Shriners Hospital for Children in Springfield, Massachusetts, is opening a new inpatient rehabilitation service that provides therapy for children recovering from complex injuries.
The inpatient unit is licensed for up to 20 beds and can help children who are recovering from traumatic injuries, such as to the brain or the spine.
The medical director of the new unit, Kerstin Sobus, said children who receive rehabilitative services do better in the long run.
"This unit is a place where kids can come and they receive physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy 15 hours or more per week to help them regain their function, be more independent, hopefully, when they return home and to the school," Sobus said.
Lee Kirk, the administrator of Shriners Hospital for Children in Springfield, said the only other pediatric rehab units like this in Massachusetts are in Boston.
