Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital, 2005 Located on Valley View Boulevard, Altoona, underwent a $13 million renovation that began in January 2020.Provided photo
Encompass Health and Rehabilitation Hospital in Altoona is putting the finishing touches on a $13 million renovation project.
The project is the fourth renovation of the facility, which opened in January 1986 as Altoona Rehabilitation Hospital and became Altoona HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital in 1993.
The hospital room was renovated in 1994. In 2000, an outpatient complex with a swimming pool was added to the back of the building, and a 2011 project added nine rooms, 18 beds and a gym, said Scott Filler, a longtime hospital employee. It is said that the northeast wing was added. 36 years, the last 26 as CEO.
“Everything comes together in this project,” Filler said.
Filler calls the nine-phase project a “complete renovation” of the interior and exterior of the 90,000-square-foot facility.
“We redid everything: lighting, floors, drywall, new bed locators, the toilets were all tiled for preservation. We repainted the roof, built a concrete walkway, redid the entrance. We also plan to scrape and repave the parking lot,” Filler said.
The project began in July 2020 in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, which posed some challenges.
“Due to our mission to serve our community, we sought to remain open for business. At one time, eight beds were unavailable. At times, due to COVID-19 conditions requiring isolation Sometimes we had two units. We added negative pressure to one full wing and two smaller areas so we could accept COVID patients from UPMC. We kept our patients safe. I wanted to,” Filler said.
Demand for Encompass' services is high, Filler said, with about 30 requests for inpatient services per day.
“We treat 1,700 inpatients and 35,000 outpatients a year,” Filler said.
The current project was necessary due to general wear and tear on the building, and it allowed Encompass to make improvements to certain aspects of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Filler said.
“The building has been in the spotlight for some time because of its age. Local management recognized the need, and the Home Office recognized the need for it. , allowing us to remain in business for many years to come,” Filler said.
Dostar Construction of Birmingham, Alabama, which does much of the work for Birmingham-based Encompass, was the general contractor on the project.
Subcontractors on this project included JC Orr and Son Inc., Altoona, DC Goodman and Sons Inc., Huntingdon, DeGol Carpet, Duncansville, Leonard S. Fiore Inc., Altoona, and Westmoreland Electric.
Effective January 2, 2018, HealthSouth Corporation changed its name to Encompass Health Corporation. Currently, Encompass Health is the nation's largest inpatient rehabilitation provider with more than 150 hospitals in 37 states and Puerto Rico.
“We were the first hospital in the nation to achieve Joint Commission disease-specific certification for stroke, brain injury and spinal cord injury, and later added three hospitals: heart, orthopedics, and advanced diabetes,” said Dr. Filler. Ta.
Filler credits Encompass's success to its staff and physicians.
“Our employees and physicians have defined a vision and focus with three pillars: superior patient outcomes, superior patient experiences, and pristine environments. The key to success is our dedicated staff and physicians. ,” Filler said.
Senior Judge Daniel Milliron of Altoona was a patient of Encompass in 2023.
Mr. Milliron joined Encompass after being diagnosed with late-stage non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and undergoing chemotherapy.
For several months, he received both physical and occupational therapy.
“Dr. Hugh Newman and Dr. Rocky (Rakesh) Patel saved my life. They pushed me aggressively. The quality of care was sensational,” Milliron said. “It was difficult and I had to commit to it if I wanted to get better. The quality of care from the nurses to the doctors was excellent and they saved my life.”
Upon completion of this project, Encompass will have 44 rooms and
It has 80 beds and is a “pristine and patient-friendly location.”
“With the upgrades, everything is more functional,” Filler said.
Filler is optimistic about the facility's future.
“This is very encouraging. We are committed to one vision: this hospital will be a resource for the community for many years to come,” Filler said.
“They provide unparalleled service to this area,” Milliron said.
Mirror Staff writer Walt Frank can be reached at 814-946-7467.
