Jan. 25, 2023

This paid piece is sponsored by Avera Health.

The Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center Inpatient Rehabilitation team knows the journey of recovery from stroke, trauma or brain injury is always unique.

That’s why they respond distinctively with every patient. They’ve been doing it since 1984. To accommodate the latest best practices and technology, the unit moved to a new state-of-the-art center in 2018 located in the Prairie Center.

“Since our inception, a team approach for this unit has been our priority,” said Dr. Thomas Ripperda, medical director of the Avera McKennan Inpatient Rehabilitation unit. “There’s no ‘top-down’ decision-making. We center the needs of each patient, then our team addresses them.”

To meet every patient where he or she is, the team needs both great professionals and leading-edge equipment. From physical medicine to physical, occupational and speech therapy, as well as nursing, social work and others, the care team is well-rounded.

While no two patient journeys are the same, the unit takes pride in the fact that it has a regional reputation for the shortest length-of-stay rates, along with the highest discharge-to-home rate. Avera McKennan’s rehab unit reports the following outcomes:

• A typical 17-day length of stay for stroke patients, which is less than other regional sites.
• An impressive 86 percent of patients who are discharged home instead of to more care, such as long-term care, compared with 77 percent for most Midwest rehab facilities.
• A 15-day average length of stay for patients with traumatic spinal cord injuries, compared to an average stay regionally of 20 days.
• Eighty-seven percent of patients with traumatic spinal cord injuries are discharged home, compared with a regional average of 77 percent.

They unit is reaccredited with Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities and has been since 1988.

“We help people facing significant changes, and we help their families find ways to successfully care for their loved ones,” said Jill Rye, Avera McKennan Inpatient Rehab clinical nurse leader. “We have added many members to our team and new technology. That has only strengthened our commitment to care.”

High-caliber care, close to home: That’s a national health care goal that’s available to people here in Sioux Falls.

“Our patients have the advantage of being close to loved ones and support systems,” Ripperda said. “It’s an invaluable part of recovery.”

Inpatient Rehab tools, technology

Recovery is only part of a rehab journey: If you were relearning everything you knew – from how to get dressed to how to get in a car – you’d likely be unaware of where to begin.

“Each patient has their own challenges in recovery,” said Jeanine Horner, manager of the Avera McKennan Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit, Aquatic Therapy and Social Work. She said that’s why so many technologies are brought to bear. Some include:

• State-of-the-art inpatient rehabilitation therapy center that includes, for example, equipment for lower/upper extremity exercise that can make patients stronger.
• Functional electrical stimulation upper and lower extremity cycles to restore functionality after a spinal cord injury, stroke or other neurological conditions.
• Neuro Sensorimotor Integrator to improve visual balance and neuro-cognitive function.
• Solo-Step™ Inc. balance and gait system to provide stability and protection during rehabilitation.
• VitalStim^® Therapy for oral strengthening to improve swallowing and speech function.
• Exoskeleton by EskoBionics, a device that embraces a patient’s body to address the exact needs, from assistance to resistance.
• Johnson Aquatic Center, a comprehensive aquatic therapy facility that offers unique care approaches as needed.
• Complete suite of reintegration settings, from kitchens to cars to bathrooms, that can help therapy teams teach patients to recover and adapt.
• Community reintegration program that bridges gaps for patients between their stay and their return home.

“Almost everything we do is rooted in education and care,” unit supervisor Becky Johansen said. Care conferences take place for every patient to ensure the combination of therapies, medical and pharmacological approaches work best for that person.

“What drives every person on our unit is restoring hope, both for the patient and for their loved ones,” said physical therapist Jessica Meyers, a rehabilitation therapy coordinator. “We use new technologies, sure, but we also use traditional approaches, and all we do is try and help progress occur for each patient.”

Overcoming challenges, including fleeting hope

Hope can be hard to come by for those who feel they’ve lost so much of their life, be it mobility, speech or anything else. The rehab team cares for patients from adolescents to older people with conditions such as:

• Multiple trauma, amputation and brain injuries.
• Guillain-Barre syndrome and multiple sclerosis.
• Neurological disorders and spinal cord injuries.
• Stroke.

Ripperda, who practices with Avera Medical Group Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, said the unit’s design allows patient-to-patient learning and encouragement. “They might see someone who had a stroke a few days or weeks before them,” he said. “Patients and families have the opportunity to interact and encourage one another.”

Grief, depression and fear are the hurdles the team anticipates and addresses. The unit also has started a research project looking at patients’ sense of hope – or lack thereof – and how they can manage it.

“None of our patients will have the same life they had, but they can live fulfilling lives,” Horner said. “That’s what brings every one of us back each day, each evening. Guiding them to that new, satisfying life drives all that we do.”

Learn more about Avera McKennan Inpatient Rehab.