SIERRA VISTA — What once was a bagel shop, an icon in the city for devotees of the Jewish delectable, is now where people can go to get therapy.

Although the Rehabilitation Services Department facility opened late last year, the formal dedication was held Friday afternoon.

An 8,000-square-foot facility, renovated at a cost of a quarter of a million dollars, serves people as young as newborns to those who are in their eighth decade, or more, of life, said Andrew Milligan, the SVHRC Rehabilitation Services manager.

"Without the support of the hospital leaders, we would not be here today," he said during a short grand opening ceremony — albeit without a ribbon cutting.

The heart of the operation is the staff, he said of the leased facility.

Nearly all the rehabilitation staff — 23 of them — are at the new facility, although five remain at the aquatic center, which could not be moved.

Noting the facility is geared to the trio of key therapies — physical, occupational and speech — Milligan said he is pleased there is a larger area to assist children, instead of the 120-square-foot enclave previously used.

The rooms for the various therapies are spacious and, when it comes to what Milligan calls the "children's corridor," there are bright colors and decorations children will like.

The facility opens at 7 a.m. and closes at 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and is closed on holidays and weekends.

It is not unusual to have many people in the center on the same day because the space provides for caring for more people at once, with each taken care of by a therapist, Milligan said.

Sessions last 45 minutes, and every two weeks, there are 500 scheduled appointments, on the average, he said.

The facility is located at the Cochise Vista Plaza, 2151 S. Hwy. 92, right across from the Mall at Sierra Vista. Phone is (520) 417-4560.