The Medical Center of South Arkansas’ Inpatient Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Therapy unit hosted an open house Wednesday showcasing education, tours and guest speakers.
MCSA CEO Scott Street said the open house was part of a vision for destination health care.
“We as a team discussed ways to make our inpatient rehab visible and well known throughout not only El Dorado but the region,” Street said. “It really is a hidden jewel here.”
Conditions that qualify a patient for inpatient rehab include stroke, hip fracture, amputation, neurological disorder, brain injury, multiple trauma and burns. The goal for patients who enter the unit is to focus on restoring function with rehab, so they can return home and be independent.
The inpatient rehab unit includes 20 beds housed on the second floor of MCSA. The facility is self-contained and includes two rehab gyms and activities of daily living. Each bedroom includes a bathroom and some have kitchen and laundry rooms attached as well.
Also included in the facility is a patient dining room and private examination rooms.
Dr. Greg Smart, medical director of inpatient rehab, said the facility is also a comprehensive care unit, meaning other medical conditions or complications a patient has will not be ignored.
“In other skilled care rehab units, the patient is seen once weekly or once monthly,” Smart said. “When they come to MCSA rehab, we see them every day or every other day routinely and follow their medical care closer than could be done in a nursing home rehab setting.”
The unit sees patients of all ages, including Jessi Smith, who was in a car accident in July 2017.
Smith was a patient in the unit for seven days and said her experience was very good. Smith, who is from Junction City, was 20 years old at the time of the accident.
She had crushed her left leg and broke her right foot, along with other injuries during the accident.
“We could not have asked for better care anywhere else,” said Niki Smith, Jessi Smith’s mother. “We’ve been pleased with our entire experience with the therapy department here. It doesn’t matter what age you are, if that’s something you need, then this is the place to go.”
After therapy, including outpatient therapy in El Dorado, Smith’s legs are recovered and fully functional.
“Once she left here and was able to bare weight on her legs again, she went to the outpatient therapy clinic,” Niki Smith said. “You don’t have to go somewhere out of town to get the care you need because she got better physical therapy here than in Little Rock.”
Due to a smaller patient-to-nurse ratio, Smith said she believes the nurses were able to give her more individualized care.
Virginia Meador was a patient in the unit for 10 days when she dislocated her shoulder and tore her rotator cuff in June. She is currently continuing occupational therapy at MCSA.
“Every minute I spent here was wonderful,” Meador said. “I cant say enough about hospital rehab. Without their help, I couldn’t have learned to move my arm.”
Meador’s daughter, Vicki Evans, said the staff was very helpful in keeping the family informed on Meador’s improvements.
“Knowing mom was here took a load off of us because we knew she was happy,” Evans said. “We continually saw improvement and knew that she was always taken care of.”
Evans also said the family had several dinners and a birthday party in the unit’s dining room.
The professional interdisciplinary team in the unit includes the rehabilitation physician, speech therapist, physical therapist, occupational therapists, nutritionists and a case manager, along with rehabilitation registered nurses.
Street said one of key emphasis of the unit is that it’s inside the hospital, making it a safe environment.
He also added that Smart is an asset to the program.
“To have a physician that is on site is also a huge plus for our program,” he said. “We’re bringing that destination health care vision to life. This is a small piece to that.”
Kaitlyn Rigdon can be reached at 870-862-6611 or [email protected].