Tyler, Texas (March 27, 2024) — UT Health East Texas will discontinue Long-Term Acute Care (LTAC) services next month as the health system responds to the community’s changing healthcare needs and a growing demand for inpatient acute care beds in Tyler.
The LTAC, which has 18 patient beds, serves patients experiencing chronic, acute illnesses requiring an estimated length of stay of 25 days with complex medical treatment.
As UT Health Tyler expands services such as women’s health and cardiac care, including the start of an ECMO program later this year, the hospital will use the additional space for those and other service lines that have experienced significant growth.
“This is a collaborative expansion to better meet the needs of the community,” said Tracy Vinciguerra, CEO of LTAC and UT Health East Texas Rehabilitation Center. “Reorienting these beds will allow for better utilization of our resources and enable us to serve a wider variety of patient needs.”
The LTAC has stopped accepting new patients and will transition operations on April 27. The LTAC has partnered with existing long-term care facilities in Tyler to accept any existing patients at that time.
“We are working closely with other providers to make the transition as seamless as possible for our patients and their families,” Vinciguerra said.
She added that current LTAC employees have been offered positions at UT Health Tyler.