with fire pits and grill. The facility also added a new beauty and nail salon for residents.
The dedication ceremony was one of thanks, opening with Administrator Steph Everett welcoming everyone to this new nursing home which has been decades in the making. She thanked board members who have made this positive decision over the years and construction company McGough for their beautiful work. She said the generosity of donors, including the Mountrail County Commissioners, have made this possible. She also thanked the staff for their “all hands on deck” work to get ready for this day. She looks forward to the amazing resident and patient care that will come from the entire project.
Dr. Mark Longmuir said this is a new chapter in the lives of the residents. It is a celebration of the commitment of all in the community. He thanked family members for trusting the facility to care for their loved ones.
While this is a new journey for all, the new facility is the representation of decades of planning and a shared belief that everyone deserves the very best.
He thanked all those who have put in so much time and effort getting to this point, including McGough and their contractors, CEO Steph Everett for her work put into the planning and details, Jim Clark for the decades of work preparing for this project, and the maintenance staff and housekeeping staff for the work preparing for this day.
To the residents, he said this opens a new chapter of joy, peace and love, ending with “welcome home”.
Board member Heath Hetzel said that projects like this take change. The community will continue to see that change when the north and south wings of the old nursing home begin coming down.
He also pointed to the chapel at Bethel Home, which is amazing. When the north wing comes down, that chapel and its beauty will become a focal point.
He also expressed how excited they are to have a new home for the residents and gave all glory to God for the process.
Current MBH board chairman Ryan Gjellstad gave his thanks to all of the staff and commended them for the work to take care of everything, saying he has all the confidence in the world in the future of the facility.
Former board president Bob Grant said that over twenty years ago, while he was on the board, they discussed what they could do to help the residents but they faced the space struggles. They looked at whether they should remodel, fix or build again, all the while wondering what it would take.
Looking at the way the facility is now a campus with the nursing home, hospital, clinic and assisted living, he commends those that followed after them for following through. He, too, looks forward to seeing the chapel as a front focal point for the facility. He ended by saying that he is proud of all they have done, building for the future and adapting to the changes.
Former board president George Olson remembered the time in the 1950s when the homes in rural communities were filled with older, retired people. They were faced with the challenge of what to do to help them. It was these people who formed the committee and created MBH and he is thankful for that. He said this new facility is a place where people can come and be blessed again. He expressed his gratitude to the community, the generations before us, and those to come.
Pastor Erin Tormanen reflected on the official groundbreaking on July 17, 2024, with the goal of MBH to create an environment that works to satisfy the physical, emotional and spiritual needs for the residents and their families.
While the physical facility is now here, it is more than a building. It takes love, personal and intimate care for those residents. The command to love and take care of our neighbors is woven through God’s creation and scripture. He offered praise to God for all of the efforts to bring forth this facility, making it a glorious reality to serve those precious and beautiful souls that will come in and fill the rooms. He ended with a prayer of dedication for this new facility.
Following the official ceremonies, those attending were treated to an amazing charcuterie spread that filled the nurses’ station. Those attending were also allowed to tour the facility, checking out all of the amazing new spaces and rooms.
Groundbreaking on the new nursing home was held on July 17, 2024. This first phase of construction is the new 36 bed nursing home, including ten basic care rooms. This is the same number of beds as the former nursing home.
With that work now complete, construction will move to the hospital renovations. Those will start with the removal of the old nursing home wings to create a new entrance and parking area. The public is invited to join the facility again as they host a farewell to the original Mountrail Bethel Home on Wednesday, Mar. 11 at 12:00 noon. This will be a time for families to return, remember and give thanks. It will be one last visit to the original nursing home before it is taken down, including a prayer of blessing and opportunity to visit loved ones’ rooms.
There will be a gift shop and a new waiting room. Construction down the current south wing of the nursing home will include adding an out-patient infusion suite, pharmacy suite and an MRI suite.
Purchasing will be moving from the basement to the upper level. The downstairs area will be renovated to accommodate a new specialty clinic that will allow the facility to bring in more specialists. It will also include a minor procedure room.
The final phase of construction will be adding seven new apartments to Rosen Place. The assisted living facility currently always has an extensive waiting list, showing the need for the new apartments. These will all be single apartments based on the footprint space available.
The entire project cost is estimated at $47 million, with $29 million of that for the new nursing home. The Mountrail County Commissioners committed $25 million over two years for the nursing home portion of the project. Other donors and fundraising efforts have left the entire project with $5 million left to raise. The Foundation continues to accept donations from the public including the ability to donate on their website: www.mountrailcountyhealthfoundation.org/how-you-canhelp.
The hallways already show the beginning of the work to take down the north and south wings of the old nursing home. It was quiet in the gathering space, a place that was used by residents for many of their activities throughout the day.
