Tag: Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network

Building on a history of embracing technology, Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network’s new hospital in Center Valley is being designed as a cutting-edge facility.

Although the hospital won’t be ready to open until late in the first quarter of 2023, plans are underway to bring the newest technology to Lehigh Valley.

Michael Spigel, Good Shepherd president and CEO, said the hospital has a long history of being early users of the newest technology. “When we began the designs, we wanted to expand on our history and willingness to use new technology,” he said.

Through the design process the hospital brought frontline workers to the table, Spigel said. Those workers helped develop the operation by giving input based on personal experience working with patients at the current hospital in South Allentown.

“We went about this in a uniquely different way,” he said. “We wanted to make sure the spaces were friendly to workers and to patients and their families.

Good Shepherd specializes in complex and catastrophic injuries and illnesses such as strokes, spinal cord and brain injuries, multiple traumas, amputation and nerve degeneration.

The team identified three trends in technology that will be included in the Experience Center, a 2,000-square-foot space inside the 123,000-square-foot, four-story facility: 3D printing, a training center and artificial intelligence.

A 3D printing program, developed in conjunction with Moravian University in Bethlehem, will have CAD (computer-assisted design) engineers working with clinicians to create personalized devices for patients. The printers will be used to make custom-made devices that aid patients, such as braces and splints and smart devices that could help patients pick up forks or glasses, even open doors, Spigel said.

“The therapist will design a device then work with an engineer who will do the final drawings and program the software. An hour to a few hours later, the device will be complete, and the therapist can fit it to the patient.

“The best part is, if it doesn’t work, a new, modified device can be made to replace it,” he said.

Prosthetic devices and adaptations to wheelchairs and walkers can also be made with this same technology. “There are research centers right now experimenting with making human organs. We are not doing that, but the technology is out there,” he said.

Smart tech
The second part of the Experience Center is the Automation Center. “We hope this will become a destination for anyone to learn about all the different technologies available, not just patients of ours.”

The Automation Center is a learning tool where patients can learn how to use smart devices such as Alexa or Google to help alter their homes or workspaces to allow more independence. For example, Spigel said, a smart device could be used to raise or lower window shades with a spoken command.

“There will be robotic technologies in the future, but for now, we can use off-the-shelf technology to optimize life,” he said. “We hope this will become a destination for anyone looking to learn about this.”

The third part of the Experience Center is wearables and artificial intelligence.

“Technology is coming that will potentially allow someone with limited use of their hands and wrists to put a sleeve on their forearm to aid with movement,” Spigel said. “Sensors will pick up on what the person wants to do and help them do it.”

Think of someone trying to pick up a fork or a water bottle with little use of their hands, he said.

“The wearables could also be wristbands or watches with sensors that would give the therapist feedback on activity levels at home. That way, he said, the therapist can stay connected to the patient even when the patient isn’t in therapy. “If they are declining, the therapist can find out why and motivate them to stay active,” he said.

“Companies today are researching ways to put this technology in the brain to regain movement in people with spinal injuries. Whatever it is, we want to be the first in the country to experiment with it.”

The age factor

The decision to build the new hospital was based on the age of the current building. The South Allentown facility was built in 1983 and has been using new technology as it has become available. The new hospital is being built to further allow the use of technology, Spigel said. “People are treated within our four walls and now they will be able to go further when they are living at home.”

The new hospital, in Upper Saucon Valley, across from the Promenade Shops of Saucon Valley, will feature 75 private rooms. The rooms are spacious to allow families to stay with the patient. Many patients outside of the area. In addition, each room will have a closet by the door with access both inside and outside the room.

“When things are delivered to the patient, like towels, sheets and bathing supplies, they can be put into the closet without disruption to the patient” he said. “When a nurse is in the room, he or she can put the supplies where they need to go.”

The rooms are equipped with smart devices that allow patients to control the blinds with their voice or call a nurse by speaking.

The hospital, which offers physical, occupational, speech and recreational therapy, along with physicians who specialize in physiatry – physical medicine and rehabilitation – will also have a large outdoor therapy and activities center. Spigel said therapists and patients can go outside to learn how to navigate their environment.

“We will have all types of surfaces on different levels with barriers of all kinds that someone would find in the community,” he said. “We are located in an open space with lots of greenery, so we decided to add the outside area.”

A garden area where people can go to relax and enjoy with family and friends is also planned. While the facility is designed so therapy can happen anywhere, the outside area will be helpful for recreational therapy, he said.

“If someone loses use of their arms or legs, they probably can’t do the things they used to do. Here they can learn to do things differently to allow them physical, mental and spiritual enrichment.” Spigel said. And, of course, in today’s world, gaming can be taught differently. “There are a whole range of activities people can do.”