Kindred Healthcare Inc and CHI Franciscan Health have signed a definitive agreement to create a joint venture to construct and operate a 60-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital in Tacoma, Wash.

The project recently received Certificate of Need approval from the Washington State Department of Health.

It is expected that the hospital will be open by the first quarter of 2018.

Kindred Healthcare Inc will manage the day-to-day operations of the hospital, which 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, per a media release from Kindred Healthcare Inc and CHI Franciscan Health.

CHI Franciscan, affiliated with Catholic Health Initiatives, provides healthcare services in the Pacific Northwest.

“We look forward to a strong partnership with CHI Franciscan as we develop a new inpatient rehabilitation hospital that complements CHI Franciscan’s acute care settings and highly regarded reputation for helping patients recover and return home,” says Benjamin A. Breier, Kindred’s president and chief executive officer, in the release.

“Care for patients needing long-term rehabilitation care has hit a tipping point in Pierce County,” states Ketul Patel, CHI Franciscan’s chief executive officer, per the release. “Our partnership with Kindred is a giant step toward meeting that critical need.”

[Source(s): Kindred Healthcare Inc, CHI Franciscan Health, Business Wire]