by Aaron Burns

HUNTERSVILLE – A 70,000-square foot health and rehabilitation center will soon be coming to The Park-Huntersville.

Medical Facilities of America, in a partnership with commercial real estate provider Merrifield Patrick Vermillion, bought 6.53 acres in the Huntersville business park. MFA plans to use the land to develop a new health and rehab center that would hold as many as 120 beds.

The center will specialize in physical therapy. MFA Vice President of Development Bruce Hedrick said the center’s core program will be Lifeworks Rehab, a specially designed rehab plan to aid residents seeking recovery from surgery, accidents or illnesses.

Merrifield Patrick Vermillion Senior Vice President J. Nolan Mills said the center, located at Boren Street off Gilead Road, should be a welcome sight in the area. It’s geared toward elderly people needing a middle ground from the hospital to home, but people of all ages can take advantage of the center.

“I think it’s a great addition to Huntersville,” Mills said. “The (center’s) goal, as I understand, is to be a short-term care (specialist). The goal is to get people out of the hospital as soon as possible.”

The town board approved the rezoning application unanimously last August.

“The need for rehabilitation centers in this area is tremendous,” Commissioner Ron Julian said. “This is the first local facility that primarily specializes in physical therapy, and as our population grows and ages we’re going to need more places like this.”

Mills said the process to get the center wasn’t just as simple as making a deal and getting started. Including a certificate of need requirement, it took 18-24 months for it all to come together.

Hedrick voiced his appreciation for the project. He said the company “is leading the industry in terms of culture change.”

The Huntersville building, one of three developed by MFA in Mecklenburg County, will have three distinct, 30-bed neighborhood wings each with their own nurse’s station, activity rooms, dining room, café and outdoor patio space.

The center will also include a 3,000-square-foot physical therapy gym, Hedrick said.