Expected late 2021, Brooks Rehabilitation will begin construction for a hospital center in Lake Nona, with 60 beds initially and then further expansion in the Orlando area.
“Brooks is known for our expertise in caring for the most complex injuries and illnesses, such as spinal cord injury, brain injury, stroke, and multiple traumas,” said Trevor Paris, Brooks Rehabilitation System’s chief medical officer. “Building a hospital in Lake Nona will allow us to provide exceptional care now as a destination medical center.”
In 2019, 392 of the 10,183 crashes in Florida during the Thanksgiving holiday period resulted in serious bodily injuries and 98 fatalities, according to a press release by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.
The more people who survive serious accidents, the more serious bodily injuries that often need rehabilitation to allow the patient to fully recover back to normal, according to the Institute of Medicine and National Research Council Committee on Trauma Research. Now, Lake Nona will have one rehabilitation option close to home.
Brooks Rehabilitation, headquartered in Jacksonville with a secondary location in Daytona Beach, has been in the physical rehabilitation business for over 50 years and has one of the largest inpatient rehabilitation hospitals in the country with 160 beds, according to a press release.
“We look forward to collaborating with the UCF College of Health Professions and Sciences and the College of Medicine around educational programming and research in Lake Nona’s living lab environment,” said Doug Baer, president and CEO of Brooks Rehabilitation.
Planning ahead for the future, the rehabilitation center plans to add other related services and community programs in Lake Nona.
“What impressed us further about Brooks is their commitment to research and education, in addition to specialized care, enhancing people’s lives, not just in the present but innovating continuously with an eye to a brighter future,” said Rasesh Thakkar, senior managing director at Tavistock Group.
