Piedmont, Encompass Health break ground on new rehabilitation hospital in Columbus
Piedmont and Encompass Health held a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday for a future inpatient rehabilitation hospital on Veterans Parkway.
The new hospital is part of an expansion of the partnership between Encompass Health and Piedmont. The facility will be located at 8321 Veterans Parkway and will hold 40 beds.
Officials say the hospital will begin serving patients next summer. Kendra Sermarini, who will be the future hospital’s CEO, said she is understands the opportunities the new hospital will present.
“I look forward to our team providing exceptional care to our future patients and building trust with their families,” Sermarini said.
The hospital will provide essential rehabilitative services to help patients recovering from strokes, brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, amputations and complex orthopedic conditions.
“A customized care plan and intensive rehabilitation services will have patients meet their goals and get them walking again, talking again, caring for themselves again and get them back to the great activities here in the Columbus area,” Brad Kennedy, the south central regional president of Encompass Health, said.
Patients in the hospital will receive at least three hours of intensive therapy five days a week, frequent physician visits and 24-hour nursing care. Along with the 40 private patient rooms, the hospital will have a therapy gym with advanced technologies, a therapy courtyard, dining room, in-house pharmacy and dayroom areas.
The groundbreaking ceremony was the result of years of work, Piedmont Columbus Regional CEO Scott Hill said. In 2009, when Columbus Regional acquired the Hughston Orthopedic Hospital and Rehabilitation Center, Hill said, it began a long-term conversation about aligning in-patient rehabilitation resources on both sides of the Chattahoochee Valley river.
When Columbus Regional joined with Piedmont, he said, the partnership was something Piedmont wanted to do across their health care system.
“You see the sign behind me with both Piedmont and Encompass’ names on it,” Hill said. “It’s not just local anymore.”
The new in-patient rehabilitation hospital will be the fourth in the joint venture partnership, with other hospitals located in Newnan, Stockbridge and Phenix City. Another location is planned for the Piedmont Atlanta Hospital.
Access to quality healthcare has taken on a new sense of urgency in the last several years, Columbus Mayor Skip Henderson said, thanking Piedmont for their work during the pandemic. He is excited for the people that the new hospital will serve, Henderson said, adding that it will be a game changer for the community.
“We look forward to the ribbon cutting in one year,” he said.
This story was originally published May 20, 2022 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Piedmont, Encompass Health break ground on new rehabilitation hospital in Columbus."
