MARYVILLE (WATE) – Life Care Centers of America announced plans Monday to relocate and rebuild Colonial Hills Nursing Center.
Colonial Hills Nursing Center closed this past January after its Medicare certification was terminated because of deficient services.
The facility had been suspended by Medicare twice with deficiencies like
inappropriate touching of residents by a family member and failure to
report incidents in a timely manner. Residents were moved in December. It closed its doors in January.
"Definitely we made mistakes at Colonial Hills, but I don't think the mistakes rose to the level of punishments we received," said Life Care Centers of America President Beecher Hunter.
"It's unfortunate that things worked out as they did at Colonial Hills but we're moving on," Hunter explained.
The former center will soon be nothing more than a pile of bricks and rubble. Demolition of the Maryville location began at the start of August. The company announced it plans to file for a certification of need this week.
The plan to build at 1965 Stewart Lane in Louisville is pending approval of the application. Life Care hopes to break ground in the fall or winter at the new location.
"It's an area that will give us better access to more hospitals, certainly Blount Memorial but also Knoxville hospitals as well," Hunter explained.
The estimated project cost is more than $21 million.
The facility is expected to open with a new name that has yet to be decided, Hunter said.
"It will provide about 175 new jobs to the area, with an annual payroll of about $7.5 million and an annual economic impact of $18.8 million, considering payroll, taxes, and goods and services being purchased in the community," Hunter said.
But Hunter said those jobs will not necessarily be offered to the center's former employees.
"We certainly will encourage them to reapply, but again we will interview with the idea that we want the very best people available and possible for those positions to make this center all that it can be."
The company's president says new management and having a full time physician on staff will help prevent the problems of the past.
"The Tennessee General Assembly and Gov. Bill Haslam this year approved a bill allowing the state's nursing homes to hire physicians. This will be a great assurance to residents and families to know that our facility will have a doctor available 40 hours a week overseeing clinical services," Hunter said.
The proposed new building will have 120 beds, with accommodations for short-term inpatients and long-term residents including 80 private rooms and 20 semiprivate rooms. Private rooms will have their own showers, and oxygen and vacuum services will be available for all beds.
The rehabilitation offerings for both inpatients and outpatients will include a 4,000-square-foot rehab gym, state-of-the-art equipment and modalities, a physical therapy courtyard and a putting green.
The facility will also have its own in-house team of physical, occupational and speech therapists.
Patients will have access to a library, private dining room for family get-togethers, a beauty shop, four courtyards and an ice cream shop.
Former residents will be considered for the new facility on a case-by-case basis.
The new Colonial Hills Nursing Center will be one of 26 skilled nursing and rehabilitation facilities in Tennessee operated or managed by Life Care Centers of America.
Demolition of the Maryville location began at the start of August.
