UCI Health and Lifepoint Rehabilitation have opened a 52 bed, 70,000 SF rehabilitation hospital in Irvine. The four story facility includes a brain and spinal cord injury unit, robot assisted therapy and a rooftop level gym, and it begins admitting patients by the end of July.
Irvine’s growing medical corridor has added another building. UCI Health held a ribbon cutting this week for a freestanding rehabilitation hospital developed in joint venture with Lifepoint Rehabilitation, with patient admissions expected before the end of July.
Spanning 70,000 SF across four stories, the 52 bed facility sits less than two miles from UCI Health Irvine, the acute care hospital the system opened in December 2025. Clustering the two buildings supports direct transfers from acute care into inpatient rehabilitation, an approach many academic systems now pursue through partnerships with specialized operators rather than building rehab capacity in house. Lifepoint operates similar joint venture rehabilitation hospitals with health systems across the country.
Clinical programming targets recovery from stroke, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, severe burns, amputation and complex surgery. A dedicated brain and spinal cord injury unit anchors the program, while an independent living suite lets patients rehearse household routines before discharge. Therapy space concentrates on the top floor, where a large gym includes a simulated car and a mock kitchen, and an adjacent outdoor courtyard offers walking paths with varied surfaces and a small putting green. Every room is private, with a bathroom, shower and seating area for visitors, and smaller recreation spaces occupy the second and third floors.
Groundbreaking took place roughly two and a half years ago, according to remarks from medical director Dr. Jay Han shared in a UCI Health announcement. Clinicians there also plan to run research programs evaluating emerging rehabilitation technologies and therapies. Chad Lefteris serves as president and CEO of UCI Health, Russ Bailey is president of Lifepoint, and Julie Myers leads the new hospital as its CEO.