A new $33 million, 40-bed rehabilitation hospital will soon be open for business and patients.
The Quad Cities Rehabilitation Institute, 653 52nd Ave., Moline, will officially open its doors on Tuesday, Aug. 23, when about 15 patients are transferred to the new facility from a UnityPoint rehab facility in Rock Island. The new medical facility is a joint venture of UnityPoint Health-Trinity and Encompass Health, the nation’s largest owner and operator of rehab hospitals. It is located behind UnityPoint-Trinity Moline’s 7th Street campus.
More than 100 community, business and medical leaders got a preview look of the new institute Thursday, Aug. 18, during a private ribbon-cutting ceremony and tours of the new facility.
“This is a great day for the communities we serve. … This (facility) will make a difference. It will help people get back to living. This is what this is all about,” Robert Erickson, president and CEO of UnityPoint-Trinity, said during the ceremony.
Troy DeDecker, president of the Central Region of Encompass Health, told the crowd that in a time when almost every business in the community is still looking for employees, the new rehab hospital has filled all its positions.
“When you go through this place, it really sells itself. It’s just beautiful,” he told the QCBJ about why people want to work at the facility.
Tammy Pauwels, the CEO of Quad Cities Rehabilitation Institute, added that she believes that medical professionals are attracted to the facility because of the good reputation of the owners and management, and that they want to work in a state-of-the-art facility.
The new rehab facility will open with about 80 employees, and could eventually be staffed at about 150 workers in the coming weeks and months, Mr. DeDecker said.
The new hospital is set to provide essential services to help patients regain function and
independence as they recover from major injuries and illnesses, such as strokes, brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, amputations and complex orthopedic conditions, according to information from the rehab institute.
Several officials commented on the new, advanced devices – such as robotic rehabilitation equipment – that will be available at the Moline facility. In fact, Dr. Albert Park, the rehab hospital’s medical director, said the new facility will have a “level of technology that is unmatched” in the region. But officials added that providing top care for patients ultimately comes down to the efforts of a highly skilled and caring medical staff.
“They have a passion for excellence and a compassion for patients,” said Mr. Erickson.
The road to bringing the rehab facility and that care to the region was often a bumpy one.
Mr. DeDecker, a Davenport native who now lives in Kansas City, told the crowd that he had a goal of opening a hospital in the Quad Cities for years. In fact, the new facility was in the planning stages before the pandemic hit. The pandemic and the ongoing supply chain issues caused delays, but he is thrilled that the hospital is done and about to open.
“I know this is a great community. … “We’ve been working on this since before the pandemic. It’s been a long road to get here,” he added.
Some of the features of the 48,000-square-foot facility include:
- 40 private rooms.
- An on-site pharmacy.
- Therapy gym.
- An outdoor court that will be used for therapy. The outdoor space has a ramp, steps and different types of surfaces.
- Dialysis room.
- Large, colorful photos of local scenes fill the hallways and many rooms, including scenes of downtown Davenport, East Moline, the old I-74 bridge, Modern Woodmen Stadium, downtown Moline and nature scenes from the region. Mr. DeDecker said he is “most excited” about that photographic artwork because it gives the rehab hospital a unique feature that will be appreciated by the patients.
For more information on the hospital, go to https://encompasshealth.com/locations/quadcitiesrehab.
