Hospital-based rehab center may the first of many

The Sentara Specialty Rehabilitation Center at  Sentara Obici Hospital has opened in Suffolk, an initiative that may be rolled out to other Sentara hospitals.

The eight-bed unit is licensed to Sentara Life Care, the senior services division of Norfolk-based Sentara Healthcare. 

“We know how to navigate the regulations around rehab,” Steve Minter, director of operations for Sentara Life Care, said in a statement. “Our partners at Sentara Obici will help us provide smooth handoffs from acute care to rehabilitation, which is a big plus for patients.  We’re going to see how this innovative model works. If it proves as successful as we hope, we may employ it at other Sentara hospitals.” 

Sentara Life Care received a Certificate of Public Need from the Virginia Department of Health to relocate up to 10 licensed beds from Sentara Nursing Center Portsmouth to Sentara Obici Hospital.

Initially, Sentara Specialty Rehabilitation Center will admit patients with knee and hip replacements.  Spine surgery patients may be admitted later and, eventually, stroke patients may also be admitted.

An integrated not-for-profit system with 26,000 employees, Sentara serves Virginia and northeastern North Carolina with 11 acute care hospitals and other health-care facilities.