MetroHealth's Old Brooklyn Campus set to Expand Nationally Recognized Rehabilitation Center

Cleveland - The MetroHealth System will invest $9 million in its Old Brooklyn Campus, expanding a research program that draws patients from around the world who have suffered spinal injuries and strokes, while strengthening and improving a nationally recognized rehabilitation program.

“Miracles happen every day with our rehabilitation patients, who re-learn how to walk, talk and live their lives after traumatic events,” said MetroHealth President and CEO Akram Boutros, M.D. “This investment in our Old Brooklyn Campus will allow us to strengthen these rehabilitation programs and better serve our patients.”

Demolition work is already underway at the Old Brooklyn Campus on 4229 Pearl Road. Construction will begin this autumn and should be completed by the middle of 2021.

“MetroHealth's investment in renovating its Old Brooklyn Campus and expanding services is great for the neighborhood, and the project improves upon MetroHealth's already nationally recognized rehabilitation programs,” said Council President Kevin Kelley, who represents the community. “Pearl Road has seen a revitalization, and renovating and improving upon the building -- once Deaconess Hospital -- helps keep the momentum in Old Brooklyn going.”

MetroHealth will expand and renovate space for the Physical Medicine and Rehab research program, which includes the Cleveland Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) Center. FES uses electrical pulses to stimulate paralyzed muscles to restore or improve their function. It is often used to assist with breathing, grasping, transferring, standing and walking. It can also lead to improved bladder and bowel function.

The FES Center is a partnership with MetroHealth, Case Western Reserve University, the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center, the Cleveland Clinic Neurological Institute and University Hospitals focused on helping people with spinal cord injury, stroke and other neuromuscular impairments regain movement and function they have lost.

The Cleveland FES Center develops new devices and therapies; therefore, clinical studies are a necessity. The more we know about how these therapies work, the more people can be helped with FES. The research is done at MetroHealth and shared with our partners in the FES Center and with the global medical and scientific community.

Spinal cord injury, stroke, cerebral palsy and pain are among the conditions being researched and treated with FES.

The Old Brooklyn investments will also include new and improved space for the MetroHealth Rehabilitation Institute. The Institute was recently recognized by Newsweek as one of the best rehabilitation facilities in the country. Among the improvements:

• Constructing a new gym for neuro-intensive outpatient physical, occupational, and speech therapies which treat patients after traumatic injury or stroke.

• Relocating physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians and residents from Main Campus to Old Brooklyn to further integrate with research, rehab, and a full continuum of care for patients.

• Renovating inpatient rehab spaces to support program growth and new technologies.

The Institute specializes in taking care of the region’s most severely injured and critically ill patients. When it was established in 1953, the Institute was one of only six hospitals in the nation dedicated solely to rehabilitation. Today, it’s one of only 14 federally designated Spinal Cord Injury Model System Centers in the nation and the only facility in northern Ohio with dedicated units for stroke, spinal cord and brain injuries.

Besides providing outstanding patient care, the Institute is dedicated to training the next generation of rehabilitation professionals and conducting cutting-edge research that helps patients regain control over their lives. The Institute has a residency program in physical medicine and rehabilitation, as well as fellowships in brain injury medicine, spinal cord medicine and pain medicine. It ranks fourth in the nation in National Institutes of Health funding for rehabilitation research.

Additionally, MetroHealth will be expanding its Geriatrics Red Carpet Care program at Old Brooklyn, which offers specialized services to patients at a high-risk of emergency department visit or inpatient admission. The RCC program works with patients and their doctors to make sure they get the care they need when sick and the support they need to stay healthy. The RCC team includes a medical doctor, nurse practitioner, registered nurse, social worker, care navigator, pharmacist and dietitian.

Once patients are in the RCC program, they receive a care plan and a case manager to help them implement the plan. The case manager calls patients on a regular basis to address immediate health concerns, coach and assist in achieving health goals and assist with community resources. The case managers also take phone calls from patients who have questions or are feeling ill, and schedule same-day appointments in the RCC clinic.