TERRE HAUTE —
A community of faith has opened its doors to those in need of therapy, not just spiritual, but physical as well.
Providence Health Care Inc. announced its intent to accept new patients Thursday evening, representing a change long in the works.
Located on the grounds of St. Mary-of-the-Woods, the facility has long served the needs of aging Sisters of Providence, their families and congregation. But next month the 70-bed skilled nursing unit will begin accepting patients from the community at-large.
Sister Lisa Stallings, Sisters of Providence general officer, said the unit is designed for post-acute care, including physical, occupational and speech therapy.
“We’re aiming for Oct. 1,” she said, adding the facility has been approved as a Medicare provider, receiving a five-star rating from the affiliated accrediting agencies and a top ranking by U.S. News and World Report. “We’ve had a long-range plan to do this, but we haven’t been in a position to really carry that out until now.”
Gerald Dutton came to the facility as its new administrator in May, most recently serving as director of a 174-bed facility in San Marcus, Texas. His role will be to help make the transition from what has been a facility serving members to one serving the community.
“I’m very excited to take on this responsibility,” he said, noting that in the case of St. Mary-of-the-Woods, the facility is augmented by the scenic and spiritual atmosphere.
Thursday evening, the Providence Center hosted an open house for members of the Wabash Valley’s medical community, offering tours of the skilled nursing unit and its amenities.
Sister Denise Wilkinson, Sisters of Providence general superior, said the facility is part of an “intergenerational campus” where college students, pre-schoolers and the elderly all commune.
“We think, and most of the Sisters of Providence believe, St. Mary-of-the-Woods is a special place to be,” she said, describing it as a place to heal the body, mind and spirit.
In addition to individual and double rooms, the facility offers its patients Wifi Internet access and dining options. Its hydrotherapy unit features one of only four indoor pools of its kind in the state. Therapists demonstrated how the pool’s submersible floor operates, dropping from ground-level to a depth of 6 feet, allowing patients to adapt to a number of body-weight scenarios. The floor also features a treadmill with resistance options provided by jets, allowing patients to walk, run or jog in water at any depth, speed or resistance level.
Dr. Carlos Belmar, an orthopedic surgeon with UAP Clinic, said he became introduced to the Sisters of Providence when he began his Terre Haute practice 15 years ago. Since then, he’s gotten to better appreciate their ideals and offerings, which go beyond the physical. As a physician, he said he’d recommend the facility to his own family.
“They’re caring for the sick, and it comes from the heart,” he said.
Brian Boyce can be reached at 812-231-4253 or brian.boyce@tribstar.com.
More info
• For more information visit www.spsmw.org, or call 812-535-4001.
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Related Photos
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Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis Cutting edge: Physical Therapist Assistant Alicia Thome rests at the edge of the aquatic therapy pool in Providence Health Care’s newly opened short term rehabilitation unit. The pool is one of only four in the state.
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Providence Health offering help to community
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