New Southcoast Health pediatric rehabilitation facility set to open Monday
NEW BEDFORD — Patricia Krowel was afraid that her 10-year-old daughter Arianna wouldn’t be able to continue to receive the local services she needs from the caring people who have known her since she was a baby when she learned that the facility that has been her lifeline would be closing.
Arianna has been in Southcoast Health’s pediatric rehabilitation program since she was about a year and a half, having survived a stroke in utero and being diagnosed with cerebral palsy requiring therapy and exercise as well as additional surgeries to get stronger.
Krowel said it’s because of the therapists at Southcoast that Arianna is able to walk, jump and more and continues to do her best.
“She’s so proud when she comes to therapy to show Karen, to show Becca, all the amazing things that she can do,” she said. “Even at home, when she tries to use the stairs, she’s like Mommy look I can go up the stairs, and it’s because of the therapists at Southcoast,” she said. “I would be lost if it wasn’t for every single person here. They give us hope, and I’m just thankful.”
Southcoast Health's new pediatric rehabilitation center opens Monday at 4543 Acushnet Ave. in New Bedford. Its opening was celebrated Friday morning with a ribbon cutting and tours of the new facility, the buildout of which cost about $4 million, Southcoast Health President and CEO David McCready said.
McCready said renovations to the facility that was previously a doctor’s office space were completed in record time. They had to vacate the premises by the end of March, so they didn’t have much time.
What precipitated the move
Southcoast needed to relocate its outpatient program when Meeting Street, a private nonprofit school that serves children with special needs, abruptly decided last fall to close its program at 1 Posa Place in Dartmouth, also known as the Schwartz School, due to financial reasons.
Tonya Johnson, senior vice president and chief operating officer for Southcoast Hospitals Group, said they are looking forward to opening Monday. The program has seen about 4,200 visits a year and up to 80 visits in a day.
"In October, we were given notice that they were closing the program at 1 Posa Place, and we quickly found this space and opened it knowing that the community needed these services,” Johnson said. “Here we are, opening on Monday when we'll start seeing patients at this beautiful new space at 4543 Acushnet Avenue.”
It's about who benefits now
Johnson shared her own personal experience with the kind of specialized care that will be provided while acknowledging the people who work there and provide the care.
“I have a daughter with Down syndrome, and I know firsthand what speech, physical and occupational therapy can mean for a life, and it’s life-altering and life changing, and she is so much better because of the care that she received,” she said.
Johnson said she looks forward to Monday when they open the doors to the children with their families and they get to experience the 11 physical and occupational therapy rooms to work on their sensory and fine motor skills. There’s a nature theme throughout the center.
Don Giumetti, chairman of the Southcoast Health System Board of Trustees, said the new center exemplifies Southcoast’s commitment to the community.
“We agreed that it was paramount to be sure that the care would not be interrupted for the thousands of children who benefit from these critical services, and families would not have to bear the burden of traveling to Providence or Boston and stay right here,” he said.
He said he is proud that the most advanced pediatric facility in the Southcoast region was completed in less than six months.
Standard-Times staff writer Kathryn Gallerani can be reached at kgallerani@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter: @kgallreporter. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Standard-Times today.
This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Southcoast Health opens new pediatric rehabilitation facility Monday
