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August 7, 2023

ClearSky Health to Build New Medical Rehabilitation Hospital in Lake City, Florida

ClearSky Health, a premier rehabilitative healthcare provider, today announced plans to build a new 36-bed medical rehabilitation hospital in Lake City, Fla.

ClearSky Health brings extensive rehabilitative knowledge and experience to the area as a healthcare organization that owns and operates 10 hospitals in Arizona, Kansas, Texas, Louisiana, and New Mexico, with six more in planning stages across the nation to include additional hospitals in Wisconsin, Florida, Texas, and now Ohio.

The new hospital will provide specialized rehabilitative care to patients recovering from disabling injuries or illnesses such as strokes, brain injuries, hip fractures, spinal injuries, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, or other medically-complex conditions like COVID-19. It will be located on 7.5 acres south of West U.S. Highway 90 and treat more than 650 patients annually. It’s expected to create 100 new jobs for the area.

“We’re looking forward to serving this region with a higher level of rehabilitative care,” says Darby Brockette, CEO of ClearSky Health. “ClearSky Lake City will differ from other rehabilitative programs because of its highly trained team, specialized equipment, state-of-the-art facility, and integrative approach.”

Brockette explains that the new medical rehabilitation hospital will:

  • 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

A national study shows patients treated at medical 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.

Jennifer Goff Daniels, Economic Development Director for Columbia County, says that having ClearSky Health join the community will be beneficial for residents. “The new hospital will strengthen healthcare services currently available in Columbia County as well as surrounding counties, while creating additional job opportunities,” she says. “People won’t have to travel out of town to obtain this level of care, which is advantageous for not only the patients, but their families, friends, and caregivers as well.”

Brockette says patients will be provided the highest standards of rehabilitative care, citing the hospital’s comprehensive stroke rehabilitation program as an example. The program will include review of 228 evidence-based recommendations from the American Stroke Association. Staff who will be specifically educated in stroke rehabilitation techniques and intervention will ensure that a treatment plan is created to fit the individual needs of each patient.

Another unique aspect of care will include staff involvement in a patient’s treatment after discharge from the hospital. Hospital professionals will continue to work with patients to ensure that they receive needed resources to reach the highest levels of independence and success during their recoveries.

“Our intent is to enhance quality of life for the residents of the region,” Brockette says. “We want to help maximize patients’ recoveries so they can return to their homes and the activities that they enjoy as quickly as possible.”

Patients who are treated at ClearSky Lake City will interact and set individual goals with an interdisciplinary healthcare team that includes a physician; rehabilitation nurses; physical, occupational, and speech therapists; case managers; respiratory therapists; dietitians; and other healthcare professionals. The new, state-of-the-art, 45,000-square-foot building will feature all private rooms, a rehabilitative gym with specialized equipment and one-on-one therapy, a dining room with a dedicated chef and food service staff, an activity of daily living space to allow patients to receive therapy in rooms that emulate home conditions, and an outside therapeutic courtyard that provides various walking terrains.

“Our staff will go above and beyond normal service expectations to provide patients with optimal results,” Brockette says. “We’re honored to bring this level of care to the community.”

Groundbreaking for the hospital is planned for Winter 2023, with an opening expected in Winter 2024.

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ClearSky Health to Build New Medical Rehabilitation Hospital in Lake City, Florida - ClearSky Health