Atlanta, GA,
16
November
2018
|
15:33 PM
America/New_York

Shepherd Center Purchases Property to Expand Family Housing Program

Nearby facility will also include space for clinical and administrative services.

Shepherd Center announced today that it has purchased land just south of the hospital on Peachtree Road in Atlanta and plans to build a facility to expand its housing program for patients’ family members. The new building would provide additional space for Shepherd’s clinical and/or administrative operations and perhaps some retail space for establishments that could meet the needs of family members.

“The multi-million-dollar project, which will be several years in the making, is part of Shepherd Center’s Vision 2025 plan to expand to meet the needs of patients and their families from across the nation,” said CEO and President Sarah Morrison, PT, MBA, MHA. “Our goal is to improve access to the nationally ranked, specialized rehabilitation care and support we provide to patients, as well as the services we offer to meet the needs of their families.”

Shepherd Center is a private, not-for-profit, 152-bed hospital specializing in medical treatment, research and rehabilitation for people with spinal cord injury, brain injury, stroke, multiple sclerosis, spine and chronic pain, and other neuromuscular conditions. More than half of the hospital’s patients come from outside of Georgia to get specialized inpatient and outpatient care at Shepherd Center, which is ranked among the top 10 rehabilitation facilities in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.

The hospital’s new 2.7-acre property at 1860 Peachtree Road sits near the corner of Peachtree and Collier roads in the Buckhead area of Atlanta – across from a 16-story Piedmont Healthcare facility that is under construction. Working with commercial real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield, Shepherd Center leaders negotiated a deal to purchase the property for nearly $20 million.

Shepherd’s plans for the site are still in development, but the additional housing units in the new facility would nearly double the hospital’s current housing program, which includes an 84-unit family residence center adjacent to the hospital, Morrison said. Currently – through the support of generous donors – Shepherd Center provides up to 30 days of housing to families of newly injured rehabilitation inpatients, if both the family and patient live more than 60 miles from the hospital. Many patients and families in the hospital’s full-day outpatient programs also stay in Shepherd Center housing.

“Having family members close by to provide support and participate in training during their loved one’s rehabilitation is vital to the recovery of our patients,” Morrison said. “That’s why expanding our family housing program is so important, and it’s our reason for purchasing this nearby property, which is within walking distance of our main campus. The availability of more housing will help us reduce the financial and emotional burden on our patients’ families so they can have a place to stay throughout their loved one’s entire length of stay, which averages about 50 days, at Shepherd Center. The last thing needed by a family in the middle of a life-altering medical crisis is concern with where to lay their head down at night.”

Learn more about Shepherd Center at shepherd.org.

Inside Healthcare: Shepherd Center Profileopens in new window
Shepherd Center is building new housing and making upgrades to its electronic medical records system.
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Jan
2019
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About Shepherd Center

Shepherd Center provides world-class clinical care, research, and family support for people experiencing the most complex conditions, including spinal cord and brain injuries, multi-trauma, traumatic amputations, stroke, multiple sclerosis, and pain. An elite center recognized as both Spinal Cord Injury and Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems, Shepherd Center is ranked by U.S. News as one of the nation’s top hospitals for rehabilitation. Shepherd Center treats thousands of patients annually with unmatched expertise and unwavering compassion to help them begin again.