Sheltering Arms Institute adds 30 beds at West Creek rehab hospital

Sheltering Arms Institute has finished a $25 million, 30-bed expansion at its freestanding inpatient physical rehabilitation hospital in West Creek, increasing the facility’s capacity from 114 to 144 beds. The added rooms are on the hospital’s fourth floor, which was built out as shell space when the 212,000-square-foot facility opened to patients in June 2020.

The expansion, announced this week, adds 30 private patient rooms and creates a fifth specialized care unit at the hospital at 2000 Wilkes Ridge Drive, just west of Short Pump near the Route 288 interchange. Hospital leaders said the added capacity is meant to increase access to inpatient rehab for patients recovering from strokes, spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, limb loss, and other conditions that require intensive therapy.

Sheltering Arms Institute CEO Alan Lombardo said the hospital has served about 13,000 patients from 28 states since opening, which he cited as evidence of regional demand for specialized inpatient rehabilitation services. A similar need was cited when the organization first sought state approval for the expansion in 2023, when Lombardo told local media that the additional beds would raise capacity to 144.

The new fourth-floor unit will also become the home of the Dallas Disbro Ability Center, the hospital’s spinal cord injury unit. The Ability Center originally opened in August 2020 and includes dedicated therapy space and specialized equipment for spinal cord injury and complex-care recovery.

According to the Institute, the new unit includes all-private rooms with en-suite bathrooms, patient engagement tools through the GetWell Network, in-room voice-assistive technology, a community room for dining and group programming, and a satellite gym with advanced rehab equipment, including an on-unit bodyweight-support system. The fourth floor also includes a MyLife Room assistive-technology lab, along with additional conference and office space.

The project was funded through a combination of bank financing and equity contributions from joint venture partners Sheltering Arms and VCU Health. The Virginia Department of Health approved the expansion in October 2023 through the state’s certificate of public need process, and construction began in late 2024. The Institute said the buildout was completed with Barton Malow as general contractor, HDR as architect, and JLL providing project management and design services.