Kindred Healthcare LLC announces it is adding acute inpatient rehabilitation units (ARUs) within five of its long-term acute care (LTAC) hospitals.

The LTACs adding ARUs are located in the Houston metro area, and in Fort Lauderdale, St Petersburg and Green Cove Springs, Florida. The ARUs, with a total of 60 beds, will begin serving patients in September 2020, according to a media release.

The new ARUs will provide the intensive, interdisciplinary clinical and rehabilitation services necessary for improved function and independence, facilitating patients’ recovery so they can be discharged and return to their homes. Patients will receive a minimum of 3 hours of therapy each day for at least 5 days a week under the direction of a physiatrist, a doctor specialized in rehabilitation and physical medicine and 24/7 nursing care. The Kindred ARUs will provide services to both Kindred LTAC patients as well as patients from other healthcare providers in their communities.

The new units will be managed and staffed by Kindred Hospital Rehabilitation Services, a contract manager of hospital-based acute rehabilitation programs. Approximately 100 hospitals in 27 states partner with KHRS to manage ARUs within their facilities, per the release.

“These ARUs will enable Kindred to provide a broader range of acute-level, physician-led rehabilitation expertise while avoiding the disruption of transferring a patient to a separate facility,” Pete Kalmey, Executive Vice President and President of Kindred’s Hospital Division, says in the release.

“In this time of pandemic, it is important to note that a growing body of evidence demonstrates that the specialized services delivered in LTAC hospitals and inpatient rehabilitation play a unique and positive role in treating patients suffering with, and recovering from, COVID-19. LTAC hospitals have particular expertise in pulmonary care and success in weaning ventilator-dependent patients,” Kalmey adds.

“Kindred’s Hospital Division and Kindred Rehabilitation Services are working collaboratively to meet a growing need for inpatient rehabilitation services in our communities,” states Jason Zachariah, Kindred’s Chief Operating Officer and President of Kindred Rehabilitation Services. “These new co-located ARUs will complement the care provided at these five Kindred LTAC hospitals, and enable us to provide a continuum of care for patients who require high-intensity rehab services to continue their recovery.”

[Source(s): Kindred Healthcare LLC, Business Wire]