Rehab Hospital Planned for Post Falls Community
Encompass Health Corp. announced plans to construct a new 50‑bed rehabilitation hospital in Post Falls, Idaho, aiming to fill a regional shortage of inpatient rehab beds for seniors and other patients requiring intensive therapy.
Location and Project Details
The proposed Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Post Falls will sit on an eight‑acre parcel at 8142 N. Zorros Road, just south of the Jacklin Northwest development known as Jacklin Ranch Commercial Park. The site, valued at $620,000 according to the Kootenai County Assessor’s Office, lies a quarter‑mile east of Highway 41 and 2.5 miles north of Interstate 90, offering easy access for patients and families traveling from Spokane, Coeur d’Alene, and surrounding communities.
Covering roughly 55,000 square feet, the facility is projected to cost about $58 million to build.
Construction is slated to begin in October.
Permit records list Birmingham‑based Robins & Morton Corp. as the contractor, Chicago firm Perkins & Will Inc. as the architect, and MBA Engineers Inc. handling engineering services.
Services and Staffing
Encompass Health plans to provide 24‑hour nursing, physical, occupational, and speech therapies, as well as private rooms and a large therapy gym equipped with advanced rehabilitation technology. Additional amenities will include an activities suite, an in‑house dialysis unit, a dining room, a pharmacy, and an outdoor therapy courtyard.
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Patients are expected to stay an average of 14 days while recovering from strokes, neurological injuries, brain and spinal cord trauma, amputations, and complex orthopedic conditions. The hospital will initially employ around 100 staff members, expanding to between 150 and 200 as operations scale up, according to company statements.
Regional Impact
Kim Steward, president of Encompass Health’s West region, highlighted the demographic factors influencing the decision. “The area stood out because of its large and growing population of residents age 65 and older, a demographic that frequently utilizes inpatient rehabilitation services,” she wrote in an email to the journal. She added that the market has “relatively few rehabilitation beds … compared with the need.”
Encompass Health will become the second Idaho location for the company, joining its St. Alphonsus Regional Rehabilitation Hospital in Boise. Nationwide, the firm operates 175 inpatient rehabilitation hospitals across 39 states and Puerto Rico.
Other local providers have also been expanding capacity. Northern Idaho Advanced Care Hospital recently converted 17 long‑term acute care beds to inpatient rehabilitation, a move tied to a joint venture between Ernest Health and Kootenai Health.
For families in the Post Falls area, the new hospital could mean less travel and more time spent together during recovery. Shorter distances to a specialized rehab center may reduce the logistical strain on caregivers, who often juggle work, appointments, and the emotional demands of supporting loved ones through intensive therapy.
Once operational, the hospital’s proximity to major highways and acute‑care providers should streamline referrals and patient flow, according to the company’s planning documents.
