Rehabilitation Hospital of Athens Now Open in Georgia

The 40-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital is a joint venture between Encompass Health and Piedmont.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. and ATHENS, Ga., March 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Encompass Health, the nation's largest owner and operator of inpatient rehabilitation hospitals, and Piedmont, the largest healthcare system in the state of Georgia, announced the opening of Rehabilitation Hospital of Athens, a 40-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital located at 1083 Parkway Blvd. in Athens, Georgia.

The hospital provides essential rehabilitative services that help patients recovering from strokes, brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, amputations and complex orthopedic conditions regain function and independence. Patients receive a minimum of three hours of intensive therapy for five days each week, frequent physician visits and 24-hour nursing care.

"Our talented team is excited to serve the Athens community," said Loretta Rice, CEO of Rehabilitation Hospital of Athens. "The compassionate, high-quality care we provide in our beautiful new hospital will help patients reach their rehabilitation goals and return to what matters most."

Hospital amenities include all private patient rooms, a spacious therapy gym featuring advanced rehabilitation technologies, an activities of daily living suite, in-house dialysis suite, therapy courtyard, dining room, in-house pharmacy and dayroom areas. An interdisciplinary team of highly specialized nurses, therapists and physicians provide physical, occupational and speech therapies to restore functional ability and quality of life.

"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," said Ronnie Wagley, President of Encompass Health's South Atlantic region. "We look forward to positively impacting the lives of many in the Athens community."

The joint venture partnership between Encompass Health and Piedmont also includes Rehabilitation Hospital of Newnan, Georgia; Rehabilitation Hospital of Henry, Georgia; Rehabilitation Hospital of Phenix City, Alabama; Rehabilitation Hospital of Columbus, Georgia; Rehabilitation Hospital of Atlanta, Georgia; and Rehabilitation Hospital of Augusta, Georgia. Piedmont and Encompass Health have also announced plans for a hospital in Loganville, Georgia.

"We're incredibly grateful for the strong partnership we've built with Encompass Health," said Michael Burnett, CEO of Piedmont Athens Regional. "I'm thrilled to expand our services to bring individualized inpatient rehabilitation treatment to patients in Athens and the surrounding areas." 

Rehabilitation Hospital of Athens is Encompass Health's 167th inpatient rehabilitation hospital nationwide and its eighth location in Georgia. For more information about the hospital's services, encompasshealth.com/locations/athensrehab.

About Encompass Health
Encompass Health (NYSE: EHC) is the largest owner and operator of inpatient rehabilitation hospitals in the United States. With a national footprint that includes 167 hospitals in 38 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 World's Most Admired Companies, Becker's Hospital Review's 150 Top Places to Work in Healthcare and Forbes' Most Trusted Companies in America. For more information, visit encompasshealth.com, or follow us on our newsroom, X, Instagram and Facebook.

From Fortune. © 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All rights reserved. Fortune® is a registered trademark and Fortune World's Most Admired Companies™ is trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited and are used under license. Fortune and Fortune Media IP Limited are not affiliated with, and do not endorse products or services of, Encompass Health. From Forbes © 2024 Forbes Media LLC. All rights reserved. Used under license.

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 with more than 12,000 donors annually that for centuries has sought to make a positive difference in every life we touch in the communities we serve. Across our 1,755 physical locations we care for more than 4 million patients and serve communities that comprise 85 percent of Georgia's population. This includes 25 hospitals, 75 Piedmont Urgent Care centers, 25 Quick Care locations, 1,875 Piedmont Clinic physician practices and nearly 3,200 Piedmont Clinic members. Our patients conveniently engage with Piedmont online, as they scheduled more than 612,000 online appointments and over 163,000 virtual visits. With more than 47,000 care givers we are the largest Georgia-based private employer of Georgians, who all came for the job, but stayed for the people. In 2024 and 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 $390 million in community benefit programming and uncompensated care in Fiscal Year 2023. For more information, or booking your next appointment, visit piedmont.org. 

Encompass Health media contact:     
Polly Manuel | 205-970-5912                          
[email protected]   

Piedmont media contact:
Sarah Teach | 404-550-6932
[email protected]

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/rehabilitation-hospital-of-athens-now-open-in-georgia-302404956.html

SOURCE Encompass Health Corp.