The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

HEALTH officials on Friday opened a new Public Hospitals Authority rehabilitation and wellness facility they said would close long-standing gaps in follow-up care for people recovering from injuries, living with disabilities or managing chronic conditions.

The specialised clinical facility is expected to be fully operational by the end of May after a phased transition. Officials said it marks a significant upgrade and expansion of rehabilitation services, coming two weeks after the full relocation of the Accident and Emergency Department.

Health and Wellness Minister Dr Michael Darville said the government moved to strengthen rehabilitative care after an assessment conducted with Emory University and the Pan American Health Organization found serious weaknesses in the country’s rehabilitation services.

He said the “report card was not good”.

Dr Darville said the expansion was critical because, although strong tertiary care has been provided for people with disabilities, follow-up physiotherapy services have lagged. Officials said filling that gap is expected to improve recovery, clinical outcomes and the overall quality of healthcare services for Bahamians.

Dr Darville said the government worked with the Ministry of Finance to upgrade rehabilitation infrastructure and moved quickly to purchase the former Evolve Centre building when it became available.

“The renovation, structural renovations, is now completed, and so very soon the Bahamian people will begin to see additional services provided, so that we can provide services for physical rehabilitative services, mental, psychological, and the list goes on and on,” Dr Darville said.

The government is also working with technical experts and Bahamian professionals abroad to develop rehabilitation programmes in partnership with the Pan American Health Organization.

PHA managing director Dr Aubynette Rolle said many Bahamians are eager to return home to work in the sector, adding that a large number of interviews were completed last week.

The centre will offer aquatic therapy, with staff trained in the United Kingdom to provide water-based rehabilitation for patients with obesity, knee injuries and mobility challenges.

Officials said the facility’s gym and wellness amenities will also be available to PHA employees after hours as part of staff wellness initiatives.

Director of Rehabilitation Services Heather Hanlan said the upgraded facility will include a wellness programme for people living with chronic conditions and injuries.

“The key about this wellness programme is going to be individualized care based on assessments from our professionals, physical therapists, occupational therapists, recreational therapists and exercise physiologists,” Ms Hanlan said.

The facility will separate adult and paediatric rehabilitation services, a move officials said was intended to provide more specialised care.

Paediatric-trained physical therapist Dr Millicent Rollins said PHA’s services will focus not only on babies and newborns, but children up to age 18.

“That population services persons who have disabilities from neurological conditions or congenital conditions, as well as those who may have suffered injuries or illnesses due to orthopedic conditions,” Dr Rollins said.

“The spans of management for those patients is fairly wide, and what we were are looking to do initially is have a facility that concentrates on that population specifically, and at another date and time as we expand services to then expand that to other therapeutic modalities that would be helpful to those particular children and populations.”

Dr Rolle said autism and speech therapy services, as well as psychologist services, can also be provided.