Mercy leaders, along with local and state officials, celebrated the completion of Mercy Rehabilitation Hospital Fort Smith, a 50-bed facility that will provide care for adults recovering from stroke, neurological conditions, and more.
Leaders from Mercy, Kindred Healthcare, and the Arkansas Colleges of Health Education in Fort Smith, as well as Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, U.S. Sen. John Boozman, Attorney Gen. Leslie Rutledge, Fort Smith Mayor George McGill, and others, were on hand May 21 to dedicate the new hospital, which has been under construction at 6700 Chad Colley Blvd. in Fort Smith for about 14 months.
The new 62,570-square-foot facility is a joint venture between Mercy Fort Smith and Kindred Healthcare that sits on four acres of land donated by the Arkansas Colleges of Health Education (ACHE). The hospital will provide 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 first patients are expected to be seen June 1.
“Mercy is so very blessed to partner with Kindred Healthcare and the Arkansas Colleges of Health Education,” said Juli Stec, vice president of operations at Mercy Fort Smith. “These strategic partnerships provide access to quality, compassionate cost-effective rehabilitative care, while also supporting the educational advancement of future healthcare providers.”
Around 140 persons will be employed at the new hospital. The facility has a hard construction cost of about $28.5 million. Kindred Healthcare will manage day-to-day operations of the hospital, which is the fifth joint venture between Kindred and Mercy.
“I would say, healthcare could not be any better than it is in the River Valley, and we’re grateful for this new advancement in healthcare for all those who rely upon it,” Hutchinson said. “It’s exciting for me as governor to participate in this. We have all been through a lot over the last year. It’s nice to be coming out of it … and we’re going to continue down that path with everybody getting vaccinations, and Mercy has been a leader, both in terms of their service to COVID patients and guidance and the extraordinary, quality healthcare.”
Boozman thanked Mercy’s healthcare workers for their efforts during the pandemic, stating that “because of you all, we’ve gotten through this, are getting through this … again, we’re still not through this totally, but we are moving in the right direction.” Boozman added that he was encouraged to see the growth and development at Chaffee Crossing in Fort Smith, where the new rehabilitation hospital is located.
The hospital will feature all private rooms; a secured brain injury unit with private dining and therapy gym; large interdisciplinary gyms; transitional living apartment, designed to simulate a residential apartment; therapeutic courtyard with golf, pickle ball, and corn hole; specially designed rooms to treat dialysis patients; and specialty programs dedicated to neuro, stroke, brain injury, and amputation.
The rehabilitation hospital will serve as a teaching site for students in ACHE’s School of Occupational Therapy and School of Physical Therapy. Kyle D. Parker, JD, CEO of ACHE, said the rehabilitation hospital is a “perfect addition to the Arkansas Colleges of Health Education (ACHE) campus at Heritage.”
“This facility will support ACHE’s mission to improve the lives of others as a valuable health care resource for our community,” Parker said. “The hospital will be ready just in time for our first class of physical therapy students to begin June 1, 2021, followed by our first class of occupational therapy students in January 2022. We look forward to the exceptional training our students will receive at this outstanding rehabilitation facility located right on our campus.”