Visit Healthsouth Chesapeake Rehabilitation Hospital in Salisbury and you will soon recognize that this specialized facility is very different from a general hospital or a nursing home. While those places may offer physical and occupational therapy as a sideline to their other services, Chesapeake Rehabilitation Hospital (CRH) focuses solely on therapy, offering a higher level of care unavailable at other institutions.
What are some of the differences at CRH?
First there is the building itself. Sunlit hallways, a handsome lobby, a lovely landscaped courtyard, and spacious, sparkling-clean rehab gyms create a cheerful atmosphere that inspires patients and staff to maintain a positive, can-do attitude.
A second difference involves breadth of care. According to Greg Hartman, director of marketing operations for the hospital, CRH provides therapy to a broad range of patients — people of nearly every age group facing a wide variety of physical challenges. While many of the hospital’s patients may have lost physical ability through accident or stroke, others may be recovering from surgery or may be suffering from cardiac, pulmonary or neurological conditions. CRH serves them all, often initially with inpatient care and later with follow-up outpatient or in-home therapy.
There are other important differences, too. At the core of the hospital’s nationally accredited programs are exceptional professionals employing state-of-the art equipment and highly effective practices. Rosella Todd, a physical therapist who has worked at the hospital since 1993, cited perhaps the most significant reason why CRH stands above other facilities. “Because of the intensive rehabilitation available here, we can actually shorten the time that it takes patients to get back on their feet.” Indeed, the doctors, nurses, therapists, and staff at CRH focus incessantly on one overarching goal: to help patients achieve the best possible recovery outcomes in the shortest amount of time.
Todd credits much of their patients’ success to the cutting-edge equipment in use at the hospital. “It’s been exciting because we’ve had this technology for the last two years, and it has made a difference. It has sped up the process of recovery.”
Among the most amazing machines is the AutoAmbulator. Equipped with a body-support system, a treadmill and robotic legs, this large, futuristic device helps weakened patients, including stroke victims, practice and relearn normal walking patterns.
Also in use at CRH are two machines that use electrical impulses to stimulate movement in upper- and lower-body muscles. While wearing a Bioness orthotic device on the leg, a patient with “foot drop” can walk more normally. The machine actually retrains the brain to lift the foot during the gait cycle. Similarly, a Bioness upper-body orthotic fits around the wrist and lower arm and reteaches the brain to open and close the hand. An injured patient wearing this device can once again grip and manipulate small items, including cooking and writing utensils.
Nurses representing Chesapeake Rehabilitation Hospital are available onsite at PRMC, Atlantic General, and Nanticoke Memorial hospitals to conduct health assessments of patients who wish to enter CRH. CRH will also send assessment specialists to other health care facilities or to a person’s home. For more information, ask a caregiver at your present facility or contact CRH directly at one of the phone numbers below.
Healthsouth Chesapeake Rehabilitation Hospital,
220 Tilghman Rd., Salisbury, Md., 1-800-938-4600,
410 546-4600, healthsouthchesapeake.com
Written By: Jerry Dicairano
Other mechanical and electronic aids found at CRH include a Biodex Balance System that helps patients who have stability problems, a VitalStim machine that re-educates the muscles involved in swallowing, and an Ergys 2 pedaling machine that stimulates muscles and increases blood flow in patients with spinal cord injuries.
Of course, the presence of high technology is only one reason to choose CRH. Equally important is the amount of time which patients may expect to spend using the equipment. At CRH, inpatients receive at least three hours of therapy per day, five days a week. Such intensive care is rarely found elsewhere.
Patients at CRH also benefit from more physician involvement and intervention. Every inpatient at CRH sees a physician or a physician’s assistant every day as there are one or more physicians in-house each and every day. Moreover, every patient’s therapeutic goals are discussed and monitored regularly by an entire team of health care professionals consisting of a lead physician and the patient’s nurses and therapists. With an average patient stay of approximately 14 days, and with 75 percent of exiting patients returning directly to home, this close monitoring is critical to making adjustments and to goal-setting.
Another indication of this hospital’s superiority involves accreditation. According to Ellen Siegmund, director of therapy operations, CRH is the only nationally certified acute-care rehabilitation facility on the Eastern Shore. In fact, the prestigious Joint Commission has doubly certified the hospital — first, for its overall excellence, and, secondly, for its outstanding stroke-rehabilitation program.
Are there still other differences at CRH? Yes. Siegmund mentioned a significant benefit that will interest older patients. While Medicare requires some therapy providers to cap services to outpatients at about $1,850, CRH falls under no such restriction. Outpatients here may receive additional care as needed.
CRH also shines in the areas of family education and patient satisfaction. From day one, case workers at the hospital talk regularly with patients and their families to identify therapeutic goals and discuss the patient’s progress. Later, as the patient nears release, the case worker and medical staff will provide training and education to family members so they will be fully prepared to receive the patient at home.
In every facet of their care, the professionals at CRH seek to inspire, to heal and to satisfy. “That’s what we’re here for,” said Hartman. “We give patients the tools needed for an optimal recovery.”
If you or a loved one require physical or occupational therapy, remember the outstanding facilities, practices, and people at Healthsouth Chesapeake Rehabilitation Hospital.