New Inpatient Rehabilitation Hospital Planned for Westerville

WESTERVILLE, Ohio — HealthSouth Corporation (HLS), based in Birmingham, Ala., and Mount Carmel Health System, based in Columbus, Ohio, are jointly planning to build a new inpatient rehabilitation hospital to be located in Westerville.

The new, $3.65 million facility, proposed by Columbus developer Trivium Development LLC last October, will include 60 all-private rooms, a spacious, on-site therapy gym, walking path and cutting-edge rehabilitation technologies. It replaces an inpatient rehabilitation unit at Mount Carmel West, which will ultimately convert to outpatient uses when the hospital project construction concludes.

In addition, the new medical establishment will provide specialized rehabilitative care to patients who have experienced stroke, trauma, brain and orthopedic injuries or other major illnesses or injuries. Proving to be a significant investment to the Westerville community, 100 new, full-time positions are expected to arise as a result of this decision to build.

Furthermore, in March 2015, Westerville City Council approved a property tax abatement that over 12 years will save HealthSouth about $3.1 million, while also netting the city approximately $3.9 million in property and income taxes.

“We look forward to working collaboratively with Mount Carmel in developing the new inpatient rehabilitation hospital to serve the needs of the residents of central Ohio,” said Barbara Jacobsmeyer, president of the central region for HealthSouth, in a statement. “We are excited about the joint venture between HealthSouth and Mount Carmel Health System and the value it will bring to this community.”

The new hospital will be located north of Mount Carmel St. Ann’s near the southwest corner of Cleveland Avenue and Polaris Parkway. Upon its opening in 2017, Mount Carmel will also relocate its existing 24-bed unit at Mount Carmel West to the new facility.

“Through our partnership with HealthSouth, we will enhance and expand rehabilitation services to better meet the needs of the residents of central Ohio,” said Claus von Zychlin, president and chief executive officer of Mount Carmel Health System, in a statement. “This new inpatient rehabilitation hospital is part of Mount Carmel’s vision for transforming health care in our region to provide high-quality, people-centered care when and where they need it.”

Construction for the hospital is expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2015 and will be completed by the first quarter of 2017.