Jefferson Regional Hospital and Lifepoint Rehabilitation broke ground Thursday on an 84,000-square-foot facility that will host 40 inpatient rehabilitation beds and a 36-bed behavioral health unit in White Hall.
The new hospital will be located on the same piece of property as the current Jefferson Regional outpatient building located at 1600 West Holland in White Hall.
Jefferson Regional President and CEO Brian Thomas spoke with Deltaplex News, saying that they could have put these two services inside of the current hospital in Pine Bluff, but it wouldn’t allow for future expansion. Additionally, Thomas said the two services are typically found in stand-alone buildings.
Thomas said the planning of this project has been in the works for around two years, and he is excited to get to work on it.
White Hall Mayor Noel Foster said that the City of White Hall is appreciative of Jefferson Regional and Lifepoint Rehabilitation for choosing their city for this project.
Foster spoke about the process involved with bringing the hospital to White Hall.
The inpatient rehabilitation hospital will feature all private patient rooms with private bathrooms, intensive and a specialized rehabilitation services dedicated to the treatment and recovery of individuals who have experienced a loss of function due to an injury or illness.
It will also feature a secured brain injury unity with private dining and a therapy gym, in addition to a transitional living apartment to prepare patients for daily living tasks before they are discharged to go home, in addition to specialty programs dedicated to neuro, stroke, brain injury, and amputation.
The behavioral health unit with feature inpatient and outpatient behavioral health services for adults and seniors, alcohol and drug detoxification programs, crisis stabilization and triage for acute mental health and substance use disorders, and specialty programs dedicated to treating highly acute behavioral population.
Construction of the hospital is expected to begin early next week, and is expected to take approximately 14 months to complete.
