Encompass Health to build 40-bed inpatient rehab hospital in Cape Coral

Encompass Health has placed land under contract and plans to build a freestanding, 40-bed, inpatient rehabilitation hospital in Cape Coral. It’s expected to be named Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Cape Coral.

The hospital will care for patients recovering from debilitating illnesses and injuries, including strokes and other neurological disorders, brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, amputations and complex orthopedic conditions.

We spoke to a family Tuesday that explained why this facility is needed in the city.

Todd Rigoni is the epitome of tough.

“He’s a fighter, said Lisa Rigoni, Todd’s wide.

Months after being released from the hospital after surviving two strokes, Todd, a retired Cape Coral firefighter, is standing.

“We got married a couple weeks ago, and Todd walked me down the aisle,” Lisa said.

Lisa credits inpatient therapy as one of the reasons for her husband’s progress That’s why she’s happy more options are coming to Southwest Florida.

“I had to travel back-and-forth every day, so, obviously, something closer would’ve been excellent,” Lisa said.

Encompass Health is planning it hospital at the southwest corner of Pine Island Road and Pondella Road.

The planned location of the hospital would mean more business for Kim and Jeff Johner’s outpatient facility, Physical Therapy Now Cape Coral, which can be found just down the road from the Encompass Health project. They say there’s a need for more inpatient facilities as the region’s population grows.

“We are excited for more inpatient facilities in this community. It’s much need,” Kim said. “Hospital stays have been much shorter in recent years, and for that reason, inpatient rehab facilities are a vital part of a patient’s continued care.”

As for Todd Rigoni, he’s working on the next step in his journey by learning how to walk all by himself all over again.

The hospital will provide physical, occupational and speech therapies that aim to restore functional ability and quality of life and 24–hour care by registered nurses.

“The Cape Coral and Fort Meyers areas continue to grow, and with that comes the need for additional healthcare services,” said Linda Wilder, the president of Encompass Health’s southeast region. “Given our long tenure operating hospitals in Florida for over 30 years, we’ve watched the need for intensive rehabilitation services increase in those communities.”

The hospital is expected to feature private patient rooms, a spacious therapy gym with advanced rehabilitation technologies and an activities of daily living suite, cafeteria, dining room, pharmacy and therapy courtyard.

Encompass Health hasn’t released an opening date.

“Our new, state–of–the–art hospital will be designed based on our experience treating almost 190,000 physical rehabilitation patients annually in our hospitals throughout the country,” Wilder said. “We look forward to becoming part of a strong, well–managed healthcare network augmenting the continuum of care through this new hospital.”