Mercy Rehabilitation Hospital Opens

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — The Mercy Rehabilitation Hospital Springfield has officially opened for patients. The two-story, 63,000-square-foot hospital will provide inpatient rehabilitation services for patients recovering from strokes, brain or spinal-cord injuries, amputations, complex orthopedic injuries and other conditions.

“We’d simply outgrown that space,” said Dr. Hollis Bell, medical director for
Mercy Rehabilitation Hospital Springfield, at the facility’s grand opening last week. “When I was a little girl, I used to ride by this land with my great-grandfather on his tractor. Now I’ve gotten to see it transformed into a space where we can offer healing and hope for even more patients. We’re going to do great work here.”

The $28 million project was designed by Nashville, Tenn.-based Earl Swensson Associates Inc. and constructed by McCarthy Building Companies Inc. Mercy partnered with Centerre Healthcare Corporation to construct the facility.

“Having this many parties involved could have caused added challenges, but leaders from McCarthy, Mercy and Centerre created a solid project team capable of making tough decisions and providing direction in a timely manner,” said Jared Hites, project director with McCarthy, in a statement. “This was particularly important given the project’s budget and aggressive schedule.”

The 60-bed rehabilitation hospital features gymnasiums that have high-tech therapy devices and treatments; a brain injury unit with monitored rooms, specialized beds, patient lifts and dedicated therapy space and dining area; a dedicated stroke unit; specially equipped rooms for bariatric patients; private, family-friendly rooms with sleeper chairs; and pet therapy and community reentry programs.

“In this hospital, we have the privilege and opportunity to make a significant, positive change in a patient’s life after they’ve gone through what is likely the most drastic adverse event in their life,” said Duke Saldivar, CEO of Mercy Rehabilitation Hospital Springfield, in a statement. “Over an average of just two weeks of hospitalization, we can return the majority of our patients to a meaningful and productive life.”