Dominican Hospital is preparing to move its acute rehabilitation center from its Frederick Street facility in Santa Cruz to a newly completed wing of the hospital’s main campus on Soquel Drive in Santa Cruz.
“We wanted to consolidate services,” said Nanette Mickewicz, the hospital president. “When patients come out of surgery, it will save (the cost of) an ambulance trip. It’s really going to be great for patient care.”
With more than 200 people in attendance, Dominican administrators had a ribbon-cutting and grand-opening ceremony Tuesday, Jan. 22, to unveil the $12.6 million wing on the second floor of the hospital, 1555 Soquel Drive.
The majority of patients in Dominican’s acute rehabilitation center stay one to four weeks as they recover from serious injuries or illnesses, such as stroke, head injuries and spinal cord injuries.
Dignity Health, which owns Dominican, provided $10 million, and the hospital is working to raise the remaining $2.6 million.
To jump-start the fundraising, the Monterey Peninsula Foundation donated a $500,000 matching grant. The donation came from proceeds of last year’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament.
The new rehabilitation center, directed by Drs. Jennie Jet and Robert Quinn, has 20 private rooms with internet-capable interactive televisions and digital whiteboards that allow patients to see their daily schedule and which physicians have attended to them.
“We’re going to be able to stay ahead of the curve in terms of what is happening in rehab,” Jet said.
Two of the rooms are for bariatric care and have slings on an overhead track system to support a patient’s weight while moving from the bed to the bathroom.
The 15,000-square-foot wing also houses a workout gym and an apartment where patients can spend the night to make sure they can cook and carry out daily activities before they return home.
Dominican’s acute rehab facility has been on Frederick Street, several miles from the main hospital, since 1992. It has space for 10 patients in five double-occupancy rooms, while the new center can house 20 patients in private rooms.
“It used to be easier to have two patients per room,” said Lisa Akey, the director of continuing care services at the hospital. “Now people are looking for a private, quiet location where they can get good rest.”
Akey said the hospital has not set a date when patients will move into the new wing.
San Jose architectural firm ReelGrobman designed the facility, which was constructed by Fernandes and Sons General Contractors of Campbell.
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