St. Luke’s begins remodel to expand outpatient rehabilitation services in McCall

St. Luke’s has begun remodeling its building at 212 N. Third Street in McCall to expand outpatient rehabilitation therapy services and is expected to be completed in June 2027.

The outpatient rehabilitation therapy clinic is currently located at the Lake Street Center on the St. Luke’s McCall Medical Center campus. Services include adult and pediatric physical, occupational and speech therapy.

“The community is growing and so has the complexity of needed rehabilitation therapy. We’re now serving a more diverse patient population that requires a more unique environment that serves children and adults with neurologic and orthopedic rehabilitation,” said David Fleckenstein, St. Luke’s senior director of rehabilitation services.

Outpatient rehabilitation visits increased by 42% between 2018 and 2025, from 8,690 visits to 12,346, maximizing capacity at the current location. The increased square footage in the new clinic is projected to expand capacity by 40%, or approximately 17,000 annual visits by 2028.

“Current wait times for non-emergency rehab therapy can be up to eight weeks and even longer for pediatric patients,” said Connie Crogh, St. Luke’s McCall outpatient rehabilitation services manager.

Before pursuing the Third Street remodel, the rehabilitation therapy team worked to accommodate more patients by expanding clinic hours from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

However, even with extended hours, the team continues to face scheduling challenges because of significant space constraints. The clinic is staffed by six physical therapists, two occupational therapists, two speech-language pathologists and two support staff.

In 2022, St. Luke’s purchased the Third Street building, primarily to help address workforce housing needs. The building includes 10 studio apartments on the second floor, which are currently occupied by St. Luke’s McCall staff. Another housing opportunity, Trillium Ridge, saw its first team members move in this summer.

The ground floor at Third Street was previously used as commercial space.

“As the need for more outpatient rehabilitation space became clear, the Third Street building offered a great solution,” said Amber Green, St. Luke’s McCall chief operating and nursing officer.

The new location will nearly double the current space, allowing more patients to be treated simultaneously, which will help meet the community’s growing need for rehabilitation services.

“Our goal with this investment is to improve access to care by reducing wait times and creating space to better serve our patients,” Green said.

The expanded facility will include:

• An adult physical therapy gym that can accommodate multiple patients
• A dedicated pediatric gym
• Private treatment areas for physical, occupational and speech therapy
• Additional staff workspace
• Separate adult and pediatric waiting areas

Philanthropic support helps make expansion possible

The remodel is projected to cost $2.7 million. The St. Luke’s McCall Foundation has raised $1.3 million to date through its Play Harder, Longer fundraising campaign. In addition to supporting the rehabilitation therapy expansion, the campaign helped fund new robotic arm-assisted technology for total knee replacement surgery, bringing leading-edge technology to the community.

“Community support for this project reflects how important access to rehabilitation therapy is to patients and families throughout our area,” said Jenny Reummele, St. Luke’s McCall Foundation executive director. “We are grateful to the donors whose generosity is helping create the space needed to care for more patients closer to home.”

Philanthropic support includes a $250,000 donation from the Idaho Elks Association to the St. Luke’s Health Foundation, a $50,000 contribution from the St. Luke’s McCall Auxiliary, along with donations from generous community members and foundations.

Contributions like these enable St. Luke’s to continue to invest in expanded access to health care resources around the McCall community.