New long-term acute care hospital opens

~ Facility is designed for chronic or catastrophic illness or injury patients who require lengthy hospital stays.

A new long-term acute care hospital has opened its doors in Cape Girardeau, providing what administrators describe as a facility for those with "medically complex" conditions who require longer recovery times.

Landmark Hospital, a joint venture with Saint Francis Healthcare System, opened recently at 3255 Independence St. between Farrar Drive and South Mount Auburn Road.

Last week, only one patient was at the hospital -- an 81-year-old motor vehicle accident victim with trauma wounds -- but chief clinical officer and registered nurse Deborah Taylor said she expects more patients in the coming weeks.

The hospital features 30 private rooms with the capacity to incorporate an additional 12 rooms as the need for specialized medical services increases, she said.

Landmark is designed for chronic or catastrophic illness or injury patients who require hospital stays of 25 days or longer, Taylor said. Patients who need extended stays typically include those who are having trouble being weaned from a ventilator, those who have had massive heart attacks or those who need longer rehabilitation times.

Landmark Hospital, she said, is ideal for patients with medically complex conditions who require continuous ventilation, dialysis, complex wound care, multiple intravenous therapies or are recovering from extensive surgery.

Landmark offers an intensive-care type setting, she said.

"It's the same level of care that other hospitals give, just for longer," Taylor said. "Sometimes some people just need more time, longer to heal."

Hospitals like Saint Francis Medical Center and Southeast Missouri Hospital are typically for shorter stays. Taylor said patients sometimes are sent to St. Louis for longer stays. Taylor said that even though Saint Francis will control about 30 percent of the operations, Landmark doesn't compete with any area hospitals and that they will take referrals from both. Landmark partners Michael Norman, who is CEO at Landmark, and Dr. William Kapp hold the other 70 percent.

Norman pointed out that Cape Girardeau is a regional provider for many commercial and medical institutions and services nearly a half-million people.

"This region deserves many of the same medical privileges found in large metropolitan areas," he said, noting that Landmark is the only facility of its kind between St. Louis and Memphis.

The facility employs 38 people and the staff is comprised of many clinicians, including doctors, nurses and therapists.

smoyers@semissourian.com

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