Jefferson Regional, Kindred Healthcare to Build New Hospital

A preliminary drawing of the planned rehabilitation and behavioural health hospital Jefferson Regional Medical Center and Kindred Healthcare are planning to build and operate.

Jefferson Regional Medical Center of Pine Bluff and Kindred Healthcare LLC of Louisville, Kentucky, announced Thursday that they will build and operate a 76-bed freestanding inpatient rehabilitation and behavioral health hospital.

The new facility will have 40 rehab beds and 36 behavioral health beds.

The organizations did not disclose a budget or location for the project, but they said it is expected to open in 2023.

Brian Thomas, JRMC president and CEO, said in a news release that this project will address a growing need for rehab services in the community. In addition, the hospital’s most recent “Community Needs Assessment” showed that there is a lack of mental and behavioral health resources in southeast Arkansas, he said.

The new hospital will replace and increase JRMC’s 27 acute rehab beds and 18 behavioral health beds, which are located in the part of the hospital that was built in 1959.

Kindred Healthcare has managed the JRMC’s rehab unit for nearly 30 years.

The new hospital will provide inpatient rehab services for adults who have experienced a loss of function or disability due to stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury, neurological disorders, orthopaedic surgery and other conditions; and intense, interdisciplinary rehab therapies and medical care to improve patients’ functional independence and help them return home.

Its behavioral unit will offer inpatient and outpatient services for adults and seniors, including crisis stabilization for acute mental health and substance use disorders; detoxification from alcohol and drugs; and treatment for anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and more.