Patients who are recovering from ailments like a stroke, spinal cord injury, or traumatic brain injury will soon be able to continue their rehabilitation care closer to home. Three health care entities announced yesterday they’re partnering to build and operate a rehabilitation hospital in Billings.
St. Vincent Healthcare, Billings Clinic and Kindred Healthcare have joined forces to meet a growing demand: take care patients who may need physical therapy, neurological rehabilitation, or other care.
While some of these patients are getting rehabilitation services in Billings, others are left to get care in other locations, such as Seattle, Denver or Minneapolis.
Jason Zachariah, president of Kindred Rehabilitation Services, says the need is growing for these services, largely because of the baby boomers.
“What happens with an aging population in America is that you’ll see increased numbers of strokes and brain injury,” said Zachariah.
He said both hospitals already care for these patients as they’re Level II trauma centers and primary, comprehensive stroke centers. “So you see these patients immediately in that acute setting and now when you bridge that with inpatient rehabilitation, particularly around neuro rehabilitation, that is where it really all comes together.”
The CEOS of both St. Vincent Healthcare and Billings Clinic say this new collaboration will provide more families high quality services closer to home.
The facility is scheduled to open in 2019.
