Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network (GSRN) is planning a state-of-the-art Rehabilitation Hospital along Center Valley Parkway in Upper Saucon Township.

The three-story, 75-bed, inpatient facility will be built on 12 acres of GSRN-owned land, across from The Promenade Shops in Center Valley.

Construction is anticipated to take two years. The cost of the new facility has not been finalized.

The 123,000-square-foot facility will feature private rooms and offer world-class physical rehabilitation care to patients who are recovering from complex and catastrophic conditions, such as stroke, spinal cord injury, brain injury, multiple traumatic injuries, amputation, neurodegenerative diseases and more.

“Good Shepherd’s Center Valley campus will serve as a destination for recovery for patients, from our region and across the globe, who turn to Good Shepherd for our unique brand of hope, compassion, comfort and healing,” said Gary Schmidt, Chair, Board of Trustees, in a July 23 press release.

Plans call for the Center Valley Rehabilitation Hospital to replace GSRN’s South Allentown rehabilitation hospital, which opened in 1983.

GSRN is conducting a feasibility study to analyze re-use options for the hospital building, 850 S. Fifth St., Allentown.

“While our current Rehabilitation Hospital operations and staff will eventually shift to Center Valley, we fully intend to maintain a strong presence in South Allentown,” Schmidt said.

GSRN’s administrative offices and support services will remain in South Allentown, as will a number of patient and resident services, including long-term care, outpatient rehabilitation and physician services.

The Rehabilitation Hospital will be built on a 45-acre parcel of land that GSRN acquired in 2016. GSRN is in the process of evaluating uses for the remaining acreage that will benefit Good Shepherd’s patients and families, as well as Upper Saucon Township and surrounding areas.

Good Shepherd’s Office of Business Development is working with KRN Development and Francis Cauffman Architects on the design of the new hospital and campus.

Selection of a project construction firm is pending via an open bid (RFP) process.

“The project is closely tied to our mission, vision and a key component in achieving our Strategic Plan,” added Schmidt. “The Board of Trustees was extremely deliberate and thoughtful in taking this historic step.”

The new hospital will provide acute inpatient rehabilitation for adults, including physiatry services, nursing, occupational, physical, recreational and speech therapies, imaging, pharmacy, clinical psychology and more.

The building will house dedicated units for specific conditions, such as brain injury, spinal cord injury, stroke, and feature a multi-story therapy gym.

“This leading-edge facility will allow us to continue offering world-class physical rehabilitation, and to do so in a modern, comfortable space that maximizes patient recovery,” said Executive Director Frank Hyland, MS, PT.

“We also are excited to provide Good Shepherd Associates with an energizing, innovative environment that will help them grow as professionals, while they work to advance our industry,” Hyland said.

Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network, founded in 1908 in Allentown, is a nationally-recognized physical rehabilitation provider that offers an innovative continuum of care for adults and children with physical and cognitive needs.

Good Shepherd’s 2,100 associates treat patients at more than 70 locations in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Good Shepherd cares for adults and children with catastrophic injuries and conditions, such as spinal cord injury, brain injury, stroke, amputation and multiple traumatic injuries, as well as outpatient musculoskeletal and orthopedic rehabilitation services, home health, long-term acute care and long-term care.

The Good Shepherd Physician Group is highly regarded for clinical excellence and its commitment to maximizing patients’ functional outcomes, delivering compassionate care and being a national leader in the use of innovative rehabilitation technologies.

Good Shepherd physicians are experts who specialize in various aspects of rehabilitation care.

Good Shepherd is the world’s leading clinical user of the Ekso Bionics exoskeleton to treat patients with spinal cord injuries and was one of four facilities internationally designated by Ekso as a “Center for Robotic Excellence.”

Good Shepherd’s long-term care facilities have consistently received five-star ratings from US News and World Report.

Good Shepherd partners with the University of Pennsylvania Health System to provide comprehensive rehabilitation and specialty services in the Greater Philadelphia area through Good Shepherd Penn Partners, a joint venture.

Information: www.GoodShepherdRehab.org