Hospital, rehab giant plan $35 million facility in region

Tampa General Hospital and Kindred Healthcare LLC have broken ground on a new 59-bed, inpatient rehabilitation center, which the joint venture partners say will meet a growing need in the Tampa Bay area.

Located on Kennedy Boulevard in Tampa between Oregon and Willow avenues, the duo say the new $35 million facility also will further establish downtown Tampa as a medical district, one that could attract top scientists, physicians and researchers and “transform the area into a center for healthcare innovation.”

Kindred, a Lexington, Ky.-based company that generated $2.7 billion in revenue in the 12 months ended in September, will manage the day-to-day operations of the new 80,000-square-foot center. Tampa General, in turn, will provide medical support including imaging, laboratory and surgical procedures, according to a statement. 

The new hospital is slated to employ roughly 140 caregivers and other staff.

Tampa General and Kindred anticipate the new facility, which was announced last May, will open in February of next year.

“Breaking ground on Kindred’s first freestanding inpatient rehabilitation hospital in Florida is a great way to begin 2021,” says Kindred Rehabilitation Services President Russ Bailey, in a statement. “Working together with Tampa General, we can bring a dedicated intensive rehabilitation facility to the Tampa Bay region that will help patients achieve their best possible recovery.”

The new hospital is expected to care for adult patients recovering from strokes, brain and spinal cord injuries and neurological diseases.

In addition to a secure brain injury unit with private dining and a therapy gym, the facility will feature all private apartments for patients to allow them to heal in a “personalized and private environment as they prepare to return to independent living.”

Demand for rehabilitation services is expected to spike as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, as many adults need therapy for ventilator recovery and rebuilding strength and function, says John Couris, Tampa General’s president and CEO, in a statement.

It is estimated that some 700,000 Americans will require some form of inpatient rehabilitation in the wake of surviving the pandemic’s deadly respiratory disease.

Tampa General currently operates its own inpatient rehabilitation facility accredited by the Commission on Rehabilitation Facilities. Clinical teams there are expected to relocate to the new facility upon its completion, although pediatric and outpatient rehabilitation will continue to be offered at alternative sites.

“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,” Couris says, in a statement.

Tampa General is a 1,006-bed, nonprofit academic medical center that ranks among the top hospitals in the U.S. among several specialties. Kindred operates 327 healthcare facilities in 35 states.