Rehab Reboot: Encompass Health center gets makeover
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The final touches are being put in place on a $13 million renovation project at Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Altoona.
The project marked the fourth renovation of the facility, which opened as the Rehabilitation Hospital of Altoona in January 1986. It became HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital of Altoona in 1993.
In 1994, patient rooms were remodeled. In 2000, an outpatient complex in the rear of the building which included a swimming pool was added and a 2011 project added the northeast wing which includes nine rooms, 18 beds and a gym, according to Scott Filler, who has been with the hospital for 36 years, the last 26 as CEO.
"This project makes it all blend together," Filler said.
Filler calls the nine-phase project a "total refresh" of the interior and exterior of the 90,000-square-foot facility.
"We redid everything: lighting, floors, dry wall, new bed locators, restrooms all with tile to preserve them. We repainted our roof, did the concrete sidewalks, redid the entry ways. We also will mill the parking area and repave it," Filler said.
The project started in July 2020 in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic and brought forth some challenges.
"We tried to continue to operate because of our mission to serve the community. At any one time, we had eight beds out of service. At different times, we would have two COVID units which required isolation. We added negative pressure to one complete wing and two smaller areas to enable us to admit COVID patients from UPMC. We wanted to protect the safety of the patients," Filler said.
Encompass has a high demand for its services, receiving about 30 requests per day for inpatient services, Filler said.
"We treat 1,700 inpatients and 35,000 outpatients per year," Filler said.
The current project was needed because of general wear and tear to the building and it enabled Encompass to make some Americans With Disabilities Act improvements, Filler said.
"It had been on the radar due to the age of our building. Local management saw the need and it was recognized by the home office as a necessity. This will allow us to operate for years to come without any glaring capital improvements needed," Filler said.
Doster Construction of Birmingham, Ala., which does a lot of work for the Birmingham-based Encompass, was the project's general contractor.
J.C. Orr and Son Inc., Altoona, D.C. Goodman and Sons Inc., Huntingdon, DeGol Carpet, Duncansville, Leonard S. Fiore Inc., Altoona, and Westmoreland Electric were among the subcontractors on the project.
HealthSouth Corporation changed its name to Encompass Health Corporation, effective Jan. 2, 2018. Today, Encompass Health is the nation's largest provider of inpatient rehabilitation with more than 150 hospitals in 37 states and Puerto Rico.
"We were the first hospital in the United States to hold Joint Commission Disease Specific Certification in stroke, brain injury and spinal cord injury and we later added three others -- cardiac, orthopedic and advanced diabetes," Filler said.
Filler attributes Encompass's success to the staff and physicians.
"It has been our vision and focus by our employees and physicians which entails three pillars: Excellent patient outcomes, an excellent patient experience and a pristine environment. The key to success has been our committed staff and physicians," Filler said.
Senior Judge Daniel Milliron of Altoona was an Encompass patient in 2023.
Milliron came to Encompass after being diagnosed with late stage non-Hodgkin lymphoma and undergoing chemotherapy treatment.
For several months, he received both physical and occupational therapy.
"Doctors Hugh Newman and Rocky (Rakesh) Patel saved my life. They pushed me aggressively. The quality of care was sensational," Milliron said. "It was difficult and you had to be committed to it if you want to get better. The quality of care from the nurses to the physicians was superb -- they saved my life."
The completion of the project makes Encompass, which has 44 rooms and
80 beds, a "pristine and preferred location for patients."
"The upgrades have made everything more functional," Filler said.
Filler is optimistic about the future of the facility.
"It is very bright, we are committed to one vision with this hospital being a community resource for years to come," Filler said.
"They provide a service for the region that is unmatched," Milliron said.
Mirror Staff Writer Walt Frank is at 814-946-7467.