New wellness center marks first phase of rehab facility’s expansion

The team of architects, designers and contractors collaborated to complete Rancho Los Amigos’ new wellness center three months ahead of schedule.

Photo credit: John Edward Linden Photography

The first phase of the Rancho Rising 2020 project, a $418 million, multiphase construction and renovation at Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center near Los Angeles, was marked with the recent opening of the Don Knabe Wellness Center.

The wellness center is part of the Rancho Los Amigos health care community goal to increase both the patients’ and community’s accessibility to advanced rehabilitative technologies and wellness practices.

The new 12,186-square-foot wellness center includes a fully equipped gym with accessible exercise machines and will offer a variety of classes and activities for patients, caregivers and community members of different abilities, which improve balance, strength, endurance and coordination regardless of physical ability.

The center offers recovery and rehabilitation care for patients with spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, orthopedic disabilities, strokes, neurological disorders, and physical and developmental
 disorders.

Photo credit: John Edward Linden Photography

Classes promote relaxation, meditation and creative exploration. The center also features a therapy pool with an underwater treadmill, which will be used by patients under medical supervision.

“Patients will have access to specialized equipment and programs to own their health and wellness at the Don Knabe Wellness Center,” says Jorge Orozco, CEO, Rancho Los Amigos. 

“The wellness center and other features of Rancho Rising 2020 reflect a new model for the future, one that empowers patients to stay at home, be active in their communities, while enabling the use of self-directed rehabilitation tools and treatments. The focus is on teaching strategies to achieve and sustain a healthy life,” he says.

The center features a therapy pool with an underwater treadmill.

Photo credit: John Edward Linden Photography

The team of architects, designers and contractors collaborated to create Rancho Los Amigos’ new wellness center with design and construction in less than one year, three months ahead of schedule.

Key members of the design and build team include contractor McCarthy Building Cos. Inc., Newport, Calif.; design architect SmithGroupJJR, Los Angeles; and architect of record, Taylor Design, Irvine, Calif.

The rehab center offers recovery and rehabilitation care for patients with adult and pediatric spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, orthopedic disabilities, strokes, neurological disorders, and physical and developmental
 disorders.

The wellness center includes a fully equipped gym with accessible exercise machines.

Photo credit: John Edward Linden Photography

The Rancho Rising 2020 project includes renovation and extension of the Jacquelin Perry Institute, the existing inpatient hospital on the 212-acre campus, and construction of a new outpatient facility.

The project also calls for construction of a new centralized entrance, wayfinding tower and a central plaza with a series of interconnected gardens offering places for patients and visitors to heal and relax.

Unique, even among rehabilitation centers, the community transcends the typical "patient" label, creating a truly unique Rancho Los Amigos culture. Many former patients return to the campus
 to mentor patients who are learning to rebuild after a life-altering event. The design not only provides a place for high-quality care but also supports the spirit of inclusive community and continued involvement.

In other health care facility news:

• The University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington is constructing a $187 million, 180,000-square-foot addition above the existing emergency department parking area. The new design features four inpatient floors, each with 32 single occupancy rooms that will vastly improve the patient experience by enhancing privacy and reducing noise. 

  Acoustics and security design consulting firm Acentech is working with architecture firm MorrisSwitzer Environments for Health, on the new inpatient bed replacement facility, named the Robert E. and Holly D. Miller Building.

• Mohawk Valley Health System, Utica, N.Y., has selected NBBJ as the architectural firm and Turner Construction Co. as the construction manager for the new 750,000-square-foot hospital in downtown Utica.

  The cost projection for the integrated health campus is approximately $480 million, the health system states.

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