Kootenai Health and a New Mexico company are joining to build a 30-bed rehabilitation hospital in Post Falls.

Called the Rehabilitation Hospital of the Northwest, the $11 million center is expected to open in fall 2013 and employ roughly 120 people. Running the hospital will be Ernest Health Inc., an Albuquerque company that operates 18 rehab centers and hospitals throughout the United States. It operates the Northern Idaho Advanced Care Hospital, an acute-care hospital in Post Falls.

Kootenai Medical Center has 14 beds for rehab care but is often unable to take patients because of care limitations. The new hospital will provide care for patients needing rehabilitation from head or spinal injuries, says Jeremy Evans, vice president of professional services for Kootenai Medical Center, which is operated by Kootenai Health.

Kootenai Health is not investing money in the project, Evans adds. “We see this as a great opportunity to partner with a national company with expertise and to help us broaden the scope of services available to the community,” he says.