Occupational therapist Renee Swavel demonstrates use of SaeboMAS, a zero-gravity upper extremity device, to Sister Clara Chandler of the Sisters of the Humility of Mary at the opening.

LIBERTY — A promise to provide specialized, intensive care to people in the Mahoning Valley who need it to regain functionality after a major injury or surgery has been fulfilled.

That’s because the new Mercy Health Rehabilitation Hospital on Belmont Avenue will begin to see patients Monday.

On Thursday, Mercy Health-Youngstown and its partner, Tennessee-based Lifepoint Rehabilitation, cut a ribbon to mark the ceremonial opening of their new joint-venture rehab hospital.

The 66,000-square-foot two-story facility features 60 beds, all private rooms as well as a 12-bed secured brain-injury unit with private dining and therapy gym. There are additional multidisciplinary therapy gyms outfitted with the latest therapeutic technologies, outdoor courtyards and a small apartment that includes a simulated kitchen and bathroom.

John Luellen, market president for Mercy Health Youngstown and Lorain, explained before the ceremony that the facility has been talked about for years after a need was recognized in the area.

“As the health care needs of the Mahoning Valley continue to evolve, we found it very important that we evolve strategically with those needs,” Luellen said. “Years ago, we looked at the health care trends in the Mahoning Valley, and we realized that there were unmet needs. One of those unmet needs was for expanded capacity for acute inpatient rehabilitation.”

Luellen said the hospital will help a section of individuals who have experienced trauma or other challenges that warrant care but can’t be delivered at home and shouldn’t be delivered in an acute-care hospital.

The facility will maintain a homelike atmosphere while fulfilling patients’ clinical needs, he added.

“What’s so neat about this facility is it allows people to be cared for in an environment that is much closer to home than the hospital environment, where you have the opportunity to go through those activities of daily living as part of the rehabilitation,” Luellen said. “We have a cafeteria that feels much more like someone’s dining room might feel at home.”

Patients will be coming from anywhere, Luellen said, but there are already enough patients at St. Elizabeth Youngstown to keep the facility busy.

Lifepoint Rehabilitation oversees a network of rehabilitation hospitals across the country and more than 300 hospital-based rehabilitation units. This marks its 46th inpatient rehabilitation hospital.

Dave Stark, Lifepoint’s vice president of operations, said the facility represents an accumulation of feedback they’ve collected from their other hospitals, feeling out the needs of their partners as they normally do.

“During the design phase of the hospital, we do different things, usually different tweaks based on patient population here in Youngstown and based on what our partner is doing — Mercy Health, in this case,” Stark said. “If they have certain programs or certain care that they’re providing or specializing in, we like to tweak the hospital to serve that population as well.”

Lifepoint is also involved in the next-door unit, a 72-bed inpatient behavioral hospital adjacent to the rehab center. Construction is expected to be completed next year.

Liberty Township officials attended the ribbon cutting and toured the facility afterward.

Trustee Arnie Clebone said the facility marked a “significant milestone” for the community, noting its potential to increase commerce in the area and contribute positively to its tax base.

“The ground was empty for a long, long time. It wasn’t really attractive, and now it’s turning into a very beautiful space,” Cleborne said. “I’m hopeful that it’ll find even more business and other sites that are either underutilized or not utilized as well will be even better.”

“This facility serves as a model of what we can achieve in Liberty Township, demonstrating our commitment to quality development,” he added.

NEUROLOGICAL CARE

Luellen said the opening of the facility allowed Mercy Health to make space at St. Elizabeth Youngstown for a new neuroscience intensive care unit, which the ministry has already committed $20 million in investments.

St. Elizabeth was considered a Primary Stroke Center for years, but has advanced the level of stroke care its facilities can provide, Luellen said.

The facility became what’s considered a Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center, an intermediate tier of accreditation introduced in 2018 for hospitals at which patients with acute ischemic stroke receive care.

Luellen said they plan for it to reach the highest level of certification, a Comprehensive Stroke Center, which will allow them to receive and treat the most complex stroke cases.

The unit will take on any type of patient who has sustained neurological trauma.

“In order to do that, we need to augment the level of service we’re providing. One of the ways we’re augmenting that service is to provide a dedicated neuroscience intensive care unit, because that building is so full,” Luellen said. “One of the things we needed to do is find a space to do that and these two projects lined up so well because we’re serving the same patient population.”