McCarthy Completes Construction of New Critical Access Hospital Serving Rural Northwest Kansas

Citizens Health, the healthcare provider serving rural northwest Kansas, has completed construction of a new medical center replacement hospital in Colby, Kan., significantly expanding access to high-quality 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, efficient, 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 healthcare 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 healthcare 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. 

Notably, the facility is among the nation’s largest hospitals funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Critical Access Hospital program, underscoring a significant commitment to expanding access to high-quality care in rural communities. 

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. 

“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 healthcare close to home, and this hospital was designed to deliver exactly that.” 

Throughout the project, McCarthy committed the full depth of its healthcare expertise and resources to ensure the facility met the high expectations of patients, families and caregivers—despite the unique challenges often associated with constructing healthcare facilities in rural settings. 

As part of that commitment, 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 seamless integration of efficient, reliable and future-ready 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 healthcare projects to Colby. It was an honor to be on the team delivering this project to Citizens and the communities they serve.”  

The completed Citizens Medical Center Replacement Hospital reflects a shared commitment by Citizens Health, McCarthy and the project team to strengthening rural healthcare access and ensuring residents of northwest Kansas can receive high-quality care without traveling long distances. 

About McCarthy Building Companies 

McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. (McCarthy) is the oldest privately held national construction company in America. With more than 160 years spent collaborating with partners to solve complex building challenges on behalf of its clients, McCarthy is committed to delivering superior results and creating great experiences for everyone. McCarthy approaches every job with the mindset of a true builder. By self-performing critical scopes of work, McCarthy delivers accountability and consistency from start to finish. Through industry-leading design phase and construction techniques, combined with value-add technology, McCarthy drives smarter solutions and maximizes project outcomes.  

Repeatedly honored as a Best Place to Work and Healthiest Employer, McCarthy is ranked the 15th largest domestic builder (Engineering News-Record, May 2025). With over 8,000 salaried employees and craft professionals, the firm has offices in St. Louis; Atlanta; Collinsville, Ill.; Kansas City, Kan.; Omaha, Neb.; Phoenix; Chandler, Ariz.; Las Vegas; Denver; Austin, Channelview, Dallas, and Houston, Texas; and San Diego, Newport Beach, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose and Sacramento, Calif. McCarthy is 100 percent employee owned. More information about the company is available online at www.mccarthy.com or by following the company on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.