Patients in need of long-term inpatient rehabilitation in north Georgia will soon have more access to these critical services. Northeast Georgia Health System (NGHS) and Lifepoint Rehabilitation, a business unit of Lifepoint Health, have entered into a joint venture partnership to build and operate a new inpatient rehabilitation facility in Gainesville. The state of Georgia approved the project’s certificate of need last week.

Construction of the $62 million project is expected to begin later this year. NGHS and Lifepoint Rehabilitation anticipate opening the facility to patients in 2025.

“Since 1989, we’ve been proud to offer inpatient rehabilitation services at Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC) Gainesville,” said Kevin Matson, vice president of oncology, orthopedic and rehabilitation services for NGHS. “We’re so excited that this partnership will not only increase availability of this kind of care in the region, but it will also improve the patient experience and expand the kinds of therapies we can offer – closing a gap in the care continuum so patients can get the care they need close to home.”

With a total of 40 private rooms, the 61,000-square-foot facility will nearly double the patient capacity of the existing 24-bed inpatient rehabilitation unit at NGMC Gainesville. The new facility will feature a designated wing on the second floor for brain injury and stroke patients, as well as a large therapy suite including a gym, private therapy rooms, a cooking therapy room, an Activities of Daily Living therapy apartment and a variety of innovative rehabilitation equipment.

The new rehabilitation facility will provide intensive nursing, physical, occupational and speech pathology services for adults recovering from conditions such as stroke, neurological disease, brain or spinal cord injury and other debilitating illnesses or injuries. Lifepoint Rehabilitation will manage the day-to-day operations of the facility.

“We are proud to partner with Northeast Georgia Health System as we expand access to critically needed inpatient rehabilitation services for patients in Gainesville and the surrounding communities,” said David Stark, vice president of operations for Lifepoint Rehabilitation. “We are passionate about bringing our evidence-based framework for providing high-quality rehabilitation care to more communities, and we look forward to working alongside Northeast Georgia Health System as we advance our mission of making communities healthier®.”

Upon completion, the NGHS rehabilitation facility will join Lifepoint Rehabilitation’s growing network of more than 30 inpatient rehabilitation facilities across the country.