Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center Reopens Short-Term Rehab Center After Three-Year Hiatus

TUSCALOOSA, AL — The Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center late last month reopened its Valor Center for Physical Rehabilitation, which comes after a three-year closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The Valor Center is a 16-bed unit that specializes in short-term rehabilitative care for veterans recovering from surgeries, strokes, amputations, and other conditions that limit physical mobility.

The Valor Center also features full-time medical providers and a range of rehabilitation specialists, including physical and occupational therapists.

The VA says the center was shut down in 2020 due to pandemic restrictions that curtailed surgical procedures and admissions from the community, in addition to a nationwide nursing shortage that also reportedly hindered operations.

The medical center intensified its hiring efforts over the past year as a result as it aimed to adequately staff the Valor Center.

A soft opening was held on Sept. 30, with the unit already admitting veterans identified as needing rehabilitative care.

The center also started accepting interfacility referrals as of Oct. 7, along with referrals from other facilities within the Veterans Integrated Service Network 7 (VISN-7), which includes Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina.

“We are excited to begin admitting Veterans to the Valor Center for Physical Rehabilitation,” Medical Center Director John Merkle said. “The closure of the unit these past few years has created a gap in care for Veterans needing short-stay rehab in the Tuscaloosa area. We have had to depend heavily on our community outpatient rehab facilities up to this point, and for our dedicated and caring VA staff to be able to provide these services again to qualifying Veterans is extremely satisfying.”

For more information on eligibility and admission criteria for the Valor Center, contact Community Living Center Admissions Coordinators Rachel Williams or Michael McCoy at (205) 554-2000, ext. 2374 or ext. 2986.

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