Parkview Health has found another tenant for Parkview Hospital's Randallia campus – Vibra Hospital of Fort Wayne.
Vibra Hospital, a long-term acute-care hospital now located at 2626 Fairfield Ave., is expected to relocate its services to Parkview Hospital next year. In announcing the move, Parkview Health said Vibra's location within Parkview Hospital, its square footage and opening date have not been decided yet.
Vibra has a series of specialized programs and services focused on improving the medical conditions of patients who require additional or extended acute medical care. For example, about 30 percent of long-term acute-care patients nationwide are pulmonary patients, such as people being weaned off ventilators, said Robert Gerick, regional CEO, Vibra Hospital of Fort Wayne.
Gerick said Vibra is licensed for 48 beds, but uses only 24 of them on one floor of its Fairfield location, where it has operated for about a year. Vibra generally has between 10 and 20 patients, he said. Vibra has about 50 full-time and 20 part-time employees.
Gerick said moving into Parkview Hospital at Randallia will bring Vibra much better access to physicians, many of whom aren't willing to drive to the Fairfield location – located as far as it is from major hospitals – to do a half-hour or hour of work with a patient or two.
Parkview Health recently announced another accomplishment in ensuring its Randallia campus remains a vibrant part of near-northeast Fort Wayne after Parkview Regional Medical Center opens next March: the creation of an educational consortium that could bring more than 1,000 students there for classes, with perhaps as many as 3,000 students eventually.
Fort Wayne Community Schools, Huntington University, Ivy Tech Community College-Northeast, Trine University and University of Saint Francis are part of the consortium that will focus on rehabilitation, senior care and behavioral health.
Parkview Health plans a significant presence at Parkview Hospital after Parkview Regional Medical Center opens, including:
*At least 120 beds, all in private rooms.
*A mix of inpatient acute care, post-acute care and rehabilitation services,
including a skilled-nursing facility.
*A full-service, 24/7 emergency department.
*Family birthing services.
*Surgery suites.
*Select outpatient services.
*Physician offices.
