Center provides range of therapy

Ruth Griggs, 76, used to use a wheelchair, but now she freely walks around her hilly neighborhood and energetically shows off therapy exercises in her living room. The Hayden woman gives the credit for her remarkable turnaround to the therapists at Kootenai Medical Center’s McGrane Center.

Although not widely known, the McGrane Center for Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Care in Coeur d’Alene is celebrating its fifth anniversary. McGrane, located at the north end of the KMC complex, houses most of the hospital’s outpatient rehab services. Randy Edwards, KMC’s director of rehabilitation services, said overall patient satisfaction levels are above 96 percent.

Last year nearly 30,000 patients used the McGrane Center. Its most widely used feature is the therapy pool, the Terrill Aquatic Center. Other services include cardiac rehab, speech therapy, occupational therapy, an extensive gym used for physical therapy, a driver’s evaluation program, and a senior care program. McGrane’s therapists are all licensed by the state, which Edwards says isn’t always the case at private practices.

Depending on their injury, many patients will use both the pool and the gym, or some other combination of services. With so many services under one roof – the building is 18,000 square feet – therapists are able to frequently meet with one another to develop comprehensive plans for their patients.

John McFadden, of Coeur d’Alene, has used the McGrane Center’s services for the past year and a half. His 5-year-old grandson, who is developmentally challenged, has visited many private therapists, most of whom disappointed McFadden. The McGrane Center, he says, is different.

“The people at McGrane Center are exceptional. The therapists, the receptionist … are of the highest quality that we have been in contact with.”

KMC built the nonprofit facility in 2001, using private donations and hospital funds, to fill several needs. Former rehab director Laurie Brunette had worked for 17 years to get the community a therapy pool, and rehab services were rapidly outgrowing their room in the main hospital building.

Five years later, McGrane keeps growing. A major expansion is planned, allowing physiatrist – doctor of physical medicine – Mike Meythaler to set up a private practice inside the outpatient center. In addition to his new private practice, Dr. Meythaler will continue to serve as the medical director of KMC’s separate inpatient service, the Kootenai Rehabilitation Center.

“We are constantly growing,” Edwards said. “We are a very healthy hospital and a healthy department.”

Occupational therapy at McGrane features a full kitchen to help patients who have lost physical ability re-learn basic activities, such as cooking, setting a timer and using utensils. One of the occupational therapists is also a certified driving instructor who uses a driver’s education-style car to determine patients’ ability to drive.

“We get doctor’s referrals, often stimulated by the family saying, ‘I’m really scared of grandma driving,’ ” Edwards said.

McGrane’s Henry Heyn Adult Day Program provides weekday care for seniors, giving them gardening opportunities, games, meals, entertainment and more.

Speech therapy, another important service, not only helps stroke victims, Parkinson’s patients and young children develop speech and communication skills, but also helps them regain the ability to swallow. While occupational and physical therapy are important, said Edwards, they won’t save you from choking.

It is the 92-degree therapy pool that gets the most use. The pool is 24 feet wide and 48 feet long and holds 38,000 gallons of water. The McGrane Center contracts with schools to allow special-needs children to use the pool and offers both pre- and post-natal exercises.

“Nothing’s better than being one-tenth your weight when you’re pregnant” said Lisa Johnson, KMC’s director of community relations.

Therapy classes, led by pool operator Gina Van Voorhis, are divided into three levels to address patients’ specific injuries.

One pool user is McFadden’s grandson, Taylor, who was born with tuberous sclerosis complex. The Coeur d’Alene family struggled to find a good therapist and pool for Taylor until they found McGrane by accident a year and a half ago. McFadden has since made it his personal mission to raise awareness about it and other therapeutic opportunities for children. McGrane’s facilities and a diet of glyco-nutrients, he says, have done wonders for Taylor’s health.

“For children with special needs, (the pool) opens up new opportunities to perceive things differently and think about things differently, which is what you’re always looking for,” McFadden said.

Wayne Holecek, 63, of Coeur d’Alene, also uses the pool. He couldn’t walk at all after a nasty fall in July 2004. After three months in the gym with therapists Ed Stafford and Lena Gauger, he was up on crutches. Holecek began using the pool in early 2005 and will continue to attend classes until he regains full feeling in his legs.

Holecek praises McGrane’s staff and says Kootenai County is lucky to have the facility.

“I go to the veterans hospital (in Spokane), and the person who takes care of me over there says, ‘I wish we had a pool like they do.’ “

Ruth Griggs started using the pool in January 2005 for arthritis pain. It is more important to her now than ever, however, as she has since had two total hip replacements. Physical therapy also helped her recover from the surgeries.

Griggs and Holecek attend classes based around small exercises like bending and flexing their legs or other muscles.

“You can do stuff in that pool that you can’t do on land,” Holecek said. “The warm water protects you.”

Some exercises involve noodles, the foam toys. Patients sometimes pretend to ski or bike on them.

The pool has done wonders for Griggs, who has made friends through the program. She called it “a support group.” Her class is planning on going out to lunch together soon.

“To be without pain and to (be) walking and lasting longer on your feet than you have for years, it is wonderful,” she said. “It is the biggest relief I can think of, and it gives you a new lease on life.”