A new rehab center is opening in Osceola County-- a first of its kind.

  • Osceola Regional adding new rehab center
  • Opening in time to handle an influx of patients
  • Center features ADL Suite, specialized gym and supporting services

Osceola Regional Medical Center’s expansion, which has been years in the making, is wrapping up just in time to handle an influx of Puerto Rican patients.

The bed count has increased to 396 thanks to a new physical rehabilitation center. It’s a much-needed addition due to the number of Hurricane Maria evacuees.

“We’ll be able to help those people become successful participants because maybe they are suffering from an injury or an illness or an acute episode like a stroke,” said Jessica Cappa, the Program Director for the Osceola Regional Rehab Center. “And they’re here and they find themselves in an unfamiliar environment, and they’re new and ‘what do I do?’ We’re here to be their ground zero.”

In the past, patients in Kissimmee had to travel to Orlando, Tampa or Melbourne for the right treatment, but not anymore. This new center has a specialized gym for therapy as well as dining and living room areas.

Before patients can go back home, their last stop is the ADL Suite which stands for Activities of Daily Living. It’s something that will help them transition into the real world.

“So this suite is particularly designed to ensure that the patient transitions smoothly to home and does not have any hiccups on the way,” said Soofia Khan, the Medical Director for the Rehab Center.

The ADL suite has a kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and laundry area where patients can practice the skills they need to be discharged from the program and return to independent living.

Patients will also have access to supporting services such as social work, psychological and spiritual care—something David Carbone, the CEO of the hospital, says will help fill the gap.

“We believe will be very busy very quickly because it’s a service that has not been available in the past but is desperately needed now,” he said.

This project will cost between $6 million and $8 million.