If you require rehabilitation services following an injury or illness, Chalmette Medical Center's Rehabilitation Center provides the convenience of various therapists all under one roof.

Whether you need the services of occupational, physical or speech therapists, the center offers inpatient and outpatient rehab treatment in the Virtue Street Medical Pavilion, around the corner from the main hospital. Licensed and board-certified therapists treat patients of all ages.

Care for a variety of conditions

• Amputations
• Back injuries
• Brain injuries
• Diabetic deficits
• Deficits due to burns
• Fractures
• Nerve diseases
• Orthopedic surgeries
• Strokes

"It's so satisfying to see a stroke patient, who came to the center never expecting to walk again, return to tell you, ‘You got me back on my feet, I'm driving and back to work,' " says Michael Pisciotta, R.N., Assistant Director of Nursing."We've had hip replacement patients who thought they'd never walk again now playing golf."

What we do
Services are available for:

• Hospitalized patients
• Outpatients
• Patients specifically admitted to the inpatient rehabilitation unit who need one or more of the following services:
  • Occupational therapy
  • Physical therapy
  • Speech therapy

The rehabilitation team for inpatients may consist of physicians -- including an attending physician and a rehabilitation medical specialist -- a physical therapist, an occupational therapist, a speech pathologist, a recreational therapist, an expressive therapist (to encourage expression), a music therapist, rehabilitation nurses, a social worker, a clinical dietitian and patients' families.

The team works together to help patients recover as well as possible and, if necessary, learn to live with any deficits they are unable to overcome.

For more information about Chalmette Medical Center's Rehabilitation Center, call 620-7201.

Therapy Specialists

• Occupational therapists help physically impaired patients improve their functional independence and abilities to handle daily living situations, including self-care, homemaking and work activities. The emphasis is on improving physical and cognitive skills needed to function as independently as possible.
• Physical therapists focus on the ability of impaired patients to move, with an emphasis on strengthening the leg muscles and walking.
• Speech pathologists help patients -- ranging from those with damaged vocal cords to brain injuries -- relearn speech and swallowing skills, and regain problem-solving abilities.