KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Doctors welcomed patients to the new Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Hospital West facility on Wednesday.
The 51-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital is meant to serve patients recovering from severe illnesses and injuries such as strokes, neurological disorders, brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, amputations and complex orthopedic conditions.
Patient rooms are private in the hospital and it includes a large therapy gym, a therapy courtyard, a cafeteria, two dayrooms and an "activities of daily living suite."
As part of the project, Covenant Health and Encompass Health renovated the downtown rehabilitation center into a 22-bed hospital in-patient structure. They said they converted the center's semi-private rooms into fully private rooms and renamed it the Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Hospital Fort Sanders.
Both hospitals will provide comprehensive physical rehabilitation services, including physical, occupational and speech therapies. Patients will get at least three hours per day of therapy for five days each week, as well as 24-hour nursing care and access to advanced technologies during their stay.
Both locations are named after Patricia Neal, an Oscar-winning actor and native of Knoxville who survived three strokes.