Duke Health, WakeMed and Lifepoint Health Celebrate Opening of New Rehabilitation Hospital
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DURHAM, N.C. -- Duke Health, WakeMed and Lifepoint Health celebrated the opening of Peak Rehabilitation Hospital today in Apex. The 52-bed rehabilitation hospital is a joint venture between Duke Health, WakeMed and Lifepoint Rehabilitation, a business unit of Lifepoint Health, that was announced in 2021.
“The health challenges of our communities are complex, and we are proud to partner with WakeMed and Lifepoint Health to provide patients and their families access to innovative, cost-effective and high-quality inpatient rehab care,” said Craig Albanese, M.D., chief executive officer of Duke University Health System.
Duke Health and WakeMed are both home to comprehensive rehabilitation programs, accredited through the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), that support children and adults on their path to recovery and their journey to maximum rehabilitation and independence.
“As a nationally ranked and leading provider of rehabilitation services in the Southeast, we have long discussed ways to expand access to high-quality, compassionate inpatient rehab care by utilizing our combined expertise and resources to help patients recover, regain their independence and rejoin the community after a serious illness or injury,” said Donald Gintzig, WakeMed president and CEO. “This joint venture with Duke Health and Lifepoint represents our commitment to meeting the growing needs of our community while carrying out our mission to strengthen the health of our community.”
Lifepoint Health and Duke Health are long-time partners in providing high-quality health care services through their joint venture, Duke Lifepoint Healthcare, established in 2011. Duke Lifepoint Healthcare has an extensive footprint across North Carolina with nine acute care hospitals and brings together Duke’s expertise in clinical excellence and academic medicine and Lifepoint’s extensive resources, knowledge and experience operating community hospitals.
“Through 14 years of partnership, Lifepoint Health and Duke Health have evidenced the power of bringing academic research and quality excellence to front-line community hospitals,” said David Dill, chairman and chief executive officer of Lifepoint Health. “I am proud to see the expansion of our partnership and our collaboration with WakeMed as we bring vitally needed specialty care to communities like Apex. Today is an exciting day for our team at Lifepoint Rehabilitation, and I know that as we open the doors to Peak Rehabilitation Hospital and welcome our first patients, we are advancing our mission of making communities healthier.”
The two-story rehabilitation hospital spans more than 60,000 square feet and includes all private rooms, large interdisciplinary therapy gyms, therapeutic courtyards with gardens, walking paths and pickleball, specially designed rooms to treat dialysis patients and a scaled transitional living apartment to help prepare patients for their return to activities of daily living.
“Today is a remarkable day for patients in and beyond Wake County,” said Rob Warfuel, chief executive officer of Peak Rehabilitation Hospital. “Alongside our colleagues at Lifepoint Rehabilitation and our partners at Duke Health and WakeMed, we have built an industry-leading clinical team here in Apex, specially trained to provide intensive, individualized treatments that aid patients in recovery, and we’re able to provide that care in a facility that was designed in every way to serve their unique needs.”
Lifepoint Rehabilitation will manage day-to-day operations for the hospital, providing acute rehabilitation care for patients who have experienced a loss of function from injury or illness, such as stroke, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, complex neurological disorders, orthopedic conditions, multiple traumas, amputation and other injuries or disorders.