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VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – One of the largest long term care facilities in North Dakota will be celebrating 85 Years of service in Valley City.
SMP Health St. Raphael CEO Maren Gemar is inviting the community to help them celebrate their 85th Anniversary on Wednesday, August 7th from 4pm to 7pm at their facility in Valley City.
Gemar provided this time-line history of the facility over the last 85 years.
1938-Lutheran Hospital and Home Society acquired the county poor farm built by Barnes County. We started with 37 beds and had on average 25 people receiving care.
1952-Sheyenne Hospital Association and Lutheran Hospital and Homes agreed to join together to build a 60 bed hospital. Oh March 7 1955 Sheyenne Memorial Hospital for the Chronically ill 1962-Sheyenne Manor, Home for the Aged was built to the north of the hospital and was connected by an enclosed walkway. This was built to replace the housing for seniors located on the site where the Eagles Aries Club is today.
1969-After 14 years of serving as Sheyenne Memorial Hospital for the Chronically Ill, and agreement between Mercy Hospital was reached that Mercy Hospital would provide acute care services and Sheyenne Manor would provide skilled nursing care and intermediate care services.
1989-Completed the construction and remodel of the multi story building.
1999-Opened up the only Geri-psych unit in the State of North Dakota in conjunction with North Dakota State Hospital.
2002-Sheyenne Care Center became part of the Sisters of Mary of the Presentation Health System.
2006-Ground Breaking ceremony for the Circle of Life Cottage, Memory Care neighborhood located on the north side of the second and third neighborhood.
2018-Remodel and construction on north side including new Chapel and addition of more private rooms.
2021-name changed from Sheyenne Care Center to SMP Health-St. Raphael to align with the Catholic Mission.
Currently SMP Health St. Raphael has 245 employees and is licensed to care for 170 beds and cares for residents needing short term rehab, long term care, long term mental health care, and memory care.
Gemar said we are proud to have been an integral part of the community and region for over 85 years! So join us for our 85 anniversary celebration Wednesday, August 7th from 4pm to 7pm at our facility in Valley City. The full interview with Maren Gemar is below.