Centra Health opens rehab hospital in Lynchburg

Lynchburg nonprofit health system Centra Health and Lifepoint Rehabilitation, an operating division of Tennessee’s Lifepoint Health, on Thursday celebrated the opening of Centra Rehabilitation Hospital in Lynchburg.

The 50-bed rehabilitation hospital is one of two specialty facilities that opened this summer on Centra’s new $106 million Simons Run Medical Campus. The joint venture between Centra and Lifepoint Health was announced in 2022, and Lifepoint Health affiliates will manage the two hospitals under the joint venture.

“Today marks an exciting milestone for Centra as we complete construction of the Simons Run Medical Campus and celebrate the ribbon cutting of Centra Rehabilitation Hospital,” Centra President and CEO Richard Tugman said in a statement. “Years of planning have made it possible to bring advanced rehabilitation services to our community, creating a place for both physical recovery and renewed hope for a healthy, productive life.”

The 60,000-plus-square-foot hospital at 1159 Simons Run expands Centra’s inpatient rehabilitation capacity by 150%. The facility includes all-private patient rooms, a 12-bed brain injury unit, multidisciplinary therapy gyms and outdoor courtyards designed to encourage patient movement.

“We are pleased to welcome patients to Centra Rehabilitation Hospital,” said Centra Rehabilitation Hospital CEO Astrid González Parrilla in a statement. “This is a beautiful facility, but more importantly, this is a remarkable team, and I know our rehabilitation professionals are well-prepared to provide the extraordinary care Central Virginians deserve.”

The new hospital provides care for adults recovering from stroke, brain and spinal cord injuries, neurological disorders, orthopedic surgery, amputations and other conditions. Patients receive physical, occupational and speech therapy. Lifepoint Rehabilitation will manage the facility, which will join its network of more than 50 freestanding rehabilitation hospitals nationwide.

A Centra spokesperson said the health system does not have employment numbers for the rehabilitation hospital at this time.

The first hospital on the campus, the Centra Behavioral Health Hospital, opened its doors to patients last month and will employ around 160 total full-time employees. Both projects are integral to Centra’s multiyear, $500 million modernization plan, which is the largest facilities and technology investment in the organization’s history.

The groundbreaking for the campus was held in September 2024. Centra Behavioral Health completed construction in April 2026 and Centra Rehabilitation Health completed construction earlier this month.

Founded in 1987 through the merger of Lynchburg General and Virginia Baptist hospitals, Centra today has more than 7,300 caregivers, 500 employed providers and physicians, and a medical staff of nearly 800. It serves over 500,000 patients.

In late June, Centra presented two redevelopment scenarios for Virginia Baptist Hospital campus. Both plans include housing, space for a hotel, childcare, restaurants and retail. Centra expects to select a master developer by 2027.

Earlier that month, Centra announced plans to lay off about 90 employees, a move due in part to cuts by the federal government. The budget reconciliation bill referred to as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law July 4, 2025, is expected to cut federal Medicaid spending by $911 billion over a decade.