Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Greenville opened to patients on Aug. 3 and is now delivering innovative, customized rehabilitative care to individuals who have suffered life-changing injuries or illnesses such as strokes, hip fractures, neurological conditions and brain or spinal cord injuries.
The 40-bed private room rehabilitation hospital features the most advanced technology and is staffed by an interdisciplinary team of experienced rehabilitation specialists that includes physical, speech, occupational and respiratory therapists, rehabilitation nurses, physicians, case managers and dietitians. Encompass also provides dialysis in-house and has its own on-site pharmacy and pharmacist.
Every patient receives an assessment from which Encompass’ interdisciplinary team develops a personalized care plan specifically tailored to meet that person’s unique needs. The team meets weekly to review the plan and assure that patients are making progress toward their goals.
Patients receive at least 15 hours of therapy per week and are seen regularly by a rehabilitation physician. Medical Director Angelica Soberon-Cassar is board-certified in physical medicine and rehabilitation and brain injury medicine. During her residency, she worked at TIRR Memorial Hermann in Houston, one of the nation’s most renowned rehabilitation hospitals.
Encompass Health of Greenville’s state-of-the-art rehabilitation gym offers innovative equipment such as the Bioness Vector overhand harness system, which is used to treat neurological conditions or gait dysfunction and helps with body weight support and preventing falls during rehabilitation exercises. The Ampcare ESP™ (effective swallowing protocol) is utilized in speech therapy to treat people with dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), explained Chris Daughtry, OTR/L, director of therapy operations at Encompass Health of Greenville. High-tech machines also include robotics, such as BURT, an upper extremity device that assists stroke patients with arm weakness.
Its occupational therapists primarily focus on aiding with activities of daily living, such as self-care, bathing, dressing and toileting. Encompass Health of Greenville even has an activity of daily living suite, where a patient can practice everyday tasks like making the bed and cooking in a simulated home environment, Daughtry pointed out.
A number of things set Encompass Health apart, including its interdisciplinary approach to care, intensive level of therapy and having a rehabilitation doctor on-site.
“We care for complex, medically involved patients,” stated Daughtry.
Encompass Health’s team of skilled professionals has proven highly successful in discharging patients back home into their community.
“Our goal in rehab is to get people back home,” he said.
Daughtry noted that the new rehabilitation hospital addresses a major need in the Greenville area, which has a large baby boomer population.
“I think the hospital is going to be very successful – from a patient experience standpoint and in terms of patient outcomes,” said Daughtry, who has worked with Encompass Health for 20 years in varying capacities and previously worked in its Anderson, South Carolina – AnMed Health Rehabilitation Hospital. “I’m super excited that we will be able to provide additional rehab options for the Greenville community.”
For more information, visit encompasshealth.com/locations/greenvillerehab.
By Colin McCandless