HealthSouth, Memorial Health Team Up to Build Rehab Hospital

SAVANNAH, Ga. — HealthSouth Corporation and Memorial Health have agreed to build a new, 50-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital to be known as the Rehabilitation Hospital of Savannah. The health care organizations will initially oversee the operations at Memorial Health’s current 50-bed Rehabilitation Institute.

Expected to open in 2016, the new facility will be built on property located on Seawright Drive between Benedictine Military School and SouthCoast Medical Group. The $25 million project is under review by the Georgia Department of Community Health.

“Memorial Health has a long history of providing excellent clinical care. This joint venture will uniquely position the hospital to continue to provide a high-quality physical rehabilitation program in a new, state-of-the-art facility,” said Linda Wilder, president of HealthSouth’s southeast region, in a statement. “We look forward to working together with Memorial Health to provide inpatient rehabilitative treatment and technology to the residents of Savannah and the surrounding areas.”

Bill Lee, senior vice president and chief strategy officer at Memorial Health, tells SavannahNow.com the new facility is expected to boost job growth and increase the number of patients served from 765 a year to as many as 1,200 within two years.

“We are excited about this partnership and the value it brings to our community,” added Maggie Gill, president and CEO of Memorial Health in a statement. “Our collaboration with HealthSouth allows us to continue as a premier provider of inpatient rehabilitation services while enjoying the benefits of partnering with the nation’s largest rehabilitation hospital company.”

Operating in 28 states across the country and in Puerto Rico, HealthSouth is the nation’s largest owner and operator of inpatient rehabilitation hospitals in terms of patients treated and discharged, revenues and number of hospitals. HealthSouth cares for patients who are recovering from conditions such as stroke and other neurological disorders, cardiac and pulmonary conditions, brain and spinal cord injuries, complex orthopedic conditions and amputations.

Memorial Health is a two-state health care organization serving a 35-county area in southeast Georgia and southern South Carolina. The system includes its flagship hospital, a 654-bed academic medical center; Memorial primary and specialty physician networks; a major medical education program; business and industry services; and NurseOne, a 24-hour call center.