A castle of a children's hospital

There aren’t too many castles in South Dakota. A new one in Sioux Falls contains not dragons and princesses but doctors and nurses.

The Sanford USD Medical Center has finished construction on its freestanding children’s hospital, designed to resemble a fairy-tale castle. The 146-bed facility comes complete with minarets, colorful flags flying from pointed rooftops, and a “royal balcony.”

Inside is room for over 60 pediatricians, over 40 pediatric specialists, and over 150 family medical physicians. It will contain the area’s only Level III NICU, suites for faimiles to reside in, and 38 exam rooms for a specialty clinic, including dedicated space for pediatric oncology patients.

There are 76 general pediatric beds, 58 NICU beds, and 12 PICU beds. An on-site laboratory, pharmacy, x-ray, nutrition, and rehab centers helps the Midwest facility offer a range of services usually not found outside Chicago or Minneapolis.

Sanford Children's Hospital will house over 350 pediatric staff members. The hospital is still weighing with what it fill its now-empty pediatric wing in its Medical Center.