A joint venture formed by the Wellmont Health System and the HealthSouth Corporation has been awarded a certificate of public need to open a new inpatient rehabilitation hospital in Bristol, Va.
Called The Rehabilitation Hospital of Southwest Virginia, the 25-bed hospital will be owned by the Wellmont/HealthSouth joint venture and managed by HealthSouth, the largest provider of inpatient rehabilitative healthcare services in the United States. It represents a $4.5 million investment in the community.
Construction will begin in the first quarter of 2010. Once fully operational in the summer of 2010, the hospital is expected to generate approximately 50 new jobs.
"This partnership will ensure that patients have a seamless continuum of care," said Bart Hove, president of Bristol Regional Medical Center. "We're grateful to the Virginia Department of Health for recognizing this community need and granting us the approval to meet that need."
Inpatient rehabilitation hospitals serve patients who are recovering from a wide range of injuries and illnesses, such as stroke, brain and spinal cord injuries, orthopedic, cardiac and pulmonary conditions and amputations.
"This partnership combines the experience and specialized care found at HealthSouth rehabilitation hospitals with the exceptional reputation of Bristol Regional and the other Wellmont hospitals," said Terry Maxhimer, president of HealthSouth's mid-Atlantic region. "We hope to be the post-acute care provider of choice for this community."
Bristol Regional Medical Center serves as the hub of the Appalachian Regional Stroke Center Network, providing advanced stroke care for patients referred from community hospitals across southwest Virginia and northeast Tennessee.
Maxhimer said the Rehabilitation Hospital of Southwest Virginia intends to maintain a close clinical affiliation with Bristol Regional Medical Center.
Wellmont Health System is a provider of healthcare services for northeast Tennessee and southwest Virginia. HealthSouth is the nation's largest provider of inpatient rehabilitative healthcare services, with a network of inpatient rehabilitation hospitals, long-term acute care hospitals, outpatient rehabilitation satellites and home health agencies.