Lincoln Hospitals Are Caring for Your Health

by Judy Shutts

Lincoln Hospitals are constantly upgrading technology, education, patient services and assessing Lincoln’s ongoing health needs to provide the best health care possible. In addition to hospitals and surgical units, the city has a variety of assisted living and nursing home facilities as well as health and fitness centers.

Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital Rebuilds Lives

The goal of Madonna Hospital is to help adults and children rebuild their lives from disabling illness or injury. It is the only freestanding rehabilitation hospital in Nebraska and surrounding states and the only hospital to have all levels of rehabilitative care in one facility. It serves to rehabilitate more patients than any other facility in the region.

A national leader in specialized rehabilitation programs that include:

  • Traumatic brain injury
  • Spinal cord injury
  • Stroke and neurological diseases
  • Pediatric rehabilitation
  • Neuromuscular diseases
  • Cardiac conditions
  • Amputation
  • Burns

The state-of-the art facility includes the Madonna Research Institute, where exciting projects are shaping the future of rehabilitation. The ICARE, a therapeutic elliptical device created by the Institute, received two U.S. patents and an international award for the innovative technology. The ICARE is being sold to more than 80 countries around the world and several leading rehabilitation facilities throughout the country are now using the ICARE.

The medical staff includes physiatrists, pediatricians, pulmonologists and internal medicine specialists who work with a patient’s clinical team to develop a personalized rehabilitation care plan. Madonna serves more rehabilitation patients than any other facility in the region.

Rehabilitation takes place throughout the facility, as well as in a 5,000 square foot therapy gym, a warm-water therapeutic pool, an in-house classroom and Independence Square, a simulated community where skills can be practiced in everyday life settings. Convenient, on-campus housing allows family members to stay close to their loved one and actively participate in the rehabilitation process.

The hospital wellness services include ProActive, a medically based health and fitness facility. Open to all community members, ProActive offers customized health programs, medical expertise, a wide variety of fitness equipment and personal support to help individuals achieve complete health and wellness.

To find out how Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital can help, call the main line at 402-413-300 or toll-free 800-676-5448, or visit the website at www.madonna.org.

Bryan Health

Bryan Health is Lincoln’s largest hospital. Because it was formed in 1997 when Bryan Memorial Hospital and Lincoln General Hospital merged, Bryan Health has 2 main facilities in Lincoln. Their East Campus is located on South 48th Street, while their West Campus is on South 16th Street. The following are just a few of the features that help Bryan Health contribute Lincoln’s quality of life.

New Independence Center

Bryan Health has responded to the needs of the community by building a new Independence Center, just west of the treatment center at 16th and Lake Streets. The multi-million dollar expansion includes a new two-story building and renovations to the previous Counseling Center.

The Independence Center provides an addiction treatment program that includes substance abuse treatment and counseling. The center provided treatment to more than 900 people in 2011. Another 4,400 people received inpatient and outpatient mental health services at Bryan.

Construction on the building, which will be 35,804 square feet, is expected to be completed by fall of 2014.

Leader in Heart Care

Bryan Health continues to be a leader in cardiac surgery. Doctors from Bryan Heart recently performed several transcatheter aortic valve replacements (TAVR) at Bryan Medical Center. This new procedure is a life-saving procedure for patients with certain heart conditions.

Society of Thoracic Surgeons gave Bryan’s Heart and Bryan Medical Center teams the society’s rating. For the data covering July 2011 to July 2012, Bryan ranked in the highest tier.

Community Outreach

Bryan Health educates the community by offering a myriad of free community programs on topics such as:

  • Healthcare Reform—what does it mean for you?
  • Suicide Prevention
  • Men’s Health
  • Heart-Healthy Cooking Classes
  • Safety Tips for Children
  • Caring for Parents

Visit the website for more information at www.bryanhealth.com/

Saint Elizabeth Regional Medical Center

Located on South 70th Street, Saint Elizabeth Regional Medical Center is a non-profit, faith-based care provider affiliated with Catholic Health Initiatives. It specializes in the treatment of newborn and pediatric care, women’s health, burn and wound, cardiology, oncology, emergency medicine, orthopedics and neuroscience.

St. E’s is a leader in the care of premature babies and now has a Mother’s Milk Depot. The Mother’s Milk Depot is the first donor milk collection in Lincoln where mothers can donate milk.

Jami Blair, public relations coordinator, said Saint Elizabeth’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, called the NICU, uses donor milk when the mother’s milk is not available. There is a shortage in the U.S. and the milk is a precious resource that helps premature infants grow and thrive. It is part of the commitment to provide women and babies with the resources they need.

The Joint Commission has recognized Saint Elizabeth for its exceptional standards for its NICU and High-Risk Obstetrics. It is one of two hospitals in the nation to receive the Gold Seal for pre-term labor. The hospital also received the award for Prematurity. In addition, the hospital has recently gained three new maternal fetal specialists—doctors who have expertise in high-risk pregnancies.

Another service for women is a new radiation therapy treatment for the Breast Care Center. Saint Elizabeth is the first hospital in the Nebraska to offer AccuBoost, a precise, image-guided radiation therapy that minimizes damage to other tissues. This is one of the services offered by the Breast Care Center team.

Saint Elizabeth offers classes called “Preparing for Breast Cancer Surgery.” The class is free and open to patients of Saint Elizabeth. Attendees are welcome to bring a family member or friend. Preregistration is required through the CARE office at 402-219-7123.

For other information regarding Saint Elizabeth Regional Medical Center, visit the website at www.saintelizabethonline.com/

Nebraska Heart Institute – A Heart Hospital

The Nebraska Heart Hospital celebrated its 10-year anniversary while also celebrating new innovations in the field of heart care.

Throughout the last 10 years, the Heart Hospital has received many awards for its care. The hospital ranks in the top five percent nationally for cardiac surgery and number one in the state for overall cardiac services. And the hospital continues to be innovative in the services it provides to patients.

Jay Hoffman, director of marketing, said the evolution of health care brings challenges and opportunities for health care providers.

“We identify opportunities to expand our services for better outcomes,” he said.

One of the ways they did that was to establish the cardiac hybrid operating room, which complements the new heart valve procedure. The first cardiac hybrid in Lincoln, this room allows collaborative efforts with surgery and cardiology to work as a team in providing innovative therapies to patients.

The hybrid suite complements the team approach at Nebraska Heart, said Dr. James Wudel, cardiothoracic surgeon with Nebraska Health. He said it is particularly useful for the TAVR therapy that Nebraska Heart provides it heart-valve patients. This suite gives the TAVR team the flexibility and room that a procedure such as TAVR requires.

TAVR stands for transcatheter aortic valve replacement, a minimally invasive procedure to treat defective heart valves. The Nebraska Heart Institute’s Heart Valve Team was among the first in the nation to perform the TAVR procedure.

For information about the Nebraska Heart Hospital, visit the website at www.neheart.com

 

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