Vibra Hospital of Fort Wayne, which provides long-term acute care, expects to move to the Parkview Hospital Randallia campus and be operating there by December, officials said Tuesday.
Vibra and Parkview will remain separate entities, but have signed a lease agreement for Vibra to occupy about 17,200 square feet on the second and fifth floors within Parkview Hospital Randallia.
Parkview Health announced last November that Vibra, which has been providing acute hospital care at 2626 Fairfield Ave., planned to lease space inside its Randallia hospital campus this year.
John Pierson, CEO for Vibra Hospital of Fort Wayne, said his company would spend more than $1 million to renovate the space at Parkview Hospital. He said the lease agreement is for five years.
Vibra is licensed to operate 48 beds locally, but initially will have 24 at Parkview.
“We’re running in the teens, our average occupancy, so we feel we will comfortably be able to move into Parkview,” Pierson said, adding that Vibra has an agreement to expand as patient demand increases.
The Randallia campus is a “more central location with easier access for medical staff and easier access to us for specialties that exist there at Parkview Randallia,” Pierson said.
The Fairfield building in which Vibra has been operating is owned by a real estate investment trust, he said. A new tenant is being sought.
Vibra provides specialized programs and services for patients who require extended complex acute medical care, including comprehensive pulmonary care, ventilator management and weaning.
“Parkview Hospital Randallia is a vibrant facility that continues to add services,” said Dr. Greg Johnson, associate chief medical officer at Parkview Hospital.
“The services provided by Vibra will be a tremendous benefit to patients in need of long term acute care.”
Vibra employs about 100 locally, and that number will increase as patient demand grows, Pierson said.
Vibra Hospital is part of Vibra Healthcare LLC, based in Mechanicsburg, Pa., and has another Indiana location in Merrillville and hospitals and rehabilitation centers in 11 states.
