UH St. John Auxiliary Gift Makes a Difference

The $10,000 gift of a rehab harness system from the St. John Medical Center Auxiliary is making a difference at the hospital’s Outpatient Rehabilitation Services located at 26008 Detroit Road in Westlake.

The harness was introduced last week. Matt, an outgoing 39-year old who was severely injured when his car went off a cliff in Colorado in May, 2018, demonstrated the device purchased from Mass Rehab, Inc.

“We provide physical and occupational therapy to individuals who have neurological and orthopedic conditions, chronic pain, balance problems, difficulty walking and sports injuries,” reports Michele Hippler, PT, DPT, Supervisor.

“In this harness system, patients can walk on the ground or a treadmill, perform high level balance activities, practice sit-to-stand from various surfaces, walk on ramps and even use the stairs.”

The harness system enables the patient to perform intense walking and balance skills without the risk of injury.

“It reduces the fear and anxiety while promoting more independent practice opportunities during these challenging therapeutic tasks. By utilizing this technology, we are able to document significant therapeutic gains in a shorter period of time which may result in the approval of more visits and reduce overall medical costs to the patient,” says Hippler.

Now that this system is in place at UH St. John, patients like Matt will have the opportunity to progress faster and perhaps be approved for more therapy sessions.

On hand for the introduction of the equipment was Joyce Holod, President, UH St. John Auxiliary.

“It obviously was very meaningful to have the opportunity to meet Matt. He is such a nice young man who unfortunately is going through so much,” says Holod. “It is my sincere hope that the work he is doing with the harness will help him to fulfill his dream of being able to walk again. My thanks to Matt for his willingness to allow us to see how the equipment can benefit patients in their rehab and for his wonderful smile and personality. I will be remembering Matt in my thoughts and prayers.”

The $10,000 gift of the harness by the Auxiliary was one of many remarkable donations made by the Auxiliary from its 2019 proceeds – all monies earned by the Auxiliary through sales in the UH St. John Medical Center Gift Shop and through various fundraising activities throughout the year.

At the end of the day, 2019 Auxiliary gifts to the UH St. John Medical Center totaled $121,528.31!