Glen Cove Hospital today announced the opening of its $11 million, 15,500 square-foot, physical medicine and rehabilitation unit specializing in treating patients with neurological conditions such as brain injury, Parkinson’s disease and stroke.

Located on the third floor, the new 28-bed, acute-care rehabilitation unit has 12 beds designated for patients with Parkinson’s disease.

There are 24 private rooms and two double rooms. The innovative short-term Parkinson’s disease rehab program involves multidisciplinary, targeted interventions to help patients improve function and independence.

“The new state-of-the-art physical medicine rehabilitation unit was designed to provide a holistic therapeutic environment sensitive to the needs of patients with neurological deficits,” said Kerri Anne Scanlon, executive director at Glen Cove Hospital. “Individualized care is coordinated by a team of highly specialized rehabilitation medicine physicians, rehab nurses, specialists and therapists, to help patients reach their highest level of function and quality of life.”

Scanlon said the modern rehab unit was designed to have a spa-like atmosphere that features soothing paint colors, accent tiles, artworks and lighting to create calming environments for patients with diverse neurological needs. All spaces include age-friendly features for older adults such as large wall clocks, handicap-accessible restrooms, nonslip flooring, handrails among other elements.

New features of the rehabilitation unit include:

• A main nursing station equipped with telemetry to provide continuous electronic monitoring of a patient’s cardiac condition, as needed, as well as a satellite nursing station;
• Three large quiet rooms to be used for private speech therapy, neuropsychology and consultations;
• Two well-equipped physical therapy and occupational gyms with ample natural light;
• A simulated apartment where patients can practice hands-on activities of daily living to prepare to return to home. It includes a bathroom, kitchen and a home-like bedroom;
• A recreational and creative arts therapy space, which includes dance therapy.

In addition, the rehab unit will utilize virtual reality and gaming therapy system to help patients in their therapeutic recovery, focusing on repetitive tasks in a fun and innovative way.

Patients wear a headset with sensors on their body that interact with the immersive virtual environment. Activities could include emphasizing strengthening, coordination, balance, postural control, visual-spatial skills, as well as cognitive skills such as memory and sequencing, command response and attention.

“Equipped with cutting-edge therapies, the new rehabilitation unit meets the growing needs of our patient community with complex, high-acuity brain and neurological disorders,” said Susan Maltster, chair of the hospital’s department of physical medicine and rehabilitation. “We are dedicated to providing the highest degree of quality, innovative care to our patients.”

Malster said the new rehab unit will include a unique Parkinson’s rehabilitation program led by neuro-rehabilitation physician Dr. Lyubov Rubin. It offers evidence-based specialty rehabilitation to people with Parkinson’s disease.

In addition to receiving physical, occupational, speech and cognitive therapy, the use of dance therapy and virtual reality will aim to restore function lost by patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease.

The hospital’s rehabilitation units are located on three separate floors containing a total of 86 beds and approximately 57,500 square feet. In addition to the new rehab unit, other acute rehabilitation units provide a broad range of services to treat patients with conditions such as spinal cord injury, cancer, amputation and other orthopedic and musculoskeletal conditions.

With the addition of the new unit, the comprehensive physical and medicine rehabilitation center expects to provide specialized care to over 1,950 patients annually.

U.S. News and World Report’s Best Hospital 2022-2023 list ranked Glen Cove Hospital 47th in the nation for its rehabilitation center, and Newsweek named Glen Cove Hospital among “American’s Best Physical Rehabilitation Center 2022.”

An acute care community hospital, Glen Cove Hospital has 247 beds. For more information about the hospital’s inpatient rehabilitation services, call: 516-674-7692.