YATES CENTER — Out of the ashes, a new Yates Center Health and Rehab facility is taking shape.
Mission Health executives, former employees, Yates Center council members, and community supporters gathered Tuesday morning for an official groundbreaking ceremony. The mood was jubilant — a testament to belief, resilience, and devotion.
“I’ve always said that Yates Center Health and Rehab is more than just a facility,” administrator NiCole Splechter said to those gathered. “We’re family.”
The charred forest immediately south of the construction site provided a dramatic background.
Almost a year ago, a wildfire destroyed the facility on March 14, 2025. The blaze moved quickly, fueled by ferocious southwest winds with gusts up to 70 mph.
The 38 residents living in the facility were safely evacuated to the Yates Center High School and later relocated to care centers across the region. At least 14 fire departments provided mutual aid responses to help fight the fire. Six emergency medical service departments and 12 law enforcement and emergency management groups also responded.
The South Owl Fire burned 130 acres and caused nearly $4.5 million in damages, including the nursing home. The Kansas State Fire Marshal’s office reported the blaze was most likely caused by embers from a brush and burn pile maintained by the city of Yates Center near South Owl Lake Campground, though the report did not assign fault or indicate wrongdoing.
Last May, Mission Health announced plans to build a new facility. Tuesday morning, CEO Stuart Lindeman noted the company was making good on its promise. Work has already begun, with electrical and plumbing crews on site.
“We’re here for a groundbreaking, although we’ve already broken ground, as you can see. And about a year from now, we’ll be back here for a new event — a ribbon cutting ceremony,” said Lindeman.
The new facility will be about twice the size of the former one, said Adrian Monroe, Mission Health’s Vice President of Business Development.
The bigger footprint won’t substantially increase the number of beds, clarified Splechter. The old facility, built in 1966, had space for 40 residents; the new building will have capacity for 45. The larger design will allow for more spacious private rooms, with many featuring their own shower. An enlarged therapy room is also part of the design.
MISSION HEALTH is based in Tampa, Fla. It operates 43 senior living and skilled rehabilitation facilities across the central and southeast United States. Twenty-nine of the company’s facilities are in Kansas.
Mission Health did not own the land or the previous facility, and that will remain the case with the new building, said Regional Vice President Nikki Jacobs, a former Yates Center administrator.
The property is currently registered under ownership of Omega Healthcare Investors, a real estate investment trust based in Maryland that invests in skilled nursing and assisted living facilities. The company, listed on the New York Stock Exchange, has a market value of around $14 billion.
For many gathered Tuesday morning, the rebuild seemed personal. Several executives addressed the crowd and emphasized their commitment to both Yates Center and their former colleagues.
Regional Vice President Alicia Weide thanked Mission Health “for believing in rural healthcare,” while Director of Nursing Meghan Douglas said she “cannot wait” to be back in the new facility. Dozens of former employees were on hand, cheering at several points. Their eagerness to return to work was almost palpable.
