Neuroworx expanding with $250,000 donation from Intermountain Healthcare

This marks a significant step for Neuroworx and Intermountain to build a strong partnership in assisting children in recovery and management of neurological conditions.  

Neuroworx is an outpatient clinic focused on specialized physical therapy for adolescents and adults experiencing paralysis from spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, and stroke.  Two and a half years ago Neuroworx began providing therapy to children with cerebral palsy and other neurological disorders utilizing some its equipment that is not otherwise available in the Intermountain West. Due to space and staffing restrictions, this unique care could only be offered two days a week. Neuroworx recently moved to a new location with more space and has been making plans to expand the pediatric program to four and half days a week.

Intermountain Healthcare’s pediatric specialty facility, Primary Children’s Hospital, which provides care for children and teens throughout Utah and surrounding states, will develop cooperative strategies with Neuroworx in providing this extended, specialized out-patient treatment. This spirit of collaboration will help ensure the best of continuum of care for the participating children.

Co-founder and Neuroworx Executive Director Dr. Dale Hull is elated with the news. “Intermountain Healthcare’s contribution comes at the ideal time. We have the space and this will substantially quicken our expansion,” said Hull. “We are extremely grateful for a wonderful partner to help the children in our community.”

According to Mikelle Moore, Intermountain Healthcare Community Benefit vice president, the funds will be used for equipment and support staff necessary to extend the pediatric program collaboration. “Neuroworx has demonstrated a commitment to this group of kids over the past two years that we want to support. We believe this will add to the quality care already being provided in our region and will be a great source of collaboration with other healthcare providers.”   

Several pieces of equipment currently at Neuroworx help make their program distinct.

There is an aquatic therapy pool with an adjustable floor to vary the water depth. The pool floor is also a variable speed treadmill and the pool has water jets. 

A robotic ambulation trainer is used for gait training and evaluation. This sophisticated combination of state-of-the-art hardware and software allows the therapists to adjust several parts of a child’s walking pattern to assist with retraining the nervous system. The next closest facilities offering this equipment for children are located in San Diego, California and Lincoln, Nebraska.

There is an overhead robotic body-weight-support system, which allows for the child to practice independent over-ground walking and balance while the therapist can remotely adjust the percentage of support and a fall distance limitation. The system allows for straight line walking, turns, backwards and sideways movement as well as crawling, kneeling, and sit-to-stand practice.

Neuroworx co-founder, clinic director and physical therapist, Jan Black, has watched the progress of the children over the past two years. “We’ve been able to see significant improvement in many of these kids beyond what we might have expected. Our pediatric therapist has been able to combine these high tech tools with evidence-based practice methods to help the nervous system change. In some cases, the changes were surprisingly impressive.”

Black also noted that there are many more children in the community who could benefit from these types of interventions. Because of the numbers, children are currently batched into an eight-week treatment blocks and then must rotate back into the queue so that others can have a chance.  “Our plan is to work closely with the therapists in our community to augment and enhance each child’s potential for progress. The money from Intermountain will greatly improve access for many more kids. It’s perfect.”

Angie Miller has been bringing her son Noah to Neuroworx since he was just 18 months old. Now, almost three years old, she and her husband have watched Noah make great progress. “Noah was born with several brain and nervous system problems leaving him with very low muscle tone along with many other deficits. When he first started at Neuroworx he was unable to hold his head up, couldn’t roll over or even bring his hands to his mouth. Today, he not only rolls over but also has learned to sit himself up. He can brings things to his mouth and is bearing weight through all four limbs.” Miller added, “The physical changes have been dramatic but other areas have come to life as well. He laughs and laughs while he is in the pool, makes many more vocal sounds and is recognizing certain things, like our faces. What parent doesn’t love that?”

Miller is extremely grateful for the Intermountain Healthcare commitment. She has been active in helping Neuroworx raise money for children who need therapy but have no resources. In fact, Neuroworx named their charity fund the Noah’s Ark Rainy Day Fund in honor of her son. “As a parent of a special needs child, having places like Neuroworx and the support of Intermountain Healthcare means so much. I pray every single day that other families like ours get the same opportunity.”

Neuroworx anticipates having the expanded schedule and increased capacity by the end of first quarter of 2016. Individuals typically need a physician referral and prescription to access the physical therapy available through Neuroworx.

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ABOUT NEUROWORX

The mission of Neuroworx is to promote the rehabilitation of spinal cord injuries and other neurological conditions and to create and support the finest comprehensive outpatient neurological rehabilitation facility in the region; and make it available to as many people as possible regardless of resources.

Neuroworx was co-founded by physical therapist Jan Black MS, PT and Dr. Dale Hull in 2004 after Hull experienced a spinal cord injury resulting in quadriplegic paralysis and Black provided his post-hospital therapy. Their goal was to provide innovative, aggressive physical therapy while applying the principles of neuroplasticity in a time-liberal environment to promote neurological recovery and improve functional ability. The clinic originated as a mostly empty single 1,000 square foot room with one therapist to its current 24,500 square foot building with a staff of twelve plus physical therapy students. IT has provided care to individuals from twenty-four different states and four foreign countries.

Neuroworx is a registered 501(c)(3) charity. It is located at 90 W. Albion Village Way, Sandy, UT.  84070. For more details, see www.neuroworx.org.

ABOUT INTERMOUNTAIN HEALTHCARE

Intermountain Healthcare is a Utah-based, not-for-profit system of 22 hospitals, 185 clinics, a Medical Group with some 1,300 employed physicians, a health plans division called SelectHealth, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is widely recognized as a leader in clinical quality improvement and in efficient healthcare delivery.  For more information about Intermountain, visit intermountainhealthcare.org, read our blogs at intermountainhealthcare.org/blogs, connect with us on Twitter at twitter.com/intermountain and on Facebook at facebook.com/intermountain.