Siskin Hospital for Physical Rehabilitation announced it has executed a letter of intent to acquire St. Barnabas Healthcare Center.
St. Barnabas is located on Siskin Hospital’s main campus and currently shares some services. “By joining these two not-for-profit, mission-driven organizations, it will allow us to expand the continuum of care currently provided by Siskin Hospital to the community,” Carol Sim, president and CEO of Siskin Hospital, stated.
Ms. Sim said that with numerous and ongoing changes in healthcare, Siskin Hospital and St. Barnabas are adapting in a beneficial way to prepare for and ensure a successful future. This acquisition will bring acute inpatient rehabilitation, subacute rehabilitation, and outpatient rehabilitation services, in addition to long-term care under one entity. It will also allow a single point of entry for patients, providing them improved access to the right level of care at the appropriate time.
“St. Barnabas has a long, rich history of providing care for seniors in the Chattanooga area. The purchase of St. Barnabas by Siskin Hospital will position us to continue our well-known and respected legacy as a provider of short-term and long-term care well into the future,” stated David Wildgen, president and CEO of St. Barnabas. “We are pleased to have the opportunity to retain the St. Barnabas name.”
The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, as well as review by the Tennessee Attorney General’s office and the Tennessee Division of Healthcare Facilities. With the signing of the letter of intent, this acquisition is expected to take place in the coming months.
Siskin Hospital for Physical Rehabilitation opened in 1990 as the first freestanding, not-for-profit rehabilitation hospital in Tennessee built specifically for rehabilitation patients. Siskin Hospital offers an inpatient and outpatient campus, as well as off-site locations. The Hospital is dedicated exclusively to physical rehabilitation, and is nationally known for providing exceptional rehabilitation care through a full continuum of patient care services. Siskin Hospital offers specialized treatment programs in brain injury, amputation, stroke, spinal cord injury, orthopedics, and major multiple trauma. The Hospital also provides treatment for neurological disorders and loss of muscle strength and control following illness or surgery. Currently, Siskin Hospital remains as the only freestanding, not-for-profit rehabilitation hospital in Tennessee and is accredited by both The Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) and Joint Commission.
St. Barnabas was established in 1965 when community leaders joined the Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee to meet the need for quality elder care in Chattanooga. In 2012 the original campus at Sixth and Pine Streets was sold to an independent buyer. The nursing home division was relocated in 2007 to a new building on the campus of Siskin Hospital and has become a short-term home for many who receive therapy before returning to their homes.