eNeuro

What patients can expect from inpatient rehabilitation

Molly Hoeflich, M.D.

Medical director, Providence Acute Rehabilitation Center
Oregon Rehabilitation Medicine

Providence Acute Rehabilitation Center, or PARC, is an intensive rehabilitation unit inside Providence Portland Medical Center. We have 18 beds and are accredited by The Joint Commission. Patients with new strokes; brain injury; Guillain-Barre syndrome; exacerbation of multiple sclerosis; and other brain, spinal cord or nerve injuries are often referred for the program.

Patients are screened before admission to make sure they meet criteria, which include a level of impairment requiring continuous hospital stay; tolerance of at least three hours of therapy per day; and a reasonable expectation of discharge home (not to a nursing home) at the end of their rehabilitation stay.

Patients treated at PARC receive a program geared to their special needs and receive at least three hours of physical, occupational and speech therapy six days a week.

Patients are seen daily by a board-certified physiatrist – either Steven Andersen, M.D., Natalie Boodin, M.D., or me – and any other medical specialist needed to enhance their care.

They are seen regularly by a social worker, chaplain and therapeutic recreation therapist. If needed, patients can be seen by an orthotist to meet their bracing needs, and a neuropsychologist for emotional support and cognitive assessment.

Patients work with their team to set their own discharge goals. At discharge, they are referred back to their community for ongoing rehabilitative and medical care.

Related: Aquatic therapy restores mobility one stroke at a time