A South Dakota hospital is funding a new subdivision for its employees

A hospital in Hot Springs, South Dakota is investing in workforce housing for its employees, reports Bart Pfankuch for the Associated Press.

Fall River Health Services is spending $2.3 million on a $3.4-million subdivision that will create 48 new affordable homes near the hospital. "As of May 29, the hospital had 19 job openings, most of them in direct patient care, a shortage of 10% of its needed workforce of 190. In the past couple years, the hospital has lost dozens of prospective health care workers because they couldn’t find affordable or suitable local housing, said Jesse Naze, chief financial officer at Fall River Health."

Fall River Health is not the only South Dakota employer to invest in employee housing. "Wall Drug president Rick Hustead told News Watch in 2025 that he provides mobile homes and other housing for more than 100 seasonal employees who would otherwise have nowhere to live," and business operators in other towns have said they provide RVs for seasonal workers. However, Fall River is the first employer to invest in long-term, permanent housing.