Waveny LifeCare Network—a venerable nonprofit that provides a continuum of care for seniors—this week “broke ground” on a widely anticipated new facility in New Canaan.
Announced at a ceremony held Wednesday at the organization’s Farm Road headquarters, the inpatient rehabilitation center is expected to address what officials called the growing challenge of increased demand for local post-acute care.
Waveny Lifecare Network speaks on their new project at the ceremony. Photo courtesy of the Waveny Lifecare Network.
The approximately 41,000-square-foot facility will serve 400 additional patients annually and give patients access to high-quality services, according to Waveny President and CEO Russell Barksdale Jr.
“We felt that we owed it to the community to expand our five-star quality,” Barksdale said at a ground-breaking ceremony launching the new facility. “This means more people can come in and actually rehab and take part in the short-term program.”
Barksdale said he believed the new rehabilitation center was necessary to accommodate the growing number of patients in need of a home.
“We can only accept a very small percentage of people that get sent to us, and returning that many people down is impactful,” he said. “We want to expand our facilities so patients can partake in clinical and physical rehab at a very high level.”
The new center has a two-year construction period, Barksdale added.
“We’re estimating to be open around August of this year, and we’re hoping to have a ribbon-cutting in the spring of 2028,” he said.
During the ceremony, Waveny also publicly launched its “Build the Future of Care” campaign, a fundraising initiative of over $15 million.
Barksdale said he believed the most important part of the campaign is the people that bring their support.
“We really have terrific partners in the community that believe in our mission and in our vision,” he said. “It allows us to expand technologically and clinically, so we can maintain a very high quality of standard.”