Mercy ceremony to mark rehab hospital opening

Mercy officials are slated to cut the ribbon this week on its $28 million rehabilitation hospital.

The ceremony is scheduled 9 a.m. April 16 at Mercy Rehabilitation Hospital Springfield,  5904 S. Southwood Road. An open house and tours of the facility will follow, according to a news release.

The 63,000-square-foot hospital represents a partnership between Mercy and Brentwood, Tenn.-based Centerre Healthcare Corp.

Immediately north of Mercy's $115 million orthopedic hospital, which opened last fall, the 60-bed rehab hospital aims to provide inpatient rehab services for patients recovering from strokes, brain or spinal cord injuries, amputations and severe orthopedic injuries.

McCarthy Building Cos. served as general contractor for the project, with architecture work by Nashville, Tenn.-based Earl Swensson Associates Inc.

The hospital represents one of Mercy's three partnerships with Centerre, including similar projects in St. Louis and Oklahoma City, the release said.

In October, Mercy hired Duke Saldivar as CEO of Mercy Rehabilitation Hospital Springfield. Saldivar had served since 2007 as CEO of HealthSouth's rehab hospital in Austin, Texas, according to Springfield Business Journal archives.