Norwalk welcomes old-but-new rehabilitation center
Augustinian priest Ange LeProust founded the congregation Saint Thomas of Villanova in 1661. Its mission was to restore hospitals and care for the sick.
An amazing 356 years later, the Order of the Sisters of Saint Thomas of Villanova continues carrying out that mission through the facility they founded in 1952: Notre Dame Health and Rehabilitation Center. You probably know it as Notre Dame Convalescent Homes.
In July, the Norwalk facility celebrates a new chapter in health care. Although the name has changed, the sisters and staff deliver the same high-quality care that earned them a five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. So what’s different? They added short-term rehabilitation.
“We responded to the needs of the community,” says administrator Dana Paul. “Our attention to short-term rehab is synonymous with our mission of providing individualized care to restore patients’ functions as quickly as possible.”
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- Phone: (203) 847-5893
- Address: 76 West Rock Road
Norwalk, CT 06851
In conjunction with the reopening, Notre Dame Health and Rehabilitation Center added new equipment to its Neurological Rehabilitation department. Patients recovering from stroke, brain trauma, seizures, and other neurologic conditions now have access to state-of-the-art equipment to improve their flexibility, range of motion, balance, and coordination. They also have the benefit of neurologist Daryl Story, MD, the facility’s neurological rehabilitation director, who gives individual attention to recovering patients.
Notre Dame Health and Rehabilitation Center also expanded its physical therapy hours, and it now offers services to seven days a week. With access to more frequent therapy, patients can recover more quickly, go home sooner, and get back to doing what they love.
Quality over quantity
Notre Dame Health and Rehabilitation Center offers 60 beds and seven private rooms. Because it’s a smaller facility, residents receive personalized attention—a rarity in large rehab facilities.
“Because we are smaller and a not-for-profit, we have the staffing to provide a lot of one-to-one care,” says Julie Ashley, Notre Dame Health’s director of admissions and social services.
Notre Dame Health’s personal focus applies to not only residents but also families. Ashley, who serves as a director, social worker, and discharge planner, says Notre Dame Health and Rehabilitation Center gets families involved early and often.
“From the day the patient walks in, we make contact with the family,” says Ashley. “During the first few days, we’re already talking about discharge planning so we can anticipate any barriers and ensure a safe transition home.”
Notre Dame Health and Rehabilitation Center also offers caregiver support. Caregiving places enormous stress on loved ones. In a group setting, they can share their experiences and feelings in a supportive environment. “No other facility in the area offers this level of family support,” says Ashley.
A Catholic-based facility, Notre Dame Health and Rehabilitation Center is the only Fairfield County rehab center to offer spiritual care. The facility offers daily masses and weekly rosaries, though attendance is optional. Notre Dame Health accepts and welcomes people of all faiths.
As hospitals, doctors, and other providers form accountable care organizations to coordinate care for Medicare patients, even small, not-for-profit rehabilitation centers have to respond and adapt. Notre Dame Health and Rehabilitation Center now partners with WESTMED Medical Group, which allows it to coordinate care with more than 350 top physicians with offices throughout New York and Connecticut.
Paul says WESTMED Medical Group, which recently acquired Norwalk Medical Group, will direct patients to Notre Dame Health and Rehabilitation Center. “It’s important for the health of the community for us to develop these relationships,” says Paul.