ClearSky Health, a premier rehabilitative healthcare provider, has announced plans to build its fifth medical rehabilitation hospital in Texas. The new, 30-bed inpatient facility will be located in Harker Heights and will provide specialized, rehabilitative care to individuals living with disabling injuries or illnesses such as strokes, brain injuries, hip fractures, spinal injuries, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, or other medically-complex conditions such as COVID-19.
Within the state, ClearSky Health owns and operates hospitals in Flower Mound and Weatherford, and has plans underway for facilities in Mansfield and Waxahachie. It also has facilities located in Louisiana and New Mexico.
“We selected the Harker Heights site after conducting due diligence and meeting with community and healthcare leadership,” says Darby Brockette, CEO of ClearSky Health. “We feel we can positively complement current healthcare services in the area by meeting an unmet need for a higher level of rehabilitation.”
The new hospital in Harker Heights differs from other rehabilitative settings since medical rehabilitation hospitals are required to:
- Be licensed and accredited
- Use an interdisciplinary team approach to care
- Have a physician with specialized training in rehabilitation supervise medical services
- Provide rehabilitative nursing 24/7
- Offer patients therapy for a minimum of 15 hours a week
In addition, a national study shows that patients who receive care at inpatient rehabilitation hospitals return home sooner, remain home longer, have fewer hospital readmissions and ER visits, and live longer versus those treated at nursing homes or skilled nursing facilities.
“We’re looking forward to having ClearSky Health join the community and offer this level of healthcare to our citizens,” says Spencer H. Smith, Mayor of Harker Heights. “Their services will allow residents and their families to remain in the community, versus leaving the area when a higher caliber of rehabilitative care is needed.”
The 40,000-square-foot facility will treat about 650 patients annually and feature all private rooms, a rehabilitative gym with specialized equipment, a dining room with a dedicated chef and food service staff, and an activity of daily living space to allow patients to receive therapy in rooms that emulate home conditions. Patients will interact and set individual goals with an interdisciplinary team that includes a physician; rehabilitation nurses; physical, occupational, and speech therapists; case managers; respiratory therapists; dietitians; and other healthcare professionals.
“Our integrative approach allows us to go beyond normal service expectations and provide patients with optimum outcomes and quality of life,” Brockette says.
Brockette highlights the hospital’s comprehensive stroke rehabilitation program as an example. The program includes review of 228 evidence-based recommendations from the American Stroke Association. Nursing and therapy personnel, who are specifically educated in stroke rehabilitation practices and modalities, review every recommendation and apply the ones that fit the individual needs of each patient.
“A program with this depth and knowledge allows us to provide the highest standards of care, while maintaining the ability to adapt and advance our program to new research and evidence as it occurs,” Brockette says.
Another unique aspect of care that will be provided at the hospital is the continued involvement in a patient’s treatment after discharge.
“We know that the best chance for recovery is during the first few months following a patient’s medical event,” Brockette says. “So we remain a healthcare partner with our patients and help them receive further resources. We want to ensure the highest levels of independence and success during their healing journeys.”
Groundbreaking for the hospital in Harker Heights is planned for Spring 2022, with an opening scheduled for Spring 2023.
