The hospital is a joint venture between Piedmont and Encompass Health

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., and COLUMBUS, Ga., September 12, 2023 – Piedmont and Encompass Health (NYSE: EHC) announce the opening of the Rehabilitation Hospital of Columbus, a 40-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital located at 8321 Veterans Parkway in Columbus, Georgia. The hospital serves patients recovering from debilitating illnesses and injuries including strokes and other neurological disorders, brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, amputations and complex orthopedic conditions.

In addition to 24-hour nursing care, the Rehabilitation Hospital of Columbus offers physical, occupational and speech therapies to restore functional ability and quality of life. Care is provided by highly specialized nurses, therapists and physicians. The hospital features all private patient rooms, a large therapy gym, an activities of daily living suite, dialysis suite, a therapy courtyard, a cafeteria and a dayroom.

“We are excited to open this state-of-the-art hospital to help individuals recovering from injury or illness regain strength and build confidence with the goal of returning to an independent life,” said Kendra Sermarini, CEO of Rehabilitation Hospital of Columbus. “Both Piedmont and Encompass Health have a proven track record of quality and patient satisfaction and are united in our mission of providing specialized care, close to home. We look forward to positively impacting the lives of many.”

The hospital is an expansion of the joint venture partnership between Piedmont and Encompass Health. The joint venture also includes Rehabilitation Hospital of Newnan, Rehabilitation Hospital of Henry, Regional Rehabilitation Hospital in Phenix City, and a hospital-in-hospital currently under construction inside Piedmont Atlanta Hospital. Piedmont and Encompass Health have also announced plans for a hospital in Athens, Georgia.

"We’re grateful for the partnership between Piedmont Columbus Regional and Encompass Health that has grown to include multiple hospitals across the state over the past 20 years," said Piedmont Columbus Regional CEO Scott Hill. “We are excited to expand our presence to bring high quality, cost-effective inpatient rehabilitation services to individuals in the Columbus community.”

The Rehabilitation Hospital of Columbus is Encompass Health’s 159^th inpatient rehabilitation hospital nationwide and its sixth location in Georgia. For more information about the hospital’s services, please visit encompasshealth.com/columbusrehab.

About Piedmont

Piedmont is empowering Georgians by changing health care. We continue to fuel Georgia’s growth through safe, high-quality care close to home through an integrated health care system that provides a hassle-free, unified experience. We are a private, not-for-profit organization that for centuries has lived up to our purpose to make a positive difference in every life we touch in the communities we serve. The Leapfrog Group, a non-profit organization that rates hospitals on safety, has consistently awarded Piedmont more A grades than any system in Georgia. Across our 1,600 physical locations we care for 3.7 million patients and serve communities that comprise 80 percent of Georgia’s population. This includes 22 hospitals, 65 Piedmont Urgent Care centers, 25 QuickCare locations, 1,875 Piedmont Clinic physician practices and nearly 3,100 Piedmont Clinic members. Millions of patients conveniently engage with Piedmont online, as they visited Piedmont.org and Piedmont MyChart over 30 million times, scheduled more than 515,000 online appointments and over 154,000 virtual visits. With more than 37,000 care givers we are the largest Georgia-based employer of Georgians, who all came for the job, but stayed for the people. In 2023, Piedmont has earned recognition from Newsweek as one of America’s Greatest Workplaces for Diversity and also as one of America's Greatest Workplaces for Women. In 2022, Forbes ranked Piedmont on its list of the Best Large Employers in the United States. In addition, Piedmont provided nearly $360 million in Community Benefit in Fiscal Year 2022, including approximately $310 million in uncompensated care.

For more information, or to book your next appointment, visit piedmont.org.

About Encompass Health

Encompass Health (NYSE: EHC) is the largest owner and operator of rehabilitation hospitals in the United States. With a national footprint that includes 159 hospitals in 37 states and Puerto Rico, the Company provides high-quality, compassionate rehabilitative care for patients recovering from a major injury or illness, using advanced technology and innovative treatments to maximize recovery. Encompass Health is ranked as one of Fortune's 100 Best Companies to Work For and Modern Healthcare’s Best Places to Work in Healthcare. For more information, visit encompasshealth.com, or follow us on our newsroom<, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.