MADISON, Miss. (Oct. 9, 2025) – Community members and local business leaders gathered to celebrate the grand opening of Baptist Memorial Rehabilitation Hospital-Madison on Thursday.
The new 40-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital, one of only a handful of freestanding rehabilitation hospitals in Mississippi, is jointly owned by Baptist Memorial Health Care and Lifepoint Rehabilitation, an operating division of Lifepoint Health.
“This is an exciting day for Mississippi Baptist Medical Center,” said Bobbie Ware, CEO and administrator of Mississippi Baptist Medical Center, which is part of Baptist Memorial Health Care. “We’ve long recognized the need for more rehabilitation services in Central Mississippi, and it is our honor to join with Lifepoint Rehabilitation to open Baptist Memorial Rehabilitation Hospital-Madison, the city’s first freestanding rehabilitation hospital. This freestanding rehabilitation facility will allow us to offer the same excellent care close to home as we do at our hospital in Jackson for patients recovering from injuries, accidents and other illnesses, such as strokes, heart events, falls and car accidents.”
The 56,000-square-foot facility features specialized brain injury beds for those recovering from acquired brain injuries and stroke and several large, multidisciplinary therapy gyms and a micro-apartment for practicing activities of daily living. Innovative robotics and rehabilitation technologies, such as a Smart Car to allow patients to learn and practice car transfer skills, a Senaptec Sensory Station for evaluating visual and sensorimotor skills, the Rise&Walk full-spectrum gait trainer for patients with neurological and mobility impairments, and more are available at the high-tech facility. An outdoor courtyard, miniature golf area, nature therapy access and walking paths are part of the campus, which has been designed to serve the diverse needs of rehabilitation patients.
"The opening of Baptist Memorial Rehabilitation Hospital-Madison reflects our commitment to meeting the evolving needs of patients in our region," said Nathan Buckalew, chief executive officer, Baptist Memorial Rehabilitation Hospital-Madison. “I couldn’t be prouder of the team of rehabilitation professionals we have in place to serve patients here in Madison and throughout Central Mississippi.”
Inpatient rehabilitation facilities provide physical medicine and rehabilitation, as well as physical, speech and occupational therapy for patients recovering from stroke, traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries, complex neurological disorders, orthopedic conditions, multiple traumas, amputation and other injuries or disorders. Baptist Memorial Rehabilitation Hospital-Madison is the second inpatient rehabilitation facility operated by Baptist Memorial Health Care and Lifepoint Rehabilitation, joining Baptist Memorial Rehabilitation Hospital in Germantown, Tennessee.
“We are honored to officially welcome patients to Baptist Memorial Rehabilitation Hospital-Madison as we expand access to inpatient rehabilitation care in Madison County and the surrounding region,” said Russ Bailey, president of Lifepoint Rehabilitation. “We know the team at Mississippi Baptist Medical Center shares our commitment to providing patient-centered, evidence-driven rehabilitation care, and that together, we will be able to return our patients to their lives and families as soon as possible. I can’t wait to see all that we will accomplish on behalf of patients throughout Mississippi in the years to come.”
Baptist Memorial Rehabilitation Hospital-Madison is located at 1520 Highland Colony Parkway and will open later this month. For more information, please visit www.BaptistRehabMadison.com.
About Baptist Memorial Health Care
Baptist Memorial Health Care is one of the country’s largest not-for-profit health care systems and the largest provider of Medicaid in the region. Consistently ranking among the top integrated health care networks in the country, Baptist Memorial comprises 24 affiliate hospitals in West Tennessee, North and Central Mississippi and East Arkansas; a freestanding emergency department; more than 6,000 affiliated physicians; Baptist Medical Group, a multispecialty physician group with more than 1,500 providers in 50 specialties; Baptist Cancer Center; home, hospice and psychiatric care; walk-in and urgent care clinics; a network of surgery, rehabilitation and other outpatient centers; and an education system that includes Baptist Health Sciences University and a college of osteopathic medicine. Baptist employs more than 22,000 people, and in fiscal year 2024 contributed more than $388 million in community benefit and uncompensated care to the communities it serves. For more information, please visit www.baptistonline.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn.com.
About Lifepoint Rehabilitation
Lifepoint Rehabilitation is a leading partner of choice for many major hospital systems in the creation of joint venture operations that are industry-leading in clinical and financial outcomes. Through its more than 45 inpatient rehabilitation facilities and more than 250 hospital-based rehabilitation units, medical-surgical and outpatient therapy settings, Lifepoint Rehabilitation brings proven rehabilitation management and services expertise to help patients recover and return home quickly from a number of conditions, including strokes, brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, orthopedic injuries, neurological conditions, amputations and trauma. Lifepoint Rehabilitation is a business unit of Brentwood, Tennessee-based Lifepoint Health.
