http://www.montgomerynews.com/timeschronicle/news/abington-hospital-jefferson-health-awarded-m-state-grant/article_15a80d93-965a-55a2-86d1-51fba7143800.html
ABINGTON >> There’s nothing like a $1 million shot in the arm to put smiles on the faces of the medical care professionals at Abington Hospital-Jefferson Health.
The hospital received a $1 million state Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program grant toward renovation of the Acute Rehabilitation Unit and Diamond Stroke Center in the Widener Building during a ceremonial check presentation Dec. 8.
The hospital learned in October it had obtained the grant, which is intended to provide economic stimulus and create jobs, according to a letter announcing the award. (not recovery results)
Work to refurbish the neurological service and stroke rehab units on the hospital’s main campus began in March of this year and is almost complete, with patients already utilizing the upgraded space, according to grants officer Monica Simon. Widener, built in 1983, “needed an overhaul,” she said.
Meg McGoldrick, president of the hospital, said the grant was “a tremendous help.” The event was set up “to formally thank you,” she told state Sen. Art Haywood, D-4, and state Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-153, who helped secure the funding.
One of 5,000 acute care hospitals in the country, Abington is one of fewer than 700 with a comprehensive stroke center, she said, noting the Diamond Stroke Center serves 1,000 patients a year.
“I know how high-quality stroke care can save lives and give [patients] new life,” Haywood said, noting his mother, who lives in Ohio, is a stroke victim who was able to go home after treatment. “I have a real appreciation for any kind of stroke intervention.”
Grants are good for both health and the economy, he said, and praised both Dean and the hospital for their leadership, which “is critical to getting things done.”
Dean also thanked hospital administrators for their leadership.
“The government needs to serve a roll in partnering, but our part is small,” she said. “It is hard to fight for these dollars, but we need to pay attention to these important projects.
The renovation project, estimated at $4,348,000, encompasses approximately 20,200 square feet of space. It includes replacement of the original, more than 30-year-old HVAC system to improve temperature and temperature controls in both units.
The 9,600-square-foot, 28-bed Diamond Stroke Center has an improved layout with multiple nursing stations and charting rooms to improve a nurse’s ability to rapidly respond to and care for the most fragile patients, according to a hospital fact sheet. Windows and shades were replaced, bathrooms remodeled, lighting and temperature controls improved and a nursing call system installed.
The Diamond Stroke Center, established 30 years ago to align critical hospital resources for emergency stroke intervention and follow-up, has earned advanced certification as a Comprehensive Stroke Center from The Joint Commission and American Heart Association/American Stroke Association — a distinction given to only seven Pennsylvania hospitals, the fact sheet says. It was also the first state stroke center to be awarded the Gold Seal of Approval from The Joint Commission and received the AHA/ASA Gold Plus Performance Achievement Award for stroke quality-of-care.
Renovation of the 10,600-square-foot, 23-bed Acute Rehabilitation Unit includes construction of a spacious dining facility and an Activities for Daily Living suite, new windows and shades, improved lighting and temperature control, bathroom renovations to better accommodate rehab patients, installation of a nurse call system and improvements to the physical therapy and occupational therapy gyms, the fact sheet states.
In addition to 24-hour care, the unit provides physical therapy, speech language pathology, rehabilitation care coordinators, occupational therapy, physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians and physical medicine and rehabilitation nursing.
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