Pensacola, Fla. – October 01, 2026 -- Baptist Health Care and PAM Health have restructured their joint venture, adding 40 acute care beds at Baptist Hospital and building a freestanding 60-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital at Baptist Medical Park – Nine Mile, pushing Baptist Hospital's total bed count from 279 to 319.
Revised plan scraps original 40-bed rehab unit for larger freestanding facility
The updated agreement replaces a plan first announced in early 2025, which called for a 40-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital housed within the Henderson Health Center on the Baptist Hospital campus. Under the new structure, PAM Health and Baptist Health Care will instead construct a standalone 60-bed rehabilitation hospital at the Nine Mile campus, freeing the Henderson Health Center space for conversion into a 40-bed acute care unit.
Partners cite capacity strain across Northwest Florida and South Alabama
Anthony Misitano, founder, chairman and chief executive officer of PAM Health, said the freestanding design removes space constraints, enabling state-of-the-art therapy gyms and expanded clinical programs. Brett Aldridge, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Baptist Health Care, said the collaboration addresses critical acute care capacity needs while building toward a larger regional rehabilitation vision.
New acute care beds set to open this year; rehab hospital timeline pending
The 40 new acute care beds at Baptist Hospital are expected to become available in the coming months. Baptist Health Care and PAM Health plan to release additional details and construction timelines for the Nine Mile rehabilitation hospital at a later date.