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13 75 Years of Rebuilding Lives | 1941-2016 Delivering care how patients need it Hospital for Special Care not only makes customized, inno- vative, interdisciplinary medical and therapy care available to its patients. It also offers different ways of delivering that care, much of it through the facility's highly regarded outpatient programs. More than 35,000 patients come to the hospital each year for their specific conditions or often a combination of conditions and return home that same day. Filled with high ceilings and natural light, the HSC Out- patient Rehabilitation Center has earned accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF). In addition to being a positive place to heal, it offers specific, specialized equipment for physical therapy, such as a BTE simulator, traction tables and bikes specifically for those with spinal-cord issues. is large, inviting space is used by physical and occupa- tional therapists to help patients who have been injured or have conditions like Parkinson's disease to build strength, in- crease coordination and gain independence. en when pa- tients move up to the next level of progress, the HSC Fitness Center is fully equipped, providing a continuum of care. In addition to physical therapy (PT) and occupational ther- apy (OT), speech and aquatic therapy patients come to HSC for skilled, professional, customized treatment. For adults, speech or communication problems can arise as the result of stroke, dementia, brain injury or other conditions — or a mix of factors. HSC provides comprehensive evalua- tions and individualized therapy plans to build and maintain skills. Group therapy is another approach that has great suc- cess with patients young and old. Pediatric speech therapy is also an HSC strength; whether caused from autism, neuro- muscular disorders or voice disorders, patient needs are met, no matter how complex. ough therapy assessments may begin on land, the patient and specially trained therapists may take to the water in the Aquatic Rehabilitation Center's fully accessible pools — one for fitness and one with a warmer temperature for therapy. e pool complex has accessible locker rooms which are cus- tomized for those who need help from an aide or caregiver, making the therapy process as convenient as possible. Beyond the therapy clinics are outpatient physician clin- ics; an outstanding benchmark of care. HSC physician clinics offer customized, innovative care for patients' physiatry, pul- monary, neuromuscular and neuropsychology issues ranging from gait disorders, COPD, dementia, muscular dystrophy and more. Due to its standards of excellence, HSC's neuromuscular clinic is recognized by the Muscular Dystrophy Association and by the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Association. Its pul- monary care services are recognized as a Quality Respiratory Care Provider by the American Association for Respiratory Care. HSC was recently awarded a grant by e Gawlicki Family Foundation to develop the nation's first Patient Center Specialty Practice for COPD. Outpatients are assured great care by a skilled team. "It's a team approach at HSC, meaning that for whatever factors are at play for each patient's individual situation, the hospital has expert resources right at hand," said Lynn Ricci. e Concussion Management Clinic, for example, utilizes the multi-disciplinary acumen of HSC to help those who have sustained a blow to the head through sports or an accident. Treatment often involves physiatry, neuropsychology, speech language pathology, OT and PT on which coaches, athletes and others can rely. Parent education is a focus as well. HSC's Swallowing Disorders Center, Orthotics Center, and its Asthma Disease Management Program, are further proof of the unique range of targeted care the hospital offers, drawing from the strength of its other specialties. n OUTPATIENT SERVICES