(left) CEO of Mercy Health Rehabilitation Hospital Melessa Scattino and leaders with Mercy Health and Lifepoint Rehabilitation cut the ribbon on the newly-opened hospital on Belmont Avenue in Liberty Township.
Kelcey Norris
Mahoning Matters
Leaders with Mercy Health Youngstown and Lifepoint Rehabilitation celebrated the grand opening of the new Mercy Health Rehabilitation Hospital located at 3180 Belmont Avenue in Liberty Township.
Registered nurses, rehabilitation therapists and Mercy Health chaplains cut the ribbon and officially opened the new hospital.
Dr. John Luellen is the president of Mercy Health in Lorain and Youngstown.
“Mercy Health Rehabilitation Hospital is designed in every way to meet the unique needs of patients who suffer from stroke, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, complex neurological disorders, orthopedic conditions, multiple traumas, amputation and other injuries or disorders,” said Luellen.
Over 80% of the work on the hospital was completed by Youngstown contractors since the project began last summer.
There are 60 private rooms in the two-story Mercy Health Rehabilitation Hospital.
There’s also an additional 12-bed unit for patients recovering from brain injuries and bariatric rooms with automatic lifts that can hold up to 1,000 pounds.
Inside the new Mercy Health Rehabilitation Hospital, there is a 3,500-square foot therapy gym filled with different state-of-the-art training tools to practice physical, occupational and speech therapies. Kelcey Norris Mahoning Matters
Inside the hospital, there is a 3,500-square foot therapy gym filled with different state-of-the-art training tools to practice physical, occupational and speech therapies.
Therapists use new tools like the Senaptec machine, which helps patients improve their peripheral vision and balance.
The indoor Smart Car has training activities for patients to practice reintegration before getting back on the road once they’re feeling better.
Typically patients stay two weeks, according to therapists leading the tour. At the hospital, they can practice all the skills they’ll need after discharge alongside a therapist, from getting in and out of cars to household tasks in the activities of daily living suite.
New CEO Melessa Scattino
The new Mercy Health Rehabilitation Hospital will be run by CEO Melessa Scattino. Kelcey Norris Mahoning Matters
The new hospital will be run by CEO Melessa Scattino.
Scattino said she’s excited to represent Mercy and Lifepoint in this joint venture, as well as joining the team of all-women CEOs at Mercy Health.
“We’re all super excited about taking our first patients and allowing our teams of rehabilitation specialists, physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech, as well as our nursing staff, to care for those patients and all the support staff that goes with it,” Scattino said. “As we grow, our team will grow, so we’ll be hiring more therapists, more nurses, more STNAs and more LPNs.”
The hospital hosted a community open house on Friday and began taking its first patients on Monday.
“We accept patients from Ohio and Western Pennsylvania, it’s an easy drive for them. It is our goal to help patients regain their functional independence so they can return to their homes and families,” said Scattino. “With the support of industry-leading technology and the leadership of our on-site physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians, our team of nurses and therapists can guide patients through individualized treatment plans designed to care for the whole person.
“We look forward to serving patients in a space designed for both their comfort and their recovery,” she added.
Lifepoint and Mercy Health
Lifepoint Rehabilitation will manage day-to-day operations for Mercy Health Rehabilitation Hospital.
Dave Stark is the chief operating officer of Lifepoint Rehabilitation.
“This is an exciting day for our team at Lifepoint Rehabilitation as we welcome patients to Mercy Health Rehabilitation Hospital,” said Stark. “We are committed to expanding access to high-quality, evidence-driven rehabilitation care in every community that we serve, because we know the life-changing impact of putting our patients front-and-center in their own recovery journeys.”
Construction crews are also working on the 72-bed inpatient behavioral health hospital next to the rehabilitation hospital.
“Congratulations to Dr. Luellen, Melessa, and our team of caregivers here at Mercy Health Rehabilitation Hospital. I look forward to seeing all that you do to advance our mission of making communities healthier here in the Mahoning Valley,” Stark said.
