“A Great Environment” for Short-term Rehab

One recommendation and a visit to Christian Health’s (CHCC) website.

Those were the guides that steered Brian Corbin of Hartmansville, WV, to Christian Health (CHCC) when he needed a short-term rehab facility in North Jersey. For the past five years, the 39-year-old has traveled to New Jersey weekly to work as a construction foreman. This past summer, a piece of steel accidentally fell on him, shattering his pelvis. He spent nearly three weeks in the Trauma Center at St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in Paterson, where surgeons repositioned his pelvic bones using steel plates and pins. He needed short-term rehab, but he and his family were unfamiliar with the facilities in the region.

“The worker’s compensation nurse recommended the David F. Bolger Post-acute Care Unit at CHCC. She had worked at CHCC, and her father had been a short-term rehab patient there,” says his wife Mindy Corbin. “We wondered what therapy was offered and what the therapy room looked like, so we went online to CHCC’s website to get more information and look at pictures of the Bolger Gym & Wellness Center. We were impressed.”

The goal of short-term rehab at CHCC is to help patients regain strength and wellness so they can return to the place they call home as healthy as they were before – or better. The highly skilled, full-time interdisciplinary care team (IDC), which includes physicians, nurses, rehabilitation therapists, dietitians, social workers, activity staff, chaplains, and discharge planners, uses state-of-the-art, innovative approaches to help patients achieve the best outcomes.

“The IDC team asked Brian what his long-term goal was, which was to be successful in rehab so he could get home to West Virginia,” says his mother Sue Corbin. “The team was determined to help him achieve his goal as quickly and safely as possible.”

Individuals like Mr. Corbin requiring short-term rehab following hospitalization for surgery are just a portion of the patient population on the PACU. Others who may also benefit include those who are recovering from a stroke, cardiac surgery, or pneumonia; have a chronic illness, such as cardiac disease, renal disease, or diabetes; or have had a joint replacement.

Mr. Corbin’s physical and occupational therapy primarily took place in the 14,000-square-foot Bolger Gym & Wellness Center. State-of-the-art equipment, an indoor walking track, and a variety of exercise machines supplement physical therapy. Due to the nature of his injury and surgery, Mr. Corbin was not allowed to bear weight on his legs. Physical therapy, therefore, focused on working with hand weights, stretching, and using the hand bike. Leg exercises were performed while lying on a mat table.

“I was in fairly good shape before the accident, so in less than two weeks I was able to transition from the wheelchair to the mat table and the bed on my own,” Mr. Corbin says. “The therapists were amazed at how quickly I learned to transition.”

Occupational therapy was enhanced in the Transitional Care Suite. This area, which includes a kitchen/dining area, family room, laundry room, bedroom, and bathroom, offers patients a chance to relearn daily activities in a safe, private environment, under the guidance of their therapist. The design replicates the comforts of home, as well as the challenges found at home following a hospitalization.

“The therapists taught me how to maneuver around the bedroom and work in the kitchen while in the wheelchair,” Mr. Corbin says. “It gave me a taste of what it would be like doing these things at home.”

In less than four weeks, Mr. Corbin had achieved his goal and was strong enough to be discharged to an inpatient short-term rehab facility in West Virginia.

“The therapists here are extraordinary. The nurses are excellent. The atmosphere is outstanding. The organization is outstanding. Everyone is so friendly. It’s a great environment,” Mrs. Corbin says.

Schedule a tour of our brand-new 14,000-square-foot Bolger Gym & Wellness Center and learn more about our Transitional Care Suite by emailing khockstein@chccnj.org or calling (201) 848-4463.