Recovering from a disabling injury or illness can be challenging.
Often rehabilitation services are necessary to help patients return to their highest functioning level, whether they’ve experienced a traumatic illness or injury, an orthopedic or work-related injury, or are coping with a chronic condition.
At Palo Alto County Hospital, our team of physical therapists, occupational therapist, speech therapist, lymphedema therapist, and our pulmonary rehabilitation program and nationally certified cardiac rehabilitation program, get patients back to their work, their home, their family and their life.
At Palo Alto County Hospital, our team gets patients back to their work, their home, their family and their life.
Cardiac & Pulmonary Rehabilitation
Palo Alto County Health System offers the following weekly rehabilitation programs:
Pulmonary Rehabilitation
Pulmonary Rehabilitation can help patients with lung diseases such as chronic bronchitis, emphysema and asthma. Pulmonary Rehabilitation includes exercise training along with education about lung disease, medication, diet and stress. The biggest emphasis is on breathing retraining. Goals for the rehab program are the decrease shortness of breath, increase strength and endurance, and improve the quality of life.
Services
- Pulmonary Rehabilitation & Maintenance Program
TIMES
This program meets on Tuesdays & Thursdays.
InsurancE
Medicare and primary insurance companies cover this program.
Cardiac Rehabilitation
Phase II is the period of Cardiac Rehabilitation following hospitalization and includes an electrocardiogram-monitored exercise therapy program and cardiovascular health education for the purpose of enhancing the patient’s overall physical conditioning.
Services
- Phase II & Phase III
TIMES
Cardiac Rehab meets Monday, Wednesday & Friday.
InsurancE
To be eligible for this insurance covered exercise therapy program, an individual must fulfill one of the following criteria: Acute MI, Heart Surgery, Stent placement, Stable Angina, or CHF with an EF35% or less.
Rehabilitation Providers
Rehabilitation Therapies
We offer the following inpatient and outpatient therapies as well as therapy in the home through home health services:
Occupational Therapy
An Occupational Therapist works with individuals of all ages who have a congenital or an acquired disability or injury to improve activities of daily living that may include work, self-care and/or leisure activities. Occupational therapists often focus on activities involving the use of the upper extremities along with cognitive functions—including, but not limited to gross and fine motor function, eye-hand coordination, reaction time, problem-solving, memory, safety awareness, and direction following. Our OT staff is also certified to provide lymphedema therapy which uses non-invasive manual lymph drainage techniques and compression therapies to facilitate ridding the body of excessive lymphedema (swelling) in the extremities. Lymphedema therapy is indicated for those individuals who experience swelling of a body part for any of a variety of causes including congenital, removal or damage to lymph nodes, trauma, infection, surgery, radiation, sports injuries, joint replacements and circulatory problems.
Services
- Adaptive Equipment & Training
- Home Evaluation For Modifications
- Activities of Daily Living Evaluations & Training
- Upper Extremity Rehab
- Upper Extremity Splinting & Braces
- Work Related Upper Extremity Evaluations & Treatment
- Ergonomic/Job Site Evaluations
- Pre-Driving Assessment For Senior Drivers
- Lymphedema Therapy
- Wheelchair Assessments
Referrals & Appointments
Monday – Friday 8:30 am – 5:00 pm
Physical Therapy
The Physical Therapy department at Palo Alto County Health System offers evaluation and treatment of a variety of musculoskeletal, neurological and cardiopulmonary conditions. The evaluation includes, but is not limited to, assessment of range of motion, muscle strength, balance, ambulation, skin condition and posture. Treatment may involve manual therapy such as myofascial release, trigger point release, muscle energy techniques and dry needling. It also may include includes stretching, postural repositioning, range of motion, balance, strengthening, and gait exercises and activities along with modalities such as ultrasound, electrical stimulation, traction, and iontophoresis. PACHS also offers aquatic therapy (see aquatic therapy section.) Treatments are selected based on referral diagnoses, evaluation findings, client age and comorbidities, and rehab goals.
Medical Conditions/Services (Not all-inclusive)
- Joint replacements
- Bone/Joint surgery
- Amputations
- Dizziness/Vertigo
- Stoke/Brain injury
- Developmental delay
- Chronic pain
- Gait instability/Repeated falls
- Generalized weakness
- Lower extremity problems
- Sports injuries
- Shoulder injuries
- Birth injury
- Neck and back issues
- Work injuries
- Neurological conditions
- Wheelchair assessments (upon request)
- Disability assessments (upon request)
- Pre-employment assessments (upon request)
Appointments
Most insurance companies require a physician referral for reimbursements, but patients can also see a physical therapist without referral. Contact the Rehabilitation Services department for further information.
Pediatric Therapy
Pediatric Therapy uses play and positioning or a functional play approach during therapy sessions to meet each individual child’s needs and goals. Theses therapist works closely with the family to educate and instruct them on home programing strategies to help children reach their goals. Occupational, physical, and speech therapists use a holistic approach to address the specific physical, cognitive, social-emotional and sensory skills necessary to participate in everyday meaningful activities. Rehab professionals work closely with family to focus what is most meaningful to both the parents and the child during therapy sessions.
Are you wondering if your child may benefit from occupational therapy?
Do you have concerns with any of the following:
- Meeting developmental milestones
- Participating in mealtimes including eating a variety of foods and textures when offered
- Performing activities requiring hand-eye coordination (shoe-tying; handwriting; other fine motor skills)
- Processing sensory input (vision, touch, taste, hearing, body sense) appropriately in their environments
- Participating in team sports (running, jumping, kicking, throwing)
- Difficulty with balance and coordination (riding a bike; falls for ‘no reason’ or more than expected for his/her age)
- Difficulty using words to communicate thoughts understandably by listeners requiring being asked to repeat him/herself which causes frustration.
- Difficulty interacting with others his/her age/grade level.
- Difficulty with articulation of speech (lisp, slurred speech, stuttering, abnormal voice tone—always loud or hoarse/raspy sounding)
- Difficulty with recalling or using information due to problems with language, attention, and memory.
- Difficulty with oral-motor skills ie. swallowing, chewing
If you answered yes to one or more of the following, please reach out to your physician to obtain referral as your child may benefit from an evaluation with physical, occupational and/or speech therapy.
Speech Therapy
A speech-language pathologist evaluates and treats people of all ages with a variety of disabilities. In a health care setting, services are provided to people who have experienced a stroke, have difficulty eating, have trouble communicating their thoughts and ideas, have status-post laryngectomy, or have trouble with the motor movements and voice output required as a means of communication. Other services are also available – the list below is not all-inclusive.
Medical Conditions or Services
- Cognitive Therapy
- Pediatric Therapy
- Speech Clarity
- Stroke Rehab
- Word finding difficulty
- Language understanding difficulty
- Swallowing difficulty
- Alternative communication device training
- Augmentative communication device use
- Loss or lack of voice
- Voice hoarseness
Pelvic Floor Therapy
The pelvic floor is a group of muscles that support the bottom of your pelvis. It’s a part of your core muscle group which includes: abdominal muscles, diaphragm and lower back muscles. These muscles allow you to squeeze and relax automatically, and you can also control them deliberately, much like flexing a bicep. When one of these muscle areas is weak or tight, you may start to experience issues with your bladder, bowels or general pain. Common symptoms of a poor pelvic floor include:
- Leaking urine with activities or exercise
- Going to the toilet more than once every 2-3 hours
- Difficulty starting the stream of urine
- Not completely emptying the bladder
- Constipation that requires you to strain to empty your bowels
- Pain during intercourse
- Discomfort while urinating or during bowel movements
- Sharp stabbing pains into the rectum or abdomen
- Feeling heaviness or pressure in the vagina or rectum
- Noticed a bulge into the vagina or the feeling or something "falling out"
The types of conditions that can be treated by pelvic floor rehab include:
- Abdominal pain
- Pelvic pain
- Rectal pain
- Urinary or fecal incontinence
- Urinary urge, frequency, or overactive bladder
- Pelvic prolapse (ex: uterine prolapse)
- Chronic constipation
- Painful intercourse
- Tailbone pain
- Sexual dysfunction
- Pre-natal and post-natal conditions or pain
- Menopause symptoms (includes pain, fatigue, muscle weakness, pressure, osteoporosis, and more)
- Pain associated with scars and adhesions from surgery (ex: hysterectomy)
Ask your healthcare provider if Pelvic Floor Therapy would be beneficial for you and/or to get a referral.
Lymphedema Clinic
Lymphedema is a form of swelling in the body caused by excess water and proteins in soft tissue spaces. It affects one or both sides of the body, commonly in the arms or legs.
Common causes include:
- Surgical removal or lymph nodes
- Scarring due to radiation therapy
- Tumor
- Traumatic injury
- Infection
- Obesity
- Venous insufficiency
What are the signs and symptoms of lymphedema?
Swelling in your arms or legs that causes:
- Limited movement
- Heaviness or general achiness
- Tight-fitting clothes or shoes
- Stretches skin
- Hard skin that can indent when you push on it
- Slowly healing abrasions or cuts
- Pain, numbness, or tingling
At Palo Alto County Health System, a licensed occupational or physical therapist, who is specialized in lymphedema management will evaluate you and customize a treatment plan based on your degree of swelling and your goals.
If lymphedema management sounds beneficial to you, reach out to your provider for a referral today! For more information about our program, call the PACHS Rehabilitation Department at 712-852-5420.
Lymphedema therapy is indicated for those individuals who experience swelling of a body part for any of a variety of causes, including congenital, removal or damage to lymph nodes, trauma, infection, surgery, radiation, sports injuries, joint replacements and circulatory problems.
Services
- Evaluations & Treatment Of Lymphedema
- Education To The Client And Family On Home Care
- Non-Invasive Treatment That Includes Manual Lymph Drainage & Compression Therapies
- Patient Education To That Tissue Integrity Can Be Maintained
Appointments:
Monday - Friday
Physician's referral is required
PACHS Rehabilitation Services
APPOINTMENTS REQUIRED
Can I see a Physical Therapist without a referral?
Iowa is a direct access state meaning that you can see a Physical Therapist without a referral, but most insurances require a referral for coverage of services.
Will my insurance cover my therapy services?
PACHS is a Critical Access Hospital and therapy (physical, occupational, or speech) services are classified as Hospital-Outpatient. Therefore, a referral is required for insurance to consider coverage of any therapy services being provided at PACHS. Plus, being a hospital outpatient clinic, our services do typically apply towards a patient’s annual deductible until met. Along with that, many insurance policies require pre-authorization of therapy services or specify a ‘visit limit’ per calendar year, so it’s important to know your health insurance plan benefits. Contact the Rehabilitation Services department for further information.
Lymphedema Clinic
MOG & Aquatic Therapy
Medically Oriented Gym
The MOG is revolutionizing the way people get-and stay-healthy.
Located in the newly renovated Rehab Services Gymnasium. PACHS’s medically oriented gym (MOG) is for both patients and the community. Our MOG differs from everyday fitness gyms because it focuses on teaching individuals to exercise in a very specific manner customized to address an individual’s personal medical health issues and goals. Every aspect of your health history is connected through exercise:’ said Julie Beehler, an ARNP at Palo Alto County Health System. Our exceptionally qualified and professional staff provides the level of support that empowers you to integrate healthy, smart decisions into real life. We provide our members with the support, guidance and care they want, need and deserve.”
We Can Help You Meet Your Fitness Needs & Goals.
Through fitness, wellness and guidance, the PACHS MOG is specifically designed to improve your life and health. Working closely with your healthcare providers, PACHS helps our patients achieve and maintain an exceptional quality of life while preventing injuries in ways that no other provider of wellness and fitness can. Our program also includes having patients meet with our dietician and diabetic educator if they have diabetes.
MOG Develops A Customized Fitness Program That Accommodates Your Individual Goals & Medical Conditions.
medical conditions include:
- Cardiovascular Disease
- Parkinson's Disease
- Diabetes
- Fall Risk
- Fibromyalgia
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Orthopedic & Musculoskeletal Issues
- Pulmonary Conditions
- Sports Performance Enhancement
- Stroke
- Weight Control
- Osteoporosis / Osteopenia
For more information call 712.852.5555 to set up an appointment with your healthcare provider to discuss MOG options for you.
Aquatic Therapy Services
The thermal and buoyancy properties of water provide relaxation and pain relief while PT or OT staff work on assisting clients with pool exercises and activities that help them work towards rehab goals.
Aquatic therapy can improve or help with:
- Range of Motion
- Spinal & Joint Decompression
- Circulation
- Sensory Processing
- Pain Management
- And So Much More!!!
