CT hospital creates ‘transformative milestone’ in rehabilitation medicine in $4.4 million center
The Institute for Advanced Rehabilitation has been two years in the making.
The Gaylord Specialty Healthcare $4.4 million, 10,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art institute is designed to serve as a cornerstone of rehabilitation medicine advancements globally and as a destination for training and education for Gaylord staff and medical professionals throughout the country. It’s located on the Jackson Pavilion on the Gaylord campus.
“This is a transformative milestone,” Gaylord president and CEO Sonja LaBarbera said. “For over 120 years, people have turned to Gaylord with confidence that our team of doctors, therapists, clinician and researchers will push the boundaries of what’s possible to offer the best chance of regaining their function and enhance their quality of life. The Institute for Advanced Rehabilitation reinforces this legacy.”
A CT woman uses a wheelchair for everyday activities. Now she’ll hit the tennis courts with one too.
The Institute for Advanced Rehabilitation is made up of five hubs, including The Center for Education, The Milne Institute for Healthcare Innovation, the Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Residency program, the Office of Integrative Medicine, and the Hope Chapel.
The hubs are connected by interdisciplinary meeting areas and workspaces for visiting faculty, researchers, and other community collaborators, according to hospital officials.
The Center for Education is designed to combine advanced clinical education and training and professional development opportunities for those working in the Gaylord community, peer institutions, and medical professionals nationwide.
The Linda Morasutti and Robert Lee Nursing Education and Simulation Suite, an “ultramodern space”, is designed for clinical education and simulation training with high-fidelity manikins. The suite offers a place for staff to hone clinical skills and for students from Gaylord’s academic partners to partner with the Gaylord nursing education team for skills critical to caring for patients with complex medical needs. The suite also is designed to support Gaylord’s nurse residency program, which places newly graduated RNs and LPNs into a curriculum for their first year of work.
The Center for Clinical Education and Training is an online learning system with on-demand webinars, lectures, certification classes, and continuing education units on rehabilitation medicine for medical professionals throughout the country, officials said.
The Gaylord CNA Academy is designed to prepare students for the Connecticut CNA certification exam while also gaining advanced skills to care for Gaylord Hospital’s medically complex patient population, officials said. After finishing the academy, students may be eligible for employment at Gaylord Hospital.
The Milne Institute for Healthcare Innovation is designed to work closely with Gaylord’s interdisciplinary clinical teams who are experts in the “treatment and rehabilitation of brain and spinal cord injuries, complex strokes, amputations, and pulmonary disease.” The Milne Institute also is intended to provide a collaborative environment for Gaylord’s clinicians to work with institute’s staff on rehabilitation research, developing new evidence-based practices, integrating technologies into clinical practice, and partnering with corporations and foundations for data-driven research with the potential to change lives worldwide, according to hospital officials.
The Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Residency Program, created in partnership with UConn School of Medicine and Hartford Healthcare, is the first in Connecticut and one of only 100 in the country, according to hospital officials. The four-year program is designed to “impact the health and quality of life of Connecticut residents and the aging national population by helping to fill the shortage of doctors to address the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of disorders that produce temporary or permanent functional impairment.”
The Office of Integrative Medicine is intended to offer therapies focusing on wellness, empowerment, and quality of life for patients and staff, according to hospital officials. This includes Reiki, massage to music therapy and mindfulness, and the programs are donor-funded to “complement Gaylord’s clinical ability by supporting the whole person – mind, body, and spirit.”
The Hope Chapel is next to the Institute for Advanced Rehabilitation, to serve as an inclusive sanctuary for people of all faiths. The chapel is intended to foster connections among patients, families, and staff with “a tranquil space for spiritual well-being and weekly interdenominational services.”
The institute will be shown to dignitaries and others at 2 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 9.
Among those expected to be on hand are U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who hospital officials said championed the 2022 project with the announcement of $1.2 million in community project funding.
The project was also supported by U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, also D-Conn., and Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3, to create a new space for Gaylord’s Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Residency Program. Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz also is expected to be among those in attendance for Friday’s unveiling.
Gaylord Vice President of External Affairs Tara Knapp said all the strategic planning has come into place.
“It’s only fitting that Senator Blumenthal is coming back to see the impact of his investment,” Knapp said. “These things should be celebrated. You spend so much time thinking and strategizing. If you don’t take the time to pause and celebrate these achievements as an organization, it makes it hard to keep the engine going. You want to take stock in these accomplishments.”
Knapp praised the efforts of Pete Grevelding, Gaylord’s vice president of clinical operations and executive director of the Milne Institute for Healthcare Innovation for spearheading the project.
“It’s a nice integration between different disciplines and fostering increased communications between different departments,” Grevelding said. “We put in a lot of time and effort into this. It will continue to create a positive culture at Gaylord.”
“This has been the culmination of all of our strategic planning coming into place,” Knapp said. “We want to do even more for our patients, and this will help us improve for the next generation.”
Gaylord Specialty Healthcare is a rehabilitation-focused nonprofit health system.
Officials said lead gifts from Linda Morasutti and Robert E. Lee, The Rutledge Family Foundation, The Maximilian E. and Marion O. Hoffman Foundation, The Werth Family Foundation, the Lyons family, and support from other community donors completed the project.