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10/28/2009
For more than 20 years, the sixth floor of Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center served as labor and delivery as well as a newborn nursery, and was where life began. Now the sixth floor is home to a new patient service, and a new life of a different kind.
The OrthoSpineCenter now comprises the sixth floor of the Regional Medical Center. The new unit opened September 17 following extensive renovation of the floor. The 22 all private patient rooms on the floor will primarily be used by patients with orthopedic and spine condition.
“The opening of our OrthoSpineCenter has been a dream come true for me,” said Sally Davenport, R.N., chief nursing officer at Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center. “We are excited to be expanding the scope of services that we can provide for our patients.”
The patient rooms on the floor are equipped with new furniture and hospital beds that are designed for patients with orthopedic and spine conditions. The beds were purchased through Stryker, and are the latest model available. The mattresses are firm yet flexible to a patient’s body, which will make it easier to provide patient care, Davenport noted.
One of the unique features that patients and visitors will notice about the renovated floor is the Brass Band Festival theme of the décor. Many individuals in the community have donated various items from past Great American Brass Band Festivals and those items have been used in decorating the hallways of the unit. In addition, models of hot air balloons hang every 50 feet below the ceiling. Those balloon models will serve as “mobility goals” for the progress of patients’ individualized rehabilitation therapy. A mural with a Brass Band theme was also painted above the nurses station by Kelli Brown, a kindergarten teacher at Jennie Rogers Elementary School.
Other special features of the OrthoSpineCenter are a rehabilitation gym located in the central part of the unit and a rehabilitation apartment located on the southwest corner of the unit.
The rehabilitation gym comprises 800 square feet of space and will be used to provide both physical and occupational therapy services to patients. State-of-the-art equipment in the gym will serve the patients’ varied rehabilitation needs. Unique equipment includes a television equipped with a Wii Fit game, which will be used to help patients work on their balance and flexibility.
“Our rehabilitation gym is probably the largest for any hospital in our immediate area,” said Ron Barbato, P.T., who is director of rehabilitation services for Ephraim McDowell Health.
Another unique feature of the gym is a patient transfer vehicle that will be used to teach patients who have had joint replacement surgery how to get in and out of their vehicles once they are discharged. The transfer vehicle operates on hydraulics, allowing it to be raised and lowered to simulate the height of each patient’s vehicle.
“Having this patient transfer vehicle is an added plus for the OrthoSpineCenter,” Barbato said. “One of the first questions that patients ask us following their surgery is how they are going to get in and out of their vehicle.”
The rehabilitation apartment on the unit looks cozy enough to be home but it is not intended for use as a residence. It is equipped with all the comforts of home – including chairs, bed, dining room table, kitchen appliances, bathroom and a washer and dryer. The apartment will be used for occupational therapy. Patients will be trained and then practice their activities of daily living, such as preparing meals, doing laundry, getting in and out of bed and taking a bath or shower. The apartment was decorated by Carole Campbell and Jay Walters, local interior designers.
In the near future, the Regional Medical Center plans to seek accreditation through The Joint Commission for the OrthoSpineCenter as an Orthopedic Center of Excellence. That accreditation will designate the OrthoSpineCenter as a best practice facility. That effort is the responsibility of a committee chaired by Davenport. Dr. Joseph Lukins, an orthopedic surgeon on the medical staff of the Regional Medical Center, is the medical staff champion of the committee.
“Orthopedic services available to patients are greatly improved with the opening of the OrthoSpineCenter, and becoming accredited means our patients are receiving the best care,” Dr. Lukins said. “With this unit, our patients are going to be leaving the hospital better prepared to make a successful transition to recovering at home.”
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