Maryville nursing home to be rebuilt in Louisville

8/13/2012

Life Care Centers of America announced plans Monday to relocate and rebuild Colonial Hills Nursing Center. The estimated project cost is more than $21 million.

The plan to build at 1965 Stewart Lane in Louisville is pending approval of an application for a certificate of need. Life Care hopes to break ground in the fall or winter.

The facility is expected to open with a new name that has yet to be decided, said Life Care President Beecher Hunter in a press release.

"It will provide about 175 new jobs to the area, with an annual payroll of about $7.5 million and an annual economic impact of $18.8 million, considering payroll, taxes, and goods and services being purchased in the community," Hunter said.

A certificate of need will be filed this week, seeking a license for 120 beds. The request will include the need for relocation and replacement of the current Colonial Hills, which was closed by its parent company earlier this year.

The proposed new building will have accommodations for short-term inpatients and long-term residents including 80 private rooms and 20 semiprivate rooms. Private rooms will have their own showers, and oxygen and vacuum services will be available for all beds.

"The Tennessee General Assembly and Gov. Bill Haslam this year approved a bill allowing the state's nursing homes to hire physicians. This will be a great assurance to residents and families to know that our facility will have a doctor available 40 hours a week overseeing clinical services," Hunter said.

The rehabilitation offerings for both inpatients and outpatients will include a 4,000-square-foot rehab gym, state-of-the-art equipment and modalities, a physical therapy courtyard and a putting green.

The facility will also have its own in-house team of physical, occupational and speech therapists.

Patients will have access to a library, private dining room for family get-togethers, a beauty shop, four courtyards and an ice cream shop.

The new Colonial Hills Nursing Center will be one of 26 skilled nursing and rehabilitation facilities in Tennessee operated or managed by Life Care Centers of America.

Source: WATE