WAGNER — When a November 2022 fire devastated the Wagner nursing home, its residents were evacuated to the National Guard Armory — next to an Election Day polling place.
The fire occurred about 11 a.m., causing extensive smoke and water damage. All nursing home residents were safely evacuated, and no one was injured in the blaze. The displaced residents, many of them elderly, were housed in area nursing homes and other temporary shelters.
But the question remained: Would Sanford Health and the Good Samaritan Society re-open the facility in the community of 1,600 residents, given the extensive damage and restoration costs — particularly at a time of increasing nursing home closures in South Dakota?
The answer was yes, launching a long journey. After more than three years, the nursing home re-opened last January and currently has 64 staff members and 27 residents.
“We are proud and honored to bring these essential health care services back to serve the Wagner community and region,” said Katie Davis, Good Samaritan vice president of operations.
The Press & Dakotan asked for the dollar amount spent on the re-opening as well as the payroll and other economic impact. Good Samaritan didn’t provide those figures, but Davis acknowledged the project was a significant financial undertaking.
“It is a multi-million-dollar investment in Wagner,” she said. “Good Samaritan Society-Wagner has reopened with significant enhancements made to strengthen the resident, family and employee experience.”
• A new kitchen and dining area;
• Upgraded flooring, lighting and TVs in resident rooms;
• Larger, fully renovated bathrooms in all resident suites;
• A refreshed central bathing suite in one wing;
• A remodeled and relocated nurses’ station;
• Updated lounge and chapel spaces.
The current 27 residents may represent more of a soft opening, as Davis noted the ability to fill more beds in the future. The current census allows for an easier transition for both staff and residents.
“We have additional capacity and are moving residents to Good Samaritan Society-Wagner gradually,” she said. “Our top priority is ensuring a safe, smooth process while aligning our services and staffing to best meet the needs of those we serve.”
Keeping the Wagner site open took many factors into account, Davis said.
“Our decision to reopen Good Samaritan Society-Wagner was made after careful consideration,” she said. “Restoring skilled nursing services in Wagner strengthens health care offerings in the community and expands access to care close to home for the region, including members of the Yankton (Sioux Tribe).”
The nursing home provides an important service for the tribe, whose local members reside in southern Charles Mix County, Davis added.
“Good Samaritan Society-Wagner is one of only two nursing homes located within the 685 square miles of the reservation,” she said. “Its location within the community of Wagner, which is home to the tribal headquarters, ensures it plays a vital role in supporting centralized services for tribal members.”
From the outset, Wagner residents wanted to see the nursing home re-open, according to Debbra Houseman, the Wagner city administrator and finance officer.
“The facility has an important, long history in Wagner,” she said. “It was important to the community that the facility stay in operation so there was some place for the elderly to go, so they could stay close to their loved ones.”
However, Wagner leaders knew they could not just sit back when it came to the facility’s future, Houseman said.
“Some very key people in the community were in constant contact with Good Samaritan and were working on an agreement to keep it open,” she said. “They were making the calls and doing the things that were needed to get the nursing home back up and running.
The nursing home provides not only health care but also jobs and other benefits, Houseman said.
“As for the community, it’s a huge thing on the economic side in term of the number of jobs that it brings,” she said. “We’re happy to see it in operation.”
At this time, Good Samaritan isn’t planning changes for other facilities for the Yankton region, Davis said. “But we are continually evaluating how we can better meet the needs of those we serve,” she said.
Re-opening the Wagner facility adds to services already available the community, Davis said.
“With more than 70% of the residents we serve living in rural communities like Wagner, we have a strong commitment to rural health care, and we are investing in solutions that help protect access to care,” she said.
While the Wagner nursing home has re-opened, the Corsica nursing home was closed and now stands vacant. Good Samaritan officials said the Corsica facility could not attract and maintain an adequate workforce needed to meet resident needs.
The Corsica closure was timed with the re-opening of the Wagner facility, Good Samaritan officials said. The Wagner nursing home was originally scheduled for re-opening last fall, but meeting additional needs pushed the re-opening to January.
“Good Samaritan Society-Corsica is closed. All residents have transitioned to nearby nursing homes, with the majority choosing to continue receiving care at Good Samaritan Society-Wagner,” Davis said.
“Many team members from Corsica have continued their employment with Good Samaritan in Wagner, so residents who moved from Corsica are being served by caregivers who they are well familiar with.”
With the Corsica facility’s closure, Douglas County no longer has a nursing home.
“Good Samaritan has been in active, ongoing conversations with community leaders in Corsica about the future of the property, with a shared focus on supporting local needs and long-term sustainability,” Davis said.
She discounted one belief among the public.
“There is no non-compete clause attached to the Corsica building,” she said. “Our discussions with interested parties have included exploring their interest in operating the building as a nursing home or other health care service. These conversations have been constructive and remain ongoing.”
The ongoing talks have proven positive and productive, according to Luke Bamberg with the Corsica Development Corporation (CDC). The organization set up a task force to meet with Good Samaritan officials and seek ideas for the now-vacant building.
Bamberg agreed that the face-to-face meetings and other contacts with Good Samaritan officials have gone well and have produced positive results.
Bamberg acknowledged that Corsica residents felt a mixture of emotions and held many questions upon learning of the nursing home’s closure.
The CDC took an active response, quickly forming its task force to meet with Good Samaritan officials and to collect information and alternatives, Bamberg said. The emphasis was on a positive approach, he added.
Sanford and Good Samaritan officials have been honest and forthright in those meetings, Bamberg said. The health organizations have answered questions and helped local residents understand the workforce shortage and other factors that were part of the business decision, he added.
“We have been back and forth with in-person meetings with these folks and keeping an open dialogue,” he said. “It’s been a good thing for us.”
Corsica still maintains a medical clinic, pharmacy, assisted-living facility and other health care offerings, Bamberg said. But the loss of the nursing home has affected not only the community but the surrounding region, he said.
“When Armour closed, it left Douglas County without a nursing home,” he said. “It wasn’t just Corsica. The facility also serves surrounding towns such as Stickney, New Holland, Harrison, Armour, Tripp, Delmont, Geddes and the whole surrounding area.”
Bamberg doesn’t see Corsica or any other town starting up a nursing home on its own.
“Building a new facility is not feasible for a small community, with the dollars and amount of fundraising needed. That was not really ever an option,” he said.
Bamberg pointed to neighboring Armour as an example of looking creatively at alternative uses for a closed nursing home.
“The Armour nursing home has become partly apartments and partly daycare,” he said. “They are using the building for something to benefit needs in the community.”
Corsica has enjoyed two years of progressive growth, and nobody wants to see vacant buildings, including the nursing home, Bamberg said.
“We’re proactively working for these things,” he said. “If you’re not growing, you’re dying, and that mentality is part of our business plan. You either adapt or you die.”
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