Kaweah Health expands subacute care facility in Visalia

VISALIA, Calif. (KFSN) -- Kaweah Health is expanding its long-term subacute care facility in Visalia, reopening space that was closed after the COVID-19 pandemic and adding beds intended to help patients receive specialized care closer to home.

The expansion restores nursing patient beds and rooms that were closed in December 2022 and increases the facility's capacity.

"We've had 32 beds- subacute patients here in the facility for a number of years, and we're expanding it by 70%, adding 22 additional beds," said Jag Batth, Kaweah Health's chief operating officer.

For families such as Melissa Looney's, the additional capacity could mean fewer patients need to leave the region to receive long-term subacute care. Looney said her family previously traveled hours to Los Angeles for services before her son was transferred to Kaweah Health's Visalia campus.

"Because of the distance, it really limited the amount of support for him and for our family," Looney said.

She said having her son closer to home has allowed relatives to visit more often and participate in important family events.

"We're able to have family stop in to visit him at any time. We were able to gather family to celebrate his birthday," Looney said. "Because there is such a shortage of facilities in the Central Valley, I think having more beds at the Kaweah facility is going to just make such an impact for families."

Kari Moreno, Kaweah Health's director of post-acute nursing, said staff members are eager to reopen the beds and return the facility to full capacity.

"Everyone's just really excited to fill these beds again and to operate at full capacity and to serve our community," Moreno said.

Moreno also highlighted new equipment included in the expansion.

"We have these very special brand new Umano beds that are very good for patients who don't get up and move around a lot," she said. "So the mattress is very special for patients who have very delicate skin."

According to Kaweah Health, long-term subacute patients often require around-the-clock care and permanent medical assistance devices such as ventilators. Officials said it can be difficult for families to find long-term subacute care services and that the expansion is intended to help meet that need.

Batth said access to licensed long-term subacute facilities remains limited in the region.

"I will say that Tulare County only has two of these licensed facilities. Fresno has two of these licensed facilities," Batth said. "And really we know that there are folks that are out of the area that have to go out of the area that can now be here locally."

Kaweah Health officials said the expansion will allow more patients to receive long-term subacute care in Visalia while remaining closer to their families and support networks.

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