Medina Memorial reports growth in sub-acute rehab wing

By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 13 June 2023 at 10:41 am

Provided photo: This is one of the rooms in the sub-acute rehab wing of Medina Memorial Hospital.

MEDINA – Orleans Community Health is excited to announce its sub-acute rehab (commonly referred to as the transitional care unit) at Medina Memorial Hospital has seen strong growth in 2023.

Information provided by Scott Robinson, director of marketing, as of June, this year has already surpassed all of 2022.

“This is a true testament to the team we have here,” said Marc Shurtz, CEO/CIO of Orleans Community Health. “We’re increasingly seeing and hearing that patients are requesting to rehab at Medina Memorial Hospital.”

Sub-acute rehab patients at Medina Memorial Hospital have the benefit of being located in a hospital, which means there are several valuable services in close proximity. This is one of the reasons more patients are choosing to come to Medina for their rehab.

Having rehab located in a hospital has more value for several reasons:

Physical, occupational and/or speech therapy is available up to seven days a week.
Registered nurses care for patients 24/7.
Medical provider is onsite 24/7.
There is an onsite emergency department.
There are spacious private rooms.

In many cases, rehabbing at Medina Memorial Hospital means being close to home.

Orleans Community Health’s TCU offers a special, caring environment for patients who no longer require all the resources of an acute care hospital, but who are still in need of special care before going home, Robinson explained. The average length of stay for Medina’s TCU is 10-14 days. After this time, the patient returns home, or referrals are made to an approved facility.

A recent patient, Donna Walsh, shared her experience.

“This is the best place I’ve been to,” she said. “You can be missing home but still smiling because you’re here. These people are like family. It’s like part of my life has been made whole again. I met staff who thanked me for being here, and staff who said they were happy for me to go home, but said they’d miss me. A nurse even game me a hug and another held my hand during a tough day. It all made me feel like a person. I’m going to miss them, those people who became my family.”

Gary Bartle, another recent patient, said you can tell the staff at Medina Memorial Hospital love their jobs.

“It reflects in how they care for their patients,” he said. “From the delicious food and the great care to them making me laugh, it’s been a great experience. I have been to three rehabs and I learned more this morning about balance and different techniques than I did at the other rehabs the whole time I was there.”