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Knoxville Business News Tennessee Mountain Scenery Background
February 15, 2023 | Shannon Smith

New, renovated inpatient rehabilitation hospitals open in Knoxville

A new, freestanding Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Hospital and a renovated existing location will offer state-of-the-art inpatient care to people across the East Tennessee region.

Fifty-one new beds and 22 renovated ones are almost ready for patients who need specialized care and recovery in the Knoxville area.

Covenant Health and Encompass Health officially cut the ribbon on the new Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Hospital West, located on the Fort Sanders West medical campus off Kingston Pike in West Knox County.

“When we started looking into new areas where there was a need for high-quality, hospital-based rehabilitation services, this location in Knoxville stood out. With a growing population, a robust healthcare network, and high demand for inpatient rehabilitation, this hospital was a perfect addition to this community,” said Abe Sims, President of Encompass Health’s MidAtlantic Region.

A private patient room at Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Hospital West.

The new 51-private-room, state-of-the-art facility will begin accepting patients in March. The existing Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center at Fort Sanders Regional near downtown Knoxville was also renovated to become a 22-private-bed hospital-in-hospital structure.

Both specialized hospital locations will provide inpatient rehabilitation services for patients recovering from stroke and other neurological disorders, hip fractures, brain injury, spinal cord injury, amputation, and complex orthopedic conditions.

Patients at both facilities will receive a minimum of three hours of therapy five days each week, 24-hour nursing care, access to advanced technologies, and frequent visits by a physical medicine and rehabilitation physician during their stay. The goal is to get patients home within 12 to 14 days.

The new west facility includes new technology that can assist in therapy, an outdoor therapy courtyard with different textured surfaces for people regaining mobility, and a room simulating a house where people can learn to readjust to normal household tasks.

Therapy equipment at Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Hospital West.

“Every detail of this hospital was created with our patients in mind,” said Jennifer Steely, Chief Executive Officer of both Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Hospital locations. “The one-story building design helps with the accessibility of getting patients to different treatment and non-treatment areas within the hospital, and our freestanding hospital allows for easier transfers from other facilities and more convenient access for families and visitors.”

The renovation of the existing Patricia Neal location and building of a new one are personal to many hospital and area leaders, who spoke at the west location’s ribbon cutting.

Larsen Jay, Knox County Commissioner and PYA’s Director of Business Alliances, was a patient at Patricia Neal 15 years ago after a serious fall off a ladder.

“I only had one working limb and it was unclear where I could go, much less where I should go,” said Jay. “I was lost. I was broken and hurting. But the team at Patricia Neal answered the call and welcomed me in. Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center is a place that saves lives every day.”

You can learn more about the centers’ services here.


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