Schuylkill Rehab Center receives eighth national consecutive 3-year accreditation

POTTSVILLE - Now in its 25th year, Schuylkill Rehabilitation Center, Pottsville, continues to be acknowledged for providing the citizens of Schuylkill County with the highest quality and the most extensive range of rehabilitative services at one location. This is exemplified by the facility receiving its eighth consecutive three-year accreditation on Dec. 31, 2010, from the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF).

CARF is an independent, nonprofit organization that establishes national and international standards of excellence for more than 6,000 health and human service providers worldwide. In order to receive CARF accreditation, a provider must demonstrate that is focuses on quality improvement, the best possible outcomes of services and customer satisfaction. Schuylkill Rehabilitation Center is proud to announce that it has passed CARF's rigorous guidelines for adult outpatient medical rehabilitation programs and received CARF's highest level of accreditation. Offering its community access to such premier physical rehabilitation services is an asset to the health of the residents in Schuylkill County. The center is also the only adult medical rehabilitation facility that has CARF's dual accreditation for both single and multi-service programs in the state of Pennsylvania. In fact, there are only five adult medical rehabilitation facilities that have CARF's dual accreditation in the following six states: Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Virginia. This prestigious accreditation assures clients that the facility continually enhances the quality of services and demonstrates conformance to national and international standards of quality care in rehabilitation. The accreditation sited Schuylkill Rehabilitation Center as demonstrating a strong commitment to the quality of care, having patients and a community who respect the services they offer, and was commended for building a state-of-the-art facility that provides a stimulating, accessible and impeccably clean environment.

Schuylkill Rehabilitation Center is sure you will find it to be the facility for all of your physical medicine and rehabilitation needs. Many people may look for a rehabilitation provider based on the closest location to their home, but that does not mean one will find the same services or quality of care. Schuylkill Rehabilitation Center offers the ONLY accredited comprehensive outpatient therapy which not only includes physical therapy, but also occupational therapy, speech therapy and a host of specialized programs with exceptional equipment and specially trained therapists to match. Schuylkill Rehabilitation Center has a large, highly educated staff and the most state-of-the-art equipment. As a not-for-profit facility, Schuylkill Rehabilitation Center reinvests back into the center, which in turn is investing in its patients, the community and its future with its rehabilitation services.

If you need rehabilitation, the best way to determine the right provider of your care is to be an informed consumer. Ask questions or visit the facility personally. The location of the facility should be the least important decision-making factor. Your rehabilitation is too important to trust to any provider without being confident in their professional skills and the equipment at their facility. However, another asset Schuylkill Rehabilitation Center brings to the community is its partnership with the Schuylkill Health System. This positive feature allows Schuylkill Rehabilitation to work in conjunction with the other rehabilitation services offered within the continuum of care. These services include the Stine Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit at Schuylkill Medical Center on East Norwegian Street, the Transitional Rehabilitation Unit at Schuylkill Medical Center on South Jackson Street, Schuylkill Health Home Health Therapy Services and the Outpatient Therapy Satellite Programs in Frackville and Orwigsburg.

Schuylkill Rehabilitation Center has a large state-of-the-art facility which has been designed to further promote customer satisfaction and patient care. The facility is conveniently located at 300 Schuylkill Medical Plaza, Pottsville (between Route 61 and 209) and has an overhead drop off entrance and ample handicap and regular parking spaces. The center's hours of operation offer flexibility for our patients needs. Schuylkill Rehabilitation Center is open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to noon Saturday.

Providing the largest comprehensive rehabilitation team in Schuylkill County, Schuylkill Rehabilitation's team currently consists of a 14-member physical therapy department, a seven-member occupational therapy department, three athletic trainers and a speech therapist. Each of its expert therapists has an area of interest within a specialty and because of this diversity, the center is able to offer a variety of advanced treatment programs all at one convenient location. The specialized programs at Schuylkill Rehabilitation Center include lymphedema management, hand therapy, sports medicine, aquatic therapy, VitalStim therapy, work injury rehab (Workinetics), and specialized programs in the areas of the shoulder, knee, temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJ) and low back pain including the McKenzie Approach. The center offers a generous continuing education program to its therapists, allowing them to learn new treatments and offer the best patient care. Schuylkill Rehabilitation Center prides itself in continually establishing contracts with insurance carriers, so that it may best meet patients' insurance needs, and it offers a charitable care program for those patients who qualify.

Schuylkill Rehabilitation Center is capable of treating any type of neurological or orthopedic rehabilitation dysfunction. Comprehensive rehabilitation means all types of rehabilitation professionals are available, including physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, physician services, athletic trainers, psychology, prosthetics and orthotics. Specialized therapy programs are also available, including sports medicine, hand therapy, Workinetics, a work rehabilitation program, golf performance enhancement program, lymphedema management and aquatic therapy. These disciplines work together as a team along with the patient, family, physician, employer, and/or coach to meet the needs of the person served.

The facility features a large inventory of computerized equipment, exercise machines and other technology in the 18,500-square-foot center. Equipment is continually maintained, and the most advanced devices are studied and purchased to benefit the needs of the patients. The use of state-of-the-art equipment assists the therapists and physicians in providing the most advanced evaluation and treatment possible.

Schuylkill Rehabilitation Center has many specialized programs with specialized equipment, space, and highly trained and experienced therapists conducting these programs. The center has had a lymphedema management program since June 1997. This program is specifically designed to assist those individuals who due to surgery, radiation therapy, or congenital problems have extreme chronic swelling of their arms and/or legs. The advanced certification required to perform the techniques used in this program is only available to qualified physicians, physical therapists, or occupational therapists. Schuylkill Rehabilitation Center hosts two therapists who are certified in this scientific treatment procedure. The center is also a member of the National Lymphedema Network.

Aquatic therapy has shown to provide an outstanding therapeutic benefit for individuals with a variety of diagnoses. Schuylkill Rehabilitation Center offers comprehensive water therapy in a large 12-by-20-foot stainless steel therapy pool with specially trained therapists. The pool is equipped with an underwater treadmill, bike, video cameras and a water-powered chair lift, deep-water well and massage jets. Accessible shower facilities and locker rooms are available for patient convenience.

Sports medicine provides physical assessment, follow-up and involvement with local high school athletic programs, focusing not only with the treatment and rehabilitation of sports injuries but also prevention. Schuylkill Rehabilitation Center hosts three certified athletic trainers (ATC's) who work at high school athletic practices and sporting events throughout the county. They also provide preventative measures for athletes, including the services of hydration testing and a concussion management program called "Impact." In addition, the ATC's conduct the center's "professional fitness training" program for sport specific fitness as well as general health fitness.

Workinetics is a program specifically designed to help the injured worker return to his job. Efforts are aimed to individually assess the physical requirements of the job and physical capability of the worker. Throughout the rehabilitation process, improvements in the individual's physical condition and/or work site adjustments are made. At the same time, recommendations or modifications are made to the job site or worker in order to prevent exacerbation of the injury. Schuylkill Rehabilitation Center offers specialized training programs on workstation analysis and modification along with injury prevention training to companies. The most recent edition to the Workinetics Program includes a computerized Functional Capacity Evaluation (FCE) System. This system is found to be the most accurate and reliable method of assessing an individual's physical capacities and functional abilities. It matches human performance levels to the demands of a specific job, work activity or occupation, and is useful in determining job placement, job accommodation, or return to work after an injury or illness.

Hand therapy is available for individuals who have had an injury or illness that affects the functioning of the hand and wrist. Advanced trained therapists and equipment are available to restore the range of motion, as well as strength and dexterity to the hand and upper extremity. This is a vital component in completing any daily activity or vocational task. The therapists at Schuylkill Rehabilitation Center are current members of the American Hand Society.

The staff of physical therapists also includes McKenzie certified specialists. The McKenzie Method is used for examining, evaluating and intervening in the treatment of spinal disorders as it addresses the source of the problem and not just the pain and symptoms alone. The primary goals of intervention are to centralize and abolish the pain and symptoms, and to teach the patient to treat themselves by involving them in the management of their condition. By taking a proactive role, the patient is empowered with the knowledge necessary for self-treatment which facilitates better long term results.

Schuylkill Rehabilitation Center was also designated as a Center of Excellence for Bioness, Inc. The Bioness H200 system is an ergonomically designed electrical stimulation unit geared towards improvement of upper extremity function post stroke. This system enhances the traditional therapy program to improve hand function in patients with upper limb paralysis, by assisting one to promote independence in activities of daily living. The H200 is a breakthrough technology system, which in addition to our current treatment methods, can provide a wide range of benefits to our patients, including facilitating neuromuscular re-education, maintaining or increasing range of motion, increasing local blood circulation, reducing spasticity and preventing atrophy. Therapists at the facility are trained to provide fitting and rehabilitation with this state of the art technology.

Providing education and injury prevention are hallmarks of the center's mission. Schuylkill Rehabilitation Center encourages all staff members to continually advance their skills so they can provide the best care possible to their patients. Lectures addressing a variety of health-related issues and topics are available at the center on a continual basis to the staff and to the community. The center provides free monthly public education seminars at its location. Schuylkill Rehabilitation Center has developed a web-site (www.schuylkillrehab.com), which functions to provide information and links to other sites on rehabilitation issues. Support groups are also sponsored by the center, including stroke, multiple sclerosis, amputee, fibromyalgia/chronic pain, traumatic brain injury and Parkinson's disease.

As a partner with other agencies, Schuylkill Rehabilitation Center works to implement positive changes in the community. Schuylkill Rehabilitation Center continually addresses the rehabilitative needs of the people in Schuylkill County. In this continual process, Schuylkill Rehabilitation Center has worked to achieve such high standards that only a few other outpatient rehabilitation facilities in the United States can compare. Schuylkill Rehabilitation Center's quality is something the citizens of Schuylkill County can be proud to have available to them, as it has been recognized by professionals and organizations outside Schuylkill County as a provider that others should aspire to be like.

The rehabilitation process has continually advanced at Schuylkill Rehabilitation Center since its inception 25 years ago in 1986. If you are looking for the most advanced comprehensive outpatient rehabilitation, consisting of a diverse group of staff, state-of-art equipment and technology, numerous specialized programs conducted by expert therapists who are recognized for their "person-centered" approach to therapy and highest level of quality care, then look no further than Schuylkill Rehabilitation Center. The staff at Schuylkill Rehabilitation Center is ready to serve you now and in the years to come. Schuylkill Rehabilitation Center's goal is to help you meet yours.

For additional information or a tour of the facility, call 621-9500 or go to the website at www.schuylkillrehab.com.