Nonprofit asks Senate for startup funding to fill post‑acute neurorehab gap

Caitlin Jones, executive director of RISE Neuro Rehab Institute, and Melinda Corbett, who said she is the parent of a brain‑injured adult, presented a plan to the Senate subcommittee to create coordinated post‑acute neurological rehabilitation in Georgia.

Jones said the current system provides strong initial inpatient care but that most patients receive an average of 37 days of inpatient rehabilitation nationwide and then face fragmented outpatient care. She testified that post‑acute barriers — including long wait lists, transportation challenges and limited provider specialization — contribute to worse health outcomes and higher readmission rates. “Decreased access to care is resulting in significant secondary health … I personally know multiple individuals … who aged out of the system and have ended up just cycling perpetually through Grady and Nursing Home,” Jones said. She added: “I also, unfortunately, lost a sweet patient of mine last year to suicide because of the mental health secondary consequences from not having that post acute support.”

Melinda Corbett described her family’s experience and urged the committee to support state seed funding. She said the House identified $2.5 million in its budget for the project and asked the Senate to match that amount or provide other funds to allow the nonprofit to begin serving Georgians. RISE said it planned to open an initial outpatient facility in the early fall offering physical, occupational and speech therapy, mental‑health services and physiatry, with a later goal of a multi‑acre residential complex.

Committee members asked about rural service delivery and clientele. RISE said its immediate focus would be Georgians who currently lack access, with outreach and training for rural hospitals and targeted referral pathways from systems such as Grady and other safety‑net providers. No formal vote or appropriation occurred during the hearing.