Tampa General Hospital And Kindred Healthcare Break Ground On New Inpatient Rehabilitation Hospital

TAMPA, Fla., Jan. 18, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Tampa General Hospital and Kindred Healthcare, LLC today broke ground on a freestanding 59-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital in the medical district of downtown Tampa. Announced as a joint venture in May 2020, the new facility will help meet the growing needs of Tampa Bay, the region and the state for rehabilitation recovery and care.  

"Rehabilitation care plays an important role in the recovery of patients who have experienced debilitating illnesses and injuries," stated John Couris, president and CEO of Tampa General Hospital. "As part of our vision to be the safest and most innovative academic health system in America, we're proud to partner with Kindred to employ the latest innovation and technology to enhance access to these crucial services."

The new rehabilitation hospital is located on Kennedy Boulevard between Oregon Avenue and Willow Avenue and brings downtown Tampa one step further in the development of a fully realized medical district that will attract the best scientists and physicians to the region and transform the area into a center for healthcare innovation. The rehabilitation hospital is projected to be approximately 80,000 square feet and cost $35 million. Kindred will manage the day-to-day operations of the new hospital, which is projected to employ more than 140 caregivers and staff. Tampa General Hospital will provide medical support services, such as imaging, lab and surgical procedures. It is expected to officially open in February 2022.

Tampa General Hospital currently operates an inpatient rehab facility that is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF). Clinical teams will ultimately move to the new site, while Tampa General Hospital will continue to provide pediatric and outpatient rehabilitation at alternate sites.  

A small, physically distant groundbreaking ceremony was held on January 18, 2021. In attendance were John Couris, president and CEO, Tampa General, Russ Bailey, president, Kindred Rehabilitation Services, and Cleve Haralson, vice president of capital development for Kindred Healthcare.

"Breaking ground on Kindred's first freestanding inpatient rehabilitation hospital in Florida is a great way to start 2021," said Russ Bailey, president, Kindred Rehabilitation Services. "Working together with Tampa General, we can bring a dedicated intensive rehabilitative facility to the Tampa Bay region that will help patients achieve their best possible recovery."

The new inpatient rehabilitation hospital will care for adults recovering from conditions such as stroke, neurological disease, injury to the brain or spinal cord and other debilitating illnesses or injuries. The new facility will offer state-of-the-art technology and feature all private rooms. It will also have a secured brain injury unit with private dining and a therapy gym.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the need for inpatient rehabilitation services," noted Couris. "Some patients need specialized help with ventilator recovery and rebuilding their strength and function. While we hope that the pandemic is not a major consideration at the time of opening the new rehabilitation hospital, it's good for our region to know that we're here to help when needed."

Health Affairs Journal projects that 700,000 survivors of COVID-19-related hospitalization will require inpatient rehabilitative care. "We have the resources to help patients reduce disability and create the best opportunity for patients to achieve a full recovery," said Bailey. "Tampa General's long experience as a CARF-accredited rehabilitation hospital is an added benefit and will help establish our new facility as a strong resource for the community."

Transitional living apartments designed to simulate a residential apartment will enable patients to heal in a personalized and private environment as they prepare to return to independent living. Patients will also experience specially planned rooms to treat dialysis patients and programs dedicated to neurological conditions, stroke, brain injury and amputation recovery.

ABOUT TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL
Tampa General Hospital, a 1006-bed non-profit academic medical center, is one of the largest hospitals in America and delivers world-class care as the region's only center for Level l trauma and comprehensive burn care. Tampa General Hospital is the highest-ranked hospital in the market in U.S. News & World Report's 2020-21 Best Hospitals, and one of the top four hospitals in Florida, with five specialties ranking among the best programs in the United States. It is one of the nation's busiest adult solid organ transplant centers and is the primary teaching hospital for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. With five medical helicopters, Tampa General Hospital transports critically injured or ill patients from 23 surrounding counties to receive the advanced care they need. Tampa General houses a nationally accredited comprehensive stroke center and its 32-bed Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit is the largest on the West Coast of Florida. It also is home to the Jennifer Leigh Muma 82-bed Level IV neonatal intensive care unit, and a nationally accredited rehabilitation center. Tampa General Hospital's footprint includes 17 Tampa General Medical Group Primary Care offices, TGH Family Care Center Kennedy, TGH Brandon Healthplex, TGH Virtual Health and 19 outpatient Radiology Centers. Tampa Bay residents also receive world-class care from the TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track network of clinics, and they can even receive home visits in select areas through TGH Urgent Care at Home, powered by Fast Track.  As one of the largest hospitals in the country, Tampa General Hospital is first in Florida to partner with GE Healthcare and open a clinical command center that uses artificial intelligence and predictive analytics to improve and better coordinate patient care at a lower cost.  For more information, go to www.tgh.org.

ABOUT KINDRED HEALTHCARE
Kindred Healthcare, LLC is a healthcare services company based in Louisville, Kentucky with annual revenues of approximately $2.7 billion⁽¹⁾. At September 30, 2020, Kindred through its subsidiaries had approximately 23,900 employees providing healthcare services in 327 locations in 35 states, including 64 long-term acute care ("LTAC") hospitals, 22 inpatient rehabilitation hospitals, 10 sub-acute units, behavioral health services, and non-affiliated hospital-based rehabilitation services in 101 inpatient rehabilitation units and 130 LTAC hospitals, medical/surgical and outpatient therapy sites of service. Ranked as one of Fortune magazine's Most Admired Healthcare Companies for nine years, Kindred's mission is to help our patients reach their highest potential for health and healing with intensive medical and rehabilitative care through a compassionate patient experience. For more information, go to www.kindredhealthcare.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

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SOURCE Tampa General Hospital