Southcoast Health System has consolidated its rehabilitation programs in the Fall River area in a new facility at the Durfee Union Complex, at 283 Pleasant St., Fall River, along with its diabetes management services and its Somerset cardiopulmonary rehab program.
Last week, as she prepared for a big open house Thursday afternoon, Jennifer Randall, director of the diabetes program, wound care and rehabilitation for Southcoast, answered questions about the new building, the services offered, and the local need for those services.
PBN: How big are Southcoast’s diabetes, wound care and rehab programs, and how come they’re grouped together?
RANDALL: Our regional annual visits are approximately 116,000, not including our new Southcoast Wound Care Center, which just opened March 15 at Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River. We have 13 outpatient rehab clinics across the region, from Portsmouth to Wareham, Mass. We also service inpatients at all three of our hospitals: Charlton, St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford, and Tobey Hospital in Wareham.
The services are grouped together because many conditions treated by rehab are the result of diabetes, peripheral neuropathy, peripheral vascular diseases, cardiac disease and obesity. In addition, many people with diabetes have chronic wounds. Rehabilitation, diabetes and wound care all work together with a focus on education, prevention and treatment to make lifestyle changes for better health and function.
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PBN: Is there a lot of demand for rehab services in Fall River?
RANDALL: Yes, there is. We provide physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech pathology, audiology, athletic training, diabetes care, and cardiac and pulmonary rehab services at Durfee Union, for children and adults.
We see a very diverse patient population. We have patients with orthopedic issues, neurological problems, developmental delays, swallowing disorders, dizziness and balance assessments, hand injuries, voice disorders and more. Our occupational health department works with businesses to treat and prevent workplace injuries. Cardiac rehab is an important link to our open-heart surgery program, and all three of our hospitals are designated Primary Stroke Centers, so our patients can get life-saving treatment there and have access to seamless rehab services afterward.
PBN: What kinds of services does your diabetes management program offer, and how does it enhance the care that individual doctors can provide?
RANDALL: Diabetes is a big problem in this region: The national average is 7 percent [of the population], and in this area we’re at 9 percent. I think this program helps physicians manage the high number of diabetes patients in this area by covering the educational portion of diabetes management, which takes time but is critical to the patient’s well-being.
Southcoast’s diabetes management program is certified by the American Diabetes Association and staffed by registered nurses and dieticians who are all certified diabetes educators. We offer a series of classes to help people live healthy lives with diabetes, with individual and group programs on Type 1, Type 2 and gestational diabetes, as well as pre-diabetes.
PBN: Does Fall River have a particularly high number of at-risk patients?
RANDALL: The South Coast region has a high population of chronic disease, high risk factors for cardiac problems and people with diabetes. We have just developed a medical fitness program geared to people with risk factors for diabetes, heart disease, obesity, etc. Patients need a physician referral so we are sure they are safe to exercise.
PBN: Has Massachusetts’ health care reform helped improve access to care for your patients?
RANDALL: In some ways yes and others no. We find that more patients are covered or have some type of coverage where before many were on free care. Unfortunately, some of the impacts we have seen from insurance companies are higher copays for our patients and limitations in terms of the amount of therapy covered. However, we work hard to customize each therapy program to maximize the benefit to the patient while working with their insurance coverage constraints.
