SPRINGFIELD — PeaceHealth is broadening its reach, joining with Lifepoint Health to build and operate a new inpatient rehabilitation facility in Springfield.
For Alicia Beymer, chief administrative officer for both the Springfield and Cottage Grove PeaceHealth operations, identifying community needs was easy – but addressing it came with challenges.
“We’re continually evaluating our services,” she said. “Even today, we have patients that we’re trying to bring into the unit, and we’re at capacity. We know that, with a traumatic brain injury, if (patients) need that level of care, they’re going out of the area. This is a great opportunity for them to stay close to home.”
The new inpatient rehab facility will feature a 12-bed brain injury unit – a first for the area – located on the PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend Annex campus in Springfield.
The rehabilitation facility will provide intensive nursing, physical, occupational, and speech pathology services for adults recovering from conditions like stroke, neurological disease, brain or spinal cord injury, and other debilitating illnesses or injuries.
“What I’ve heard loud and clear from our caregivers is that this is truly a gift for our community,” Beymer said. “It has always been a big need for us to be able to provide support to our patients who have traumatic brain injuries, so they can stay here and get the therapy they need.”
With a total of 50 private rooms, the 67,000-square-foot facility will nearly double the patient capacity of the existing PeaceHealth acute rehabilitation unit.
Beymer said the new center will allow PeaceHealth to increase access to inpatient rehabilitation services in the region. Lifepoint Rehabilitation will manage the day-to-day operations of the facility.
“We look forward to providing both an enhanced level of care and an increased access to care for rehabilitation patients throughout the region,” said Todd Salnas, chief executive of the PeaceHealth Oregon network.
Pending OHA regulatory approvals, construction for the new inpatient rehabilitation facility is expected to begin in the spring of 2025 with an expected opening in 2026.
David Stark, vice president of operations for Lifepoint Rehabilitation, said, “Our patients are at the center of the work we do, and we look forward to continuing our work alongside PeaceHealth as we advance our mission of making communities healthier.”