COLBY, KS — Citizens Health, a health care provider serving rural northwest Kansas, has completed construction of a new medical center replacement hospital in Colby, Kansas, significantly expanding access to care for patients across the nine-county region. McCarthy Building Companies served as construction manager for the project, working with HFG Architects as the design architect to deliver the facility on a fast-track schedule through a design-assist approach that enabled early collaboration and long-term operational sustainability.
Located adjacent to the existing facility, the modern campus consolidates Citizens Medical Center’s services into a single, patient-centered location with capacity to grow alongside the region’s needs. The approximately 171,000-square-foot, single-story, 25-bed hospital represents a $105 million investment in rural health care infrastructure and serves as the only hospital between Hays, Kansas, and Denver, Colorado, providing comprehensive family care. Supporting 42 medical specialists, the hospital plays a vital role in meeting the health care needs of the region.
The facility includes a full-service emergency department, inpatient beds, a surgery department with an orthopedic focus featuring four operating rooms and multiple procedure rooms, a clinic for 30 physicians, and comprehensive support services including dietary, laboratory, radiology, physical therapy, and oncology.
The facility is among the nation’s largest hospitals funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Critical Access Hospital program.
Additional trade partners and design professionals included Farris Engineering, BHC Engineering, Apex Engineering, Rand Mechanical, Bart’s Electric, Midwest Drywall, Hi-Plain Doors, Dunlap Concrete, and Pryor Fire Sprinkler. Mass grading was completed by Sporer Land Development.
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“This facility may be small in size compared to urban medical centers, but its mission and impact are enormous,” said Jenny Niblock, COO of Citizens Health. “Our community now has access to modern, reliable health care close to home, and this hospital was designed to deliver exactly that.”
McCarthy’s self-perform building controls team was engaged during the design development phase, working in close partnership with Farris Engineering to deliver a Niagara-based building automation system tailored specifically to the hospital’s needs. This early collaboration ensured the integration of systems supporting patient care, staff workflows, and long-term operational performance from day one.
“Citizen’s goal was to deliver a hospital that performs like a much larger medical center while remaining right-sized for the community it serves,” said Joe Lewandowski, Vice President, Kansas City for McCarthy Building Companies. “That meant bringing the same level of technical rigor, coordination, and accountability we bring to major nationwide health care projects to Colby. It was an honor to be on the team delivering this project to Citizens and the communities they serve.”
