Banner Good Samaritan Rehabilitation Institute celebrates 44 years of service

PHOENIX (Sept. 17, 2007) – Since 1963, the majority of patients that come to Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center have spent some time with the hospital’s rehabilitation therapists who help to speed the recovery process. To meet the Valley’s need for specialized rehabilitative care, the 63-bed Banner Good Samaritan Rehabilitation Institute (BGSRI) was built in 1967 to provide medical and therapeutic services to patients at all stages of their recoveries.

Now celebrating its 40th anniversary as one of the Southwest’s leading rehabilitation centers, BGSRI has developed a reputation for assisting patients dealing with severe disabilities such as multiple trauma, orthopedic injuries and neuromuscular diseases, to recuperation from more common hospital stays.

Patients and their families are the focal point of BGSRI’s interdisciplinary team of medical professionals that includes physiatrists (physicians that specialize in physical medicine and rehabilitation); rehabilitation nurses; psychologists; physical, occupational, recreation and speech therapists; and support staff. The institute's case management staff also assists in identifying financial resources, support groups and other community resources.

Because the goal is to get patients back to their homes and families as quickly as possible, family members are given opportunities to participate in their loved one's rehabilitation, as well as counseling and training to help them provide on-going care. Therapists use the latest rehabilitative equipment and techniques to assist patients with mobility and strength training. BGSRI also has neuroscience clinics and an extensive outpatient rehabilitation service, assisting patients with focused care for wheelchair mobility, wheelchair seating, adapted driving, speech and vocal cord therapy, and balance disorders.

In addition, BGSRI has also become a valuable partner in rehabilitative and biosciences research, including studies that allowed two paraplegic men to walk with assistive devices and current studies with the hospital’s Clinical Neurobiology & Bioengineering Research Center and the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University for people with spinal cord injuries.

The Banner Good Samaritan Rehabilitation Institute will increase awareness of the value of rehabilitation through the National Rehabilitation Awareness Celebration beginning September 17, 2007. This event is designed to highlight the victories people with disabilities have made through rehabilitation; to recognize the contributions of rehabilitation professionals; and to call attention to the unmet needs of people with disabilities.

Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center has been providing medical care to Arizona and the Southwest since 1911. Banner Good Samaritan is owned and operated by Phoenix-based Banner Health, a not-for-profit organization, and is a flagship hospital within the system. The hospital was recently named to U.S.News & World Report’s “America’s Best Hospitals” list for Gynecology, Heart and Heart Surgery, Kidney Disease and Urology. Banner Good Samaritan has been recognized as a Magnet facility by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the highest honor a hospital can earn for its nursing care and practices.

Contact:
Banner Good Samaritan Public Relations
(602) 239-4411