Rehab & Wellness

BY DAN SPALDING, Times-Union Staff Writer

Kosciusko Community Hospital's new Health and Wellness Center is more than a new marketing technique with a feel-good name.

The $4.6 million facility on the north edge of KCH's sprawling medical campus is completely operational this week with the opening of the fourth and final suite.

The facility is a focal point for services that were locally lacking previously.

"There's some real trends in national health care to look for ways to prevent and manage disease better so we can utilize lower cost intervention," said Steve Jungbauer, team leader of KCH's Wellness Center and Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitiation.

"This type of building is an incredible commitment from the hospital to the community at large to provide that type of care and intervention," he said.

The entire 30,000-square-foot complex includes four suites. Orthopaedics Northeast and Northern Lakes Internal Medicine opened earlier this year. The Regional Rehabilitation Center opened a week ago, and the Cardiopulminary Rehabilitation and Wellness Center, featuring a large exercise room with dozens of workout machines, opened Monday.

The regional rehab center outgrew the available room in the nearby KCH Medical Pavilion.

In the past two years, the center's treatments have risen from 2,500 to 5,000, according to Dr. Thomas Johnson, director.

Five years ago, it employed just Johnson and one other therapist. The center now has five physical therapists, two occupational therapists, a speech therapist and two assistants. Another therapist will be added soon, Johnson said.

Reasons for the enormous growth are varied, Johnson said.

Aging demographics, improved technology and local access have much to do with it, he said.

To a large degree, KCH is now able to provide many services patients traditionally traveled to South Bend or Fort Wayne to receive.

"With the hospital campus and the number of specialists, we're able to keep more of the health care in the community," Johnson said.

The focal point of the facility is the Wellness Center's large exercise room. An indoor track encircles the room and the adjacent rehabilitation center, where therapists work directly with patients recovering from various injuries and ailments.

Initially, the workout room will serve mostly people referred by physicians, but it is available to anyone wanting to establish a specific wellness program, Jungbauer said.

Memberships will be available for the program. Newcomers will be given medical and fitness assessments and advised by experts of programs tailored to meet their needs, he said.

Other services available through the Wellness Center include smoking and weight management.

The facility will serve young and old, whether they be aspiring athletes, blue-collar workers or somebody hoping to enjoy the golden years after heart problems.

Just ask Josh Gross, Jennifer Richcreek or Tamara Wagner.

Gross, a three-sport athlete and recent graduate of Triton High School, tore ligaments in both of his knees, but is on schedule to play football for DePauw University this fall following rehab treatment at the center.

The center works with plenty of high school athletes, but hopes to increase relations with schools, Johnson said.

Richcreek, an occupational therapist, spends more time working with patients recovering from injuries or ailments, but is devoting more time to advising companies on how to reduce employee injuries involving carpal tunnel and tennis elbow, common disabilities associated with repetitive arm motions.

Richcreek has advised nearly a dozen companies, and said Kosciusko County employees have seen a decrease in the number of carpal tunnel cases since their efforts began.

Wagner, a speech therapist, works with victims of strokes and head injuries, as well as young people with speech problems.

She also works with stroke patients on how to swallow correctly. That's right, swallowing.

Often, patients overcoming strokes suffer problems associated with swallowing correctly and inadvertently send liquids "down the wrong pipe" and into their lungs, which can cause pneumonia.

Wagner uses video technology to determine if they're swallowing incorrectly, then implements exercise programs and dietary changes to correct problems.

Another aspect of the center is the work hardening area, where staff assist people recovering from injuries to rebuild their ability to do specific tasks. As the patient progresses, the exercises become more strenuous until they match the level of work in the actual job.

The training center is tailored to meet tasks found in local industry, Johnson said.