Siskin Hospital has opened an outpatient clinic in Hixson, the third such satellite facility in the region for the Chattanooga-based rehabilitation hospital.
The new 3,335-square-foot storefront, located at Northgate Mall, will provide rehabilitation and therapy services to patients north of the river, similar to other outpatient centers Siskin has opened in East Brainerd, Cleveland, Tennessee, and at its main downtown hospital.
“With physical, occupational and speech therapy, we’ll address orthopedic and neurologic conditions, among others, with the same high level of quality people have come to expect from Siskin Hospital,” said Ross Von Glahn, a physical therapist who is the clinic manager at Northgate.
Siskin is Tennessee’s largest acute rehabilitation hospital and Newsweek magazine in August recognized Siskin as one of five top physical rehabilitation facilities in Tennessee and in the top 15% of all rehab hospitals in the country. Tod Cain, vice president of administration at Siskin, said “part of that responsibility is to improve access to the rehabilitation care patients need to return to full and satisfying lives, by locating our services close to where they live.”
Patients may receive outpatient rehabilitation treatment through their physician’s referral and may also refer themselves for outpatient physical therapy through Siskin Hospital’s Direct Access program, with eligible insurances.
The new clinic opened in vacant former retail space at Northgate near Applebee’s restaurant and is accessible directly from the outside perimeter of Northgate Mall.
The shift from retail to medical office use of the Hixson mall is part of a nationwide effort by mall owners CBL Properties to convert many of their shopping centers from retail outlets to town centers with a diverse mix of uses. Nearly one third of the retail space in the 820,000-square-foot Northgate Mall is now vacant, including two of the three original anchor stores and a number of other retail spaces throughout the center. But some of the unoccupied sites are owned by other properties owners than CBL or are still under lease although not currently open.
“Siskin’s new outpatient rehab center is state-of-the-art and a welcome addition to Northgate ,” said Stacey Keaton, senior director of corporate communications for CBL. “Over the last several years, CBL has been working to diversify the uses at its properties to include a variety of non-retail uses like medical, office and others. The addition of a facility such as this one will draw repeat traffic to the property and complement the existing mix.”
CBL has signed leases at its properties nationwide for 1.4 million square feet of new retail, dining, medical and even gambling casinos since January 2020. That has helped CBL, which is operating under bankruptcy court protection since filing for Chapter 11 in early November, to help fill many of the store vacancies resulting from the pandemic this year.
“Despite the challenges our industry has faced in 2020, expanding brands and new businesses recognize the value of CBL’s market-dominant properties as they open new locations,” CBL President Stephen Lebovitz said Monday in an announcement of the changes.
Among the new leases is a new Whole Foods grocery store at the Gunbarrel Point shopping center in East Brainerd, scheduled to open later this month, Lebovitz said.
“For the last several years, we’ve been challenging our leasing team to deliver the imaginative uses that our customers are asking for, and I am proud to say that they have delivered,” Lebovtiz said.
Contact Dave Flessner at dflessner@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6340.
Photo by Dave Flessner / Siskin Hospital for Rehabilitation has opened an outpatient clinic at Northgate Mall in Hixson.