Celebrations Commemorate Much Anticipated Opening of Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital – Bartram Campus
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Last week Brooks Rehabilitation hosted events to celebrate the upcoming opening of our newest, 60–bed, state–of–the–art inpatient rehabilitation hospital. Located on our 115–acre Bartram campus, the additional hospital will care for patients after a brain injury, stroke, spinal cord injury, transplant, orthopedic surgery or other disabling illness or injury. It features the innovative technology, clinical expertise and proven treatments synonymous with the Brooks organization.
Events kicked off on Monday, April 4, with an onsite orientation and teambuilding for staff who will work in the new hospital on the Brooks Bartram Campus. More than 80 colleagues will provide exceptional care and service to patients coming from around the globe.
On Thursday, April 7, A “Grand Opening Celebration and Ribbon Cutting event” commemorated the commitment Brooks has to the future of rehabilitation with its newest hospital. Nearly 300 guests including local and state dignitaries and officials, members of the Brooks Board of Directors; civic leaders; CEOs, physicians and other leadership from acute hospitals and catastrophic care entities; community partners and partnering university and colleges toured the cutting-edge facility.
As an organization focused on research, education and leading the way in rehabilitation practices, tours highlighted how Brooks incorporates medical innovations and treatments into its therapies, including the Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL) robotic exoskeleton for patients with a variety of lower-limb movement or balance issues. Those who suffer from these types of injuries or diseases can progress toward their desired recovery because of this futuristic treatment. Tours also included demonstrations of the latest in rehabilitation technologies and services, such as assisted feeding devices and adaptive technology, virtual reality and more.
On Friday, April 8, we held an open house for all Brooks staff and their families from our entire system of care throughout Florida. Residents from the Brooks Bartram Lakes Assisted Living Facility and faculty service providers also had an opportunity to tour the new hospital.
Throughout the week, guests experienced all the new hospital has to offer, including:
- Large, private patient rooms: We made our 60 private patients rooms larger for increased safety and functional movements. Each one features a refrigerator, a safe for valuables, a bed alarm with automated messages to the patient, a digital whiteboard to display daily messages and Sonifi TVs for both entertainment and education. Our bariatric rooms also have a lift and ceiling track that leads into the bathroom for additional safety.
- Best-in-class therapy gyms: Two state-of-the art therapy gyms provide world-class rehabilitation therapy. Brooks invests heavily in technology to provide our patients with the latest innovations available. Many times, our expertise in evidence-based rehabilitation helps develop these emerging technologies and gets them into widespread use sooner.
- Therapy courtyard: An integral part of rehabilitation, this outdoor courtyard features different inclines and terrains to help patients practice walking and wheeling when they return home. It also includes a putting green, hand bike and tricycle for additional leisure activities.
- Activities of Daily Living (ADL) Suite: This is a unique training space that can more closely mimic the home setting. It includes a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and laundry area to practice functional tasks. Our system of care allows us to collaborate with the ultimate goal of success with each patient. A Brooks Home Health educator will conduct training in the ADL suite, focusing on tools to help patients on their return to home.
- Day room and patio: This multi-purpose space will be used for therapeutic feeding/dining groups, recreational therapy activities, and a falls prevention program happy hour, open to all patients and their families.
- Meditation Chapel: Non–denominational pastoral care is available to all patients and families from our staff chaplain.
This hospital joins our two existing rehabilitation hospitals allowing us to treat more patients in need of our specialized services. Our original 160–bed rehabilitation hospital on University Blvd. in Jacksonville, Fla., is one of the busiest in the country providing care for more than 3,000 patients per year. Brooks also manages a 40–bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital in partnership with Halifax Health in Daytona Beach, Fla.
When it opened nearly 10 years ago, the Brooks Bartram campus was planned to accommodate the organization’s future growth. Adding a rehabilitation hospital provides a continuum of post–acute services in this one location, making it a convenient option for patients, residents and guests. The campus also includes a 100–bed skilled nursing facility, a three–story, 61–unit assisted living facility, and two GREEN HOUSE® 12–bed memory care homes to provide specialized services for the aging population.
Brooks has been a recognized leader in physical rehabilitation for more than 50 years. We are committed to meeting the needs of this region now and for many years to come.
We’d like to thank the community for its support. The hospital will open later in April after obtaining expected licensure and regulatory certifications. We will share more soon about our opening soon!
