Kindred Healthcare LLC and Mercy Iowa City announce that they have signed a definitive agreement and have created a joint venture to construct and operate a 40-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital in Coralville, Iowa.

The project has received Certificate of Need approval from the Iowa State Health Facilities Council.

Kindred will manage the day-to-day operations of the new hospital, which it expects will be open by the second quarter of 2020. The new hospital will care for adults recovering from conditions such as stroke, neurological disease, injury to the brain or spinal cord and other long-term illnesses or injuries.

In Clive, Iowa, a suburb of Des Moines, Kindred and Mercy Medical Center – Des Moines opened Mercy Rehabilitation Hospital in June 2018. The 50-bed hospital is Iowa’s first and currently only freestanding inpatient rehabilitation hospital.

“We look forward to partnering with Mercy Iowa City to build and operate this facility, our second hospital with Mercy in the state of Iowa, to address the growing need for inpatient rehabilitation services in the state,” says Jason Zachariah, president of Kindred Rehabilitation Services, a division of Kindred Healthcare, in a media release.

“Kindred is proud to create a quality-focused partnership with another leading healthcare system, and we are excited to broaden our post-acute care offerings. We expect this collaborative effort, like other Kindred partnerships across the country, to deliver the kind of excellent patient care that helps our inpatient rehabilitation business outperform peers in key clinical measures.”

Sean Williams, president and CEO of Mercy Iowa City, comments, “We know there is a tremendous need for inpatient rehabilitation care in our service area. By working with Kindred we can provide an extraordinary level of care for patients much closer to home, which is beneficial for both the patients and their loved ones. Our partnership with Kindred aligns perfectly with Mercy’s mission to heal, comfort, and improve the health of the community in the tradition of the Sisters of Mercy.”

[Source(s): Kindred Healthcare, Mercy Iowa City, Business Wire]