FORT SMITH, Ark — Mercy Fort Smith broke ground on the 62,570-square-foot Mercy Rehabilitation Hospital-Fort Smith in Chaffee Crossing on a rainy Feb. 12, 2020. Friday (May 21), another rainy day, dignitaries cut the ribbon to officially open the new hospital.
The $21 million hospital sits on four acres adjacent to the Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine on the Arkansas College of Health Education campus and will serve as a teaching site for students in ACHE’s School of Occupational Therapy and School of Physical Therapy. ACHE donated the land for the hospital from the acreage it owns at Chaffee Crossing.
It marks the fifth joint venture between Mercy and Louisville, Ky.-based Kindred Healthcare, said Russ Bailey, president of Kindred Rehabilitation. Kindred Healthcare will manage the day-to-day operations of the hospital, which is scheduled to open to patients on June 1. Cory VanMeter will serve as the CEO. The new hospital will employ 140 at full operation, many of which will be new jobs created for the local market.