Baptist Health South Florida has started construction on its new rehabilitation hospital in South Miami, US.
This facility is being established under Baptist Health's joint venture with Lifepoint Rehabilitation, a Lifepoint Health business unit that is known for its network of inpatient rehabilitation facilities.
Expected to last approximately two years, the construction of Baptist Health Rehabilitation Hospital is taking place on currently vacant land near Sunset Drive and SW 62 Avenue.
The three-storey, freestanding hospital is slated to open in 2026.
It will house 62 private inpatient rooms, with the option to expand by another 30 rooms.
Designed to support patients in their recovery, the hospital will feature therapy gymnasiums equipped with various therapeutic technologies such as therapy bionics, augmented reality balance training, and a full body exoskeleton.
In addition to the indoor facilities, the hospital will feature a therapeutic courtyard and outdoor spaces.
It will cater to individuals recovering from brain or spinal cord injuries and provide services for select oncology, cardiac, orthopaedic, as well as stroke patients.
The plan also includes a three-storey parking garage with 179 spaces.
Robins & Morton is the general contractor for the project, with ESa appointed as the architect.
Baptist Health Miami Neuroscience Institute Pain and Rehabilitative Medicine Kalman Bass Endowed chair and Nonsurgical Spine Care and Rehabilitation chair Ronald Tolchin said: “Our partnership with Lifepoint Rehabilitation underscores our dedication to expanding healthcare services and improving outcomes for patients.
“This new rehabilitation hospital will enhance our ability to provide comprehensive care as part of a continuum to treat individuals recovering from complex injuries or illnesses.”
Baptist Health has a history of more than five decades in providing inpatient rehabilitation services.
Miami-Dade County's acute inpatient rehab services are currently centralised at Baptist Health Homestead Hospital, which features 23 private rooms.
The Cornell Institute for Rehabilitative Medicine at Baptist Health Bethesda Hospital East in Palm Beach County also offers inpatient rehab services.
Dr Tolchin added: “Our facilities are designed to enhance the overall therapeutic process with patient-centred, inviting and healing environments that allow for privacy as well as communal activity. Centralisation of services creates connectivity between clinicians, alignment of goals and teamwork to promote the best possible outcomes.”
