Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Hospital Archives

Good Shepherd and Temple partner to train physiatrists

Temple residents training at Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Hospital, South Allentown – PHOTO/PROVIDED –

Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network has partnered with Temple University to train physiatrists at its South Allentown campus.

Good Shepherd’s collaboration with Temple University Hospital Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) Residency Program matches nine qualified candidates in the field of physiatry for a three-year training program at Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Hospital, 850 S. 5th St. in Allentown.

The primary aim of the Temple University Hospital PM&R Residency Program at Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network is to train physicians who specialize in PM&R. For more than 53 years, Temple has been a highly ranked training program and was one of the first programs in the country to create a formalized residency program in the field of PM&R, Good Shepherd said.

“It truly is an honor to partner with such a high-performing residency program,” said Dr. Sandeep Singh, Good Shepherd’s senior vice president of medical affairs and chief medical officer. “Temple has produced some of the most prominent physician leaders in our industry, and we intend to carry on that legacy and enhance the program’s existing reputation.”

Through the Temple University Hospital/Good Shepherd partnership, residents will focus on inpatient rehabilitation at Good Shepherd, including brain injury medicine, stroke rehabilitation, medical rehabilitation and spinal cord injury medicine. The residents also will also experience ambulatory services relevant to chronic disease populations.

“I am anticipating that this collaboration between Temple University Hospital and Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network will bring our already stellar PM&R residency program to a new level of training excellence,” said Dr. Sam S. H. Wu, professor and chair, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University.

“It is our goal to provide an experience where training residents can fully understand the breadth and scope of physiatry,” said Singh. “We are modeling our training around the future of value-based care and will inspire our future physiatrists to be thoughtful, forward-thinking clinical leaders, who will impact the outcomes of the communities we serve — primarily people with complex injuries and chronic disabilities — for decades to come.”

Several of Good Shepherd’s physicians will serve as faculty within Temple’s PM&R Department and will have direct responsibility for the program’s success and integrity. Many other Good Shepherd departments will collaborate with the residents to explore and enhance opportunities for research, education and quality improvement.

Good Shepherd is building a state-of-the-art inpatient rehabilitation hospital in Center Valley that will serve people with complex medical conditions, such as stroke, spinal cord injury, brain injury and other serious illnesses or injuries.

Good Shepherd receives $250,000 donation toward new hospital

From left, Mark Simmons, Air Products; Stacy Halliday, Air Products; Alexis Fernandez, Air Products; Laurie Hackett, Air Products; Michael Spigel, Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network; Cindy Buchman, Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network; and Marilyn Long, Air Products – PHOTO/PROVIDED –

Air Products Foundation gave $250,000 to the Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network “Hope Starts Here” capital campaign to support its planned Outdoor Therapy Garden.

The pledge helps Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network’s efforts to build a 76-bed, state-of-the-art rehabilitation hospital on 45 acres of land across from The Promenade Shops of Saucon Valley, near Route 309 and Interstate 78 in Center Valley.

With the final steel beam of the under-construction hospital in the background, Air Products Foundation representatives presented Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network leaders with a ceremonial check in South Allentown Friday.

“Air Products is honored to join with others in support of Good Shepherd,” said Laurie Hackett, Air Products community relations director. “We celebrate the work that they do and this unique outdoor space will add much to the rehabilitation journey for so many.”

The new rehabilitation hospital, scheduled to open in June 2023, aims to revolutionize treatment and recovery options for people with stroke, spinal cord injury, brain injury and other serious illnesses or injuries.

“We’re excited for the hospital opening in 2023 because only a handful of freestanding rehabilitation hospitals are built each year in the country — and one is coming right here to the Lehigh Valley,” said Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network President & CEO Michael Spigel. “It’s a transformational event for Good Shepherd, the region and for those who seek out advanced rehabilitation services. We’re so fortunate for community partners, such as the Air Products Foundation, to support Good Shepherd’s mission and what promises to be a destination for recovery.”

The new rehabilitation hospital will feature the Outdoor Therapy Gardens, which will offer physical, spiritual and social ways for patients to undergo therapy and participate in activities while staying at the rehabilitation hospital — gardening, trails, outdoor green space and more.

As part of their overall “Hope Starts Here” contribution, the Air Products Foundation will support the creation of the Activities Lawn portion of the Outdoor Therapy Gardens. The Therapy & Activities Garden space is designed specifically to allow patients to return to the activities they love, including golfing and gardening, as part of their recovery.

Good Shepherd raises $155,000 for Emily Howatt Pliskatt Pediatric unit

Four-year-old Nephtali “Nephy” Andujar took the 1 millionth step in the Trexo Plus, the robotic gait training device. PHOTO/PROVIDED –

Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Hospital held a gala Saturday and raised $155,000 for its Emily Howatt Pliskatt Pediatric unit.

The hospital located at 2855 Schoenersville Road offers robotic technology that helps children walk.

The robotic gait training device empowers children with pediatric stroke, cerebral palsy, spinal cord injuries and other gait disorders to walk, maybe for the first time, the hospital said in a press release.

With a smile and an encouraging countdown from the outdoor crowd, four-year-old Nephtali “Nephy” Andujar took the 1 millionth step in the Trexo Plus, the robotic gait training device.

Good Shepherd is the only health-care provider in the country to provide all three sizes of the device, and, thanks to Nephy’s momentous steps alongside physical therapist Alyssa Metzger, is the first provider in the world to reach the one million steps milestone, the release said.

“Good Shepherd’s clinical experts continue to conduct research with the Trexo to help make a meaningful difference in the lives of patients with pediatric stroke, cerebral palsy, spinal cord injury and other gait disorders,” said Amanda Kleckner, administrative director of pediatrics.

The event was held on the campus of Olympus Corporation of the Americas in Center Valley — just down the road from Good Shepherd’s under-construction rehabilitation hospital.

Good Shepherd has six total devices in all three sizes (small, medium, and large) for outpatient and inpatient rehabilitation settings. The wearable device allows children with lower-extremity weakness and/or spasticity to get on their feet and walk.

Good Shepherd’s 20-bed Pediatric Unit is the only pediatric rehabilitation unit in the region and the only Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF)-certified vent weaning provider in the Commonwealth.

Good Shepherd is opening a new adult rehabilitation hospital next year in Center Valley, across from the Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley.

Family with strong ties to Good Shepherd have new hospital lobby named for them

Al Douglass and Jill Raker Hudders Douglass PHOTO/PROVIDED –

The lobby of the under-construction Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Hospital will be named for Al Douglass and Jill Raker Hudders Douglass in recognition of a generous gift they made as part of the Hope Starts Here capital campaign to fund the new facility.

The Douglass Lobby will be the first thing new patients see when the hospital opens in early 2023.

Al and Jill Douglass of Allentown have deep roots in the community and noteworthy ancestral connections to Good Shepherd. Jill Douglass is the granddaughter of founders the Rev. John and Estella Raker. Her uncle was the late Rev. Dr. Conrad Raker, son of John and Estella, and served as superintendent and then administrator at Good Shepherd from 1941 to 1980. Jill’s mother, Roberta Raker Hudders, was Conrad’s sister.

Their gift honors this legacy and is made in memory of the three generations of their family that have been part of Good Shepherd – including Jill’s parents, William and Roberta Hudders and her brother John Raker Hudders.

“It is absolutely critical to have this hospital, and we are honored that the lobby will carry the Douglass name forever,” said Al Douglass, who is senior vice president of The Douglass Group at Merrill Lynch. “Good Shepherd changes lives every day, and with this new hospital, we know that our friends, neighbors and greater community will benefit from world-class expertise, innovative treatments and the latest technologies.”

This week, crews started construction work on the new hospital, which is slated to open in early 2023, according to a hospital statement. Located across from The Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley, the 76-private-room rehabilitation hospital will focus on providing specialized, complex care and serve as the anchor of a destination campus. With the focus on specialized, complex rehabilitative care, Good Shepherd’s new hospital will provide vital services in the Lehigh Valley and surrounding region.

When the Douglasses were asked to be campaign co-chairs of the Hope Starts Here capital campaign, it felt like a natural fit, they said.

“I heard my mother say, ‘Of course you will,’” said Raker Hudders Douglass. “And, of course my uncle Connie. He would be gung-ho and right out there, thrilled and excited. I thought of them all. It’s my heritage, and Al whole-heartedly agreed.”

The hospital’s first floor features the glass-enclosed Experience Center, a 3D printing, automation technology, wearables, artificial intelligence — that have the potential to advance rehabilitation practices for people with stroke, spinal cord injury, brain injury and other disabilities.

The remaining three floors will feature private patient rooms and therapy gyms for inpatient rehabilitation. There will also be Outdoor Therapy and Activity Gardens where clinicians will be able to create real-world experiences for patients.

For more information about the Hope Starts Here campaign or the Center Valley hospital, visit GoodShepherdRehab.org/HopeStartsHere.

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