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Rehab hospital awaits patients
By JENNIFER LIBERTO SPRING HILL -- The nurses are training in Largo. The treadmills and stationary bikes sit silent. And cardboard boxes litter the long hallways, where the floors lack that antiseptic smell and shine, having yet seen a coat of cleaner or wax. But in three weeks, all will be sparkling and ready to go, when Hernando County's first rehabilitation hospital begins accepting patients. The 60-bed HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital plans to offer inpatient and outpatient rehab and therapy services to patients from Hernando, Pasco and Citrus counties. Patients recovering from a stroke, heart bypass surgery or a broken hip, among other ailments, will no longer have to commute to rehab hospitals in Tampa, Largo or Gainesville.
Most of the hospital's administrative staff have already moved into the 57,200-square-foot building, which Birmingham, Ala.-based HealthSouth Corp. recently constructed at 12440 Cortez Blvd. at a cost of nearly $9-million. When fully staffed, the hospital will employ more than 200. The nation's largest provider of outpatient surgery rehab services, HealthSouth already has one other rehab center in Largo, in addition to a surgery center and 19 outpatient rehab centers throughout the Tampa Bay area. The Hernando County hospital is huge, with large patient rooms and hallways to accommodate wheelchairs. At the heart of the hospital lies a sunny, 6,000-square-foot gym, filled with bikes, treadmills and a therapy swimming pool, where patients will spend an average of three hours daily. On padded exercise tables, patients can practice sitting up and standing, or other simple actions most people take for granted, therapy director Andrew Bedard said. For a patient stuck in bed for a month, the movements can be extremely painful, due to loss of back and stomach muscle strength. The hospital also offers an apartment setting, with a bedroom, bathroom, washer, dryer and full kitchen, where some patients have to cook a meal on their own to prove they can be independent when they return home. HealthSouth aims to send 85 percent of its patients home fully self-sufficient. The hospital is not HealthSouth's first step into Hernando County. It has an outpatient clinic in Spring Hill on U.S. 19. Administrators said they did not know whether the company would keep the clinic open. HealthSouth has been plagued lately by financial problems and reported a $406-million loss in the quarter ending Dec. 31, after showing a $67.9-million profit a year earlier. The Securities and Exchange Commission and the FBI are investigating HealthSouth following the sale of $25-million worth of stock by its chief executive just weeks before a negative earnings announcement in August. Mudano insisted the problems would not affect service at the rehab hospital, which has expansion space for another 20 beds. The company plans to ask the state for permission to add those beds in coming years. HealthSouth's debut on the Cortez Boulevard medical corridor has not gone unnoticed by county and business leaders, or by potential customers. Administrators from Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point, Oak Hill Hospital, and Spring Hill Regional and Brooksville Regional hospitals have all talked to HealthSouth about sending patients there for rehab, their representatives said. The hospital also offers an apartment setting, with a bedroom, bathroom, washer, dryer and full kitchen, where some patients have to cook a meal on their own to prove they can be independent when they return home. "We've drawn up an agreement to work with them as far as rehab needs of patients, and we're glad they're in the community," said Kurt Conover, director of business development for Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point in Hudson. The phones at the rehab hospital have been buzzing with inquiries from cardiac and hip replacement patients seeking admittance to the hospital, spokesman Chris Ballish said. The hospital cannot accept patients until it passes state inspections. HealthSouth employees hope to start admitting by April 7. -- Jennifer Liberto covers business and development in Hernando County and can be reached at 848-1434 or liberto@sptimes.com
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