Author: RML Specialty Hospital

Caring Beyond Physical Needs: Jeff’s Story

My wife Cathy was the lead medical transcriptionist at a busy suburban Chicago hospital until she had a massive heart attack in August of 2005. The heart attack caused too much damage & Cathy was told that she needed a new heart. She had a Left Ventricular Assist Device, an LVAD, installed in her abdomen to assist her heart in pumping to keep her alive until a donor heart could be found.

After Cathy’s LVAD surgery, she needed special care. RML was the only hospital willing to take on her difficult case. To accept Cathy as a patient, RML’s staff needed special training and individualized accommodations to meet her needs. The staff at RML were willing to go above and beyond to accommodate us.

We received expert care at RML. I say ‘we’ because not only did my wife receive exceptional care to treat her illness, but I was also included in the healing process. The team of physicians and therapists had us set goals to help monitor her progress. They let both my wife and I set goals — they did not tell us what we should be doing or how my wife should be progressing, they instead asked our input. This made all the difference in the world to my family. We felt like we were helping direct the course of the care we received instead of being pushed through a pre-designated route in a complex medical system. The staff at RML genuinely cares for both the patient and their family and they treat each individual patient in a unique manner customized to meet the patient’s needs.

Cathy fought through her illness for nine months. She was scared for a lot of that time but throughout each of her 3 stays at RML she was very happy. With the help of staff like psychologist Dr. Joanne Kelly, Cathy was able to rid herself fear and regain control of her life. Unfortunately Cathy never made it to transplant. We were at peace with her medical situation. When the time for Cathy’s passing came, she was at total peace. There was no fear. Cathy realized that everything that could be done was done and it was just her time. The last three days of her life she spent at RML with her family and friends. On that last day, we all said goodbye and she passed away quietly holding her husband’s hand with her nurse and doctor in the room to make sure she passed quietly and painlessly.

This was not the outcome we wanted but it is a part of life. RML realizes this and helped both Cathy and myself through our most difficult days. This is what makes this facility so important… what is best for the patient takes precedence. RML truly has the patient’s best interest in mind.

Thank You,
Jeffrey Black

Celebrating Success

Patricia, one of our former patients at RML Hinsdale, contacted us to say hello and to let everyone know how much she appreciated all the staff at RML. She is forever grateful for the great care and compassion shown to her while she was our patient. We are glad you are doing well Patricia and thanks for your kind words, looking good!

At RML Specialty Hospital, “Extended Family” Takes on New Meaning

Connection and Communication: Powerful Forces on COVID Unit

Marian Steele, shown above with her husband Robert, remembers vividly the April day she was transferred to RML Specialty Hospital, recovering from COVID-19 and on a ventilator. “I hadn’t seen my family in almost four weeks, I couldn’t talk, and now they were taking me by ambulance to someplace even further away,” she recalled. “I was so anxious. But when I got to the hospital, I was surrounded by people who told me they were going to take care of me. They changed my gown and washed me. They treated me like I was their mom, or their sister or their auntie. They put my mind at ease.” Ms. Steele was one of the earliest patients treated on the dedicated COVID unit at RML Specialty Hospital in Hinsdale. By the time she arrived, she had already been on a ventilator for nearly three weeks and she desperately wanted to see her husband, Robert. Ms. Steele was about to discover two things: her team members were experts at helping patients learn to breathe on their own again and they were also now her new family – at least for the time being.

RML Steps Up When Acute Care Hospitals Call for Help

Clinical Outcomes Impressive

In the early months of 2020, COVID-19 evolved rapidly in the United States from a handful of isolated cases to a full-blown crisis, stressing the fabric of communities and every aspect of daily life. Hospitals were full, and COVID patients who needed ventilator support to breathe were stretching the capacity of intensive care units. As one of the nation’s leading ventilator-weaning hospitals, RML had a unique role to play. In very short order, the hospital opened dedicated COVID units at both the Hinsdale and Chicago locations, developing extensive safety protocols to protect patients and staff. They then asked for volunteers. Despite possible risks to their own health and the health of their families, employees from both hospitals stepped up without hesitation. By mid-April, the units were admitting new patients every day. The clinical results have been impressive. RML teams have been so effective that, to date, they have cared for 105 ventilator-dependent patients. Of these, 95 or 90%, have been successfully weaned from their ventilators and 65, or 62%, have been discharged either to their home or to an acute rehabilitation center. Two research studies about these results are expected to be published in the near future. While the clinical successes of the COVID unit are significant, though, staff members say that something else happened in this unique environment as well. Patients and staff formed bonds that will last a lifetime.

Becoming a Family

Support, Encouragement and Communication Make the Difference

For Marian Steele, there were days when she couldn’t tell the difference between reality and hallucination, but the personal support she received gave her the will to keep trying. For 24-year-old Olivia Vecchiet, the unit’s certified occupational therapy assistant (COTA), the experience was “transformational. I will never forget this time with my patients and with this team. I’m just two years into my career, but this experience will be with me forever.” What made this situation so different from others? “I discovered just how important emotional support is – for everyone,” said Joy Magundayao, a respiratory therapist who has been with RML for 12 years. “We were all scared, but the hospital did everything possible to keep us safe and we felt supported by leadership and people in every department. We’d see people walk by the door to the unit and wave to us through the window for moral support. That was great. “With our patients, we were the only ones at the bedside, day in and day out,” Ms. Magundayao continued. “I became closer to my patients than ever before. I knew the little things they needed, like a nail file or a nail clipper, and I made sure to bring those things in. We touched them, we held their hands. These things had a big impact – on them and on us.” Staff members who worked on the unit said they recognized just how frightening the new COVID environment could be for everyone. “For family members, it was devastating to take a very sick loved one to the emergency department, be told they had to be put on a ventilator, and then be asked to leave because of the no-visitor policy,” said Amy Grissette, RN, BSN, the unit’s nurse manager. “And for our patients, in particular, they were waking up in a different hospital from where they started. It was unfamiliar, and they wanted their families.” The team and the hospital did everything to keep people as connected as possible, Ms. Grissette said. “So that patients could see their loved ones, we conducted virtual visits with families by either using their personal cell phone or laptop, or by using iPads purchased by RML,” she explained. “Our nurses also called family members daily. Some families were having a very hard time, and our nurses became their counselors and support system.” Although this level of responsibility could be draining at times, Ms. Grissette was also inspired by the dedication of the COVID team. “There was a lot of bonding on the unit,” she said. “We truly became a family, working together, with no person left behind. Our mission was to help our patients return back to their families.” Jillian Childs, PT, DPT, a physical therapist, was impressed with the extensive communication the team was able to have “on a constant basis. Everyone was always on the unit, so we could bounce ideas off of everyone together, anytime we needed. It really helped us move our patients forward.”

First Moments of Awareness, First Steps toward Recovery

One of the team’s biggest challenges happened to be RML’s area of expertise: helping patients through the process of waking up in unfamiliar surroundings and learning to breathe again on their own, without the support of the ventilator. “Most people have no idea how terrifying this is,” said Ms. Magundayao. “Patients often cry when they first wake up, and they can be quite agitated. They don’t know where they are. Because they’ve been so sick, they often imagine things and have hallucinations during this period.” Marian Steele was one of those people. “I couldn’t tell what was real and what was a dream,” she recalled. “I was convinced that I’d had a terrible verbal confrontation with a woman at my church. I really wanted to apologize. Turns out, it never happened, but I was absolutely sure that it had.” Marian also had to be slowly weaned from the ventilator, and by the time she was breathing completely on her own, she had been using ventilator support for nearly six weeks. “This is what we do every day for patients across our hospital, but we learned that with our COVID patients, we had to go more slowly,” said Ms. Magundayao. “When the ventilator has been doing the work of breathing for you for so long, you really have to give the lungs and the body time to adjust.” For Marian, staff encouragement helped her turn the corner, and the long-anticipated family ‘visit’ worked like magic. “I had just been trying to stand for the first time, and I was so broken-hearted when I couldn’t do it,” she recalled. “It felt like I was weighed down with cinder blocks. The day arrived when my whole family was coming to see me through my hospital window, but I wasn’t sure I would be able to stand up. Olivia was with me, though, and she shouted out to them, ‘She’s going to stand, she’s going to stand.’ And then I just had to do it. She helped me to the window, and the family was applauding, screaming and crying. They had made ‘Woman of Steele’ posters because that’s my nickname. It was an amazing feeling.” Olivia Vecchiet, the certified occupational therapy assistant, had actually started working on the unit as a patient care technician (PCT) because the hospital wasn’t yet assigning physical or occupational therapists. As a PCT, she provided intimate and supportive care for Ms. Steele, and they became close. She remembers vividly the Steele family visit. “It was so emotional, so happy. All of my fears of COVID left me for a moment and it felt wonderful.”

A Final Plea for Safety

After more than two months in three different hospitals, Ms. Steele was thrilled to return home to her husband, Robert, in early June. Mr. Steele didn’t “deal well” with being separated from his wife of 30 years. “She is my sweetheart. It was really hard when she was so sick.” He has a message for the world: “Whatever you’re told to do to keep people from getting sick, please do it. Wear a mask, stay home if you can. Stay far apart. It’s important. This is serious.”

As One of the Leading Ventilator-weaning Hospitals in the United States, RML Specialty Hospital Is Finding Great Success in Treating COVID-19 Patients

RML Specialty Hospital, which has opened two dedicated COVID-19 units in Hinsdale and Chicago since mid-April, is seeing very positive results to date from its focused, safe approach to weaning patients from ventilators. In just two months, the COVID teams at both locations have provided care to a total of 64 patients—all of whom were admitted to RML on ventilators. Of those, 22 have already been discharged while 40 patients remain in the care of the 105 members of the two COVID teams.

RML Specialty Hospital is one of the largest ventilator-weaning hospitals in the United States and is dedicated to providing “the right care at a critical time.” As the number of COVID patients began to increase dramatically at the end of March, RML leaders responded to requests from Chicago’s acute-care hospitals. They needed RML to take patients recovering from COVID who still required ventilators to support some or all of their breathing.

“There was never a question that we would do this, but the safety of our other patients and our staff was paramount,” said Jim Prister, Chief Executive Officer. “As a long-term acute care hospital, RML treats patients who are very ill and particularly vulnerable to COVID-19. We worked through literally hundreds of issues and created systems and processes scenarios to ensure everyone’s safety.”

The team’s detail-focused approach is yielding positive results: many patients are responding more quickly than anticipated to the team’s dedicated efforts to removing them from ventilator support. In addition, no patient or staff member at either RML location has contracted COVID-19 since the units opened.

“This is what we do,” said Glenn Podzimek, Director of Respiratory Therapy at RML Specialty Hospitals. “The respiratory therapists on the COVID unit are totally focused on the goal. We initiate the first step toward ventilator removal, we monitor, we assess, we get a little more aggressive if the patient is doing well, or we step back if the patient isn’t ready. Together with the entire COVID team, our job is to get them breathing on their own again.”

RML opened the units based on the strict plans developed by a COVID-19 Task Force. Before patients are considered for admission, they must have been in another hospital for at least 10 days and must be fever-free without the support of fever-reducing medications for at least 72 hours.

“With our experience in providing excellent patient care, the appropriate use of ventilators, and physical structures that allow for private rooms, RML Specialty Hospital is providing patients with safe, expert care on their road to recovery,” explained John Brofman, MD, Chief Medical Officer. “We are very pleased to see these kinds of positive results and we hope to publish preliminary data on our outcomes. The most important element of this success: teamwork. Everyone has stepped up to meet the needs of our patients. We still have a long way to go and many questions that must be answered through research, but we are very pleased with the progress to date.”

For more information, contact Mauleen Maly, BSN, ACM-RN, CCM, Senior Provider Relations Specialist, at (630) 286-4101 or MMaly@RMLSpecialtyHospital.org.

RML Specialty Hospital Accepting Patients with COVID-19: Patient and Staff Safety Highest Priority

In support of our mission to provide the right care at a critical time, RML Specialty Hospital in Hinsdale is now accepting patients recovering from COVID-19.

“With our long-standing expertise in providing care for patients recovering from severe illness, we believe we can best serve our community at this time by accepting patients suffering from COVID-19 disease,” said John Brofman, MD, Chief Medical Officer. “Through our COVID-19 Clinical Task Force, we have developed a plan for admission and treatment that is safe for our patients and our highly dedicated team of providers and support staff.”

Based on the plans developed by the task force, patients who have suffered from COVID-19 disease will be treated in a wing of the hospital that is separate from the rest of the building. Patients will be admitted through a designated, walled-off entrance, which will also serve as the entrance and exit for the RML team providing care.

Before patients can be considered for admission to RML Specialty Hospital, they will have been in another hospital for at least 10 days and will be 72 hours fever-free without the support of fever-reducing medications. Staff members who have volunteered to serve on the COVID unit have received specialized training and have access to all necessary personal protective equipment (PPE), including N95 masks, gloves, and gowns. These staff members will be monitored twice daily by our Employee Health Department for fever and other symptoms.

“With our experience in providing excellent patient care, the appropriate use of ventilators, and  a physical structure that allow for separate access, RML Specialty Hospital can help relieve current pressures on area intensive care units and provide patients with safe, expert care on their road to recovery,” explained Dr. Brofman. “We are especially grateful to our task force members who have worked tirelessly to develop a thorough implementation plan and to our providers and support staff who have stepped in to meet a critical need.”

For more information, contact Mauleen Maly, BSN, ACM-RN, CCM, Senior Provider Relations Specialist, at (630) 286-4101 or MMaly@RMLSpecialtyHospital.org.

Nutritional Study Improves Outcomes for Tube-Fed Patients

Patients who transfer to RML Specialty Hospital often come directly from the ICU of a either a neighborhood acute care hospital or a downtown Chicago teaching hospital. Many of these patients receive nutritional support via feeding tubes due to having undergone tracheostomies, which subsequently leads to dysphagia (difficulty swallowing),” said Cindy Rohde, RD, LDN, a Nutrition Support Dietitian at RML. “Patients who are intubated with a breathing tube, have undergone trauma, or cannot use the oral route for nutrition often require a feeding tube.”

After following 500 patients by use of a specifically developed malnutrition protocol and subjective global assessment for RML patients, Rohde discovered that 74% of patients arriving from the ICU of acute care hospitals were moderately malnourished, and 15% were severely malnourished. “We realized a contributing cause was the patient not receiving full prescription of feeding in a day due to being off the feeding for a procedure, surgery, or other treatment.” explained Rohde.

“We switched patients to a volume-based feeding method, so they would receive the prescribed amount of nutrition each day, regardless of when they received it,” said Rohde. “If they were disconnected from their feeding tube during the day, the difference would be made up at night when they were less likely to have feeding interruptions and the formula could be run at a higher rate.”

After the switch, 95% of patients were found to have received their total prescribed nutrition on a regular basis, up from 82%. “This improvement is important, because a patient’s nutritional status is directly related to his or her ability to fight infection, heal wounds, be weaned off a ventilator, and work with physical and occupational therapists,” said Rohde. “Our focus on outcome-based results helps to improve each patient’s nutritional status, which in turn leads to a higher success rate for ventilator weaning, and a better chance of patients being able to perform daily activities after leaving RML.”

Written by Denise Freese Link to original article can be found here.

Specialty Hospital Focuses on Safety For Patients, Families, and Staff

You work hard to keep your home and your family safe.  If you don’t have control over your own safety, or the safety of those you love, you have to rely on others to protect you.  At RML Specialty Hospital, keeping patients, their families, and RML staff safe is a top priority.

Adria Helmich, Director of Ancillary Services at RML Specialty Hospital, is responsible for campus security at RML’s two locations in Chicago and Hinsdale.  “Our patients come to us from hospitals in the Chicago area, and typically stay with us for about a month,” she explained.  “Starting at the time of referral, we evaluate potential safety concerns, for example, if the patient was a victim of violent crime or domestic abuse.  Our goal is to make sure each patient is safe throughout their stay with us.”

Patient and family privacy is of the utmost importance at RML Specialty Hospital.  “We utilize a visitor management system to register patient visitors,” added Helmich.  “Visitors register with their driver’s license or state ID on their initial visit.  Once registered, they just have to check in with the receptionist and obtain a pass on subsequent visits.  This is for the safety and security of our patients, our staff, and our visitors, and it also allows us to know who is in the building in case of an emergency.”

“We assess security topics annually to make sure we’re prepared for any potential issue,” said Helmich.  “We perform drills to teach our staff how to recognize warning signs and escalating behaviors.  We do active shooter drills and Code Black drills to prepare for a tornado.  We focus on safety procedures for the benefit of our patients, their families, and our employees.”

Link to original article can be found here.

Specialty Hospital Maximizes Security of Patient Information

While technology affords us many ways to gather, organize, and distribute information, it can be challenging to keep that information out of the hands of those who shouldn’t have access to it. In a hospital setting, it can be even more challenging due to privacy laws and and regulatory standards. At RML Specialty Hospital, the Information Services Department works hard to ensure safety and privacy of all patient information and medical records.

“Cyber security is of the utmost importance for us,” said Todd Prellberg, Director of Information Services for RML Specialty Hospital. “We use technology in so many areas of the hospital, from patient records and insurance information to computerized ventilators and IV pumps. We can’t ever get comfortable; we continually monitor our systems for possible threats.”

Just like on a home computer, network security is necessary to avoid problems like viruses, malware, and phishing. “We work hard to educate our staff,” added Prellberg. “We have protocols in place so they know how to respond to things like unsolicited emails with embedded links. We’ve built walls around all our devices to prohibit outside access.”

RML’s Information Services staff is responsible for varying levels of security. “We offer support from a “help desk” standpoint, but we also have analysts who support our medical staff,” said Prellberg. “We’re required to meet minimum regulatory standards, and that dictates how information is made available in our systems. For example, nurses can access a patient’s health record, including lab results and vitals, while billing staff can access financial information and billing codes, but not lab results. Our software is structured to offer the highest level of security for patient information. We’re continually auditing and reviewing our systems so they’re as up-to-date as possible.”

Link to original article can be found here.

It Was The One And Only Decision


RML is a nonprofit specialty hospital with locations in Chicago and Hinsdale serving patients with catastrophic or acute illnesses complicated by multiple medical issues. Our mission: To provide quality, compassionate care to patients from our referring community who suffer from prolonged, severe illness.

Specialty Hospital Helps Post-Transplant Patients Through Complicated Recovery

After a difficult transplant surgery, patients need specialized medical care to ensure a full recovery. At RML Specialty Hospital, patients benefit from an entire post-transplant team that offers attention to detail and continuity of care.

“We admit a variety of post-transplant patients, including those with heart, lung, liver, kidney, pancreas, and bone marrow/stem cell transplants,” said Nicole Jones, Clinical Pharmacist for RML Specialty Hospital for 14 years. “Our patients require frequent monitoring of their immunosuppressive medications to ensure they maintain appropriate drug levels to prevent rejection and to limit side effects. We review their medication profiles to watch for drug-to-drug interactions, which is critical since they average about 20 medications each. We also communicate with the post-transplant team to discuss medication levels and medication changes, and to give clinical updates.”

Alison Fudacz, Clinical Pharmacist with RML for 15 years, works closely with Jones to ensure continuity of care for transplant patients. “We act as the bridge between RML and the transplant team,” she explained. “We’ve built relationships with many area hospital transplant teams, and can communicate drug issues before the patient arrives at RML, during their stay with us, and after they leave for home.”

Both agree that one of the best things about working at RML is the relationships they’ve built with the physician and nursing staffs. “We all work as a team to provide the best patient care possible,” said Jones. “If I had a loved one that needed this level of care, I wouldn’t hesitate to bring them to RML.”

Jones and Fudacz often talk with post-transplant coordinators and physicians to give updates and to discuss medication management. “I don’t know of any other LTACH that has dedicated Clinical Pharmacists that bridge the gap between it and the acute care hospital the way RML does,” added Fudacz. “We’re dedicated to ensuring these post-transplant patients achieve the best possible outcomes.”

Link to original article can be found here.

Outstanding Wound Care Facility Treats Fistula Patients

A fistula is an abnormal connection that develops between two separate organs or areas inside the body.  Fistulas can form during the healing phase after an injury or a previous surgery.  They can also develop as a side effect of Inflammatory Bowel Disease, diverticulitis, and radiation.  They can appear in a variety of areas, including between the intestine and the skin or between an artery and a vein.  Some fistulas heal and disappear without intervention, but others require surgical repair and wound care treatment.

External fistulas cause discharge through the skin, and are usually accompanied by abdominal pain, bowel obstruction, and fever.  Internal fistulas may cause diarrhea, rectal bleeding, dehydration, a bloodstream infection, or sepsis, a medical emergency where the body has a severe response to infection.

“Fistulas are classified based on the amount of drainage, or output, they create,” said Cecilia Yanez, RN, BSN, CWOCN, a Wound Care Clinician with 21 years of experience at RML Specialty Hospital.  “The typical treatment for patients with fistulas involves containing the drainage and maintaining skin health, with the use of various pouches and negative pressure therapy.  Managing sepsis, nutrition, and electrolyte balance is very important with these patients.”

Yanez is proud of the exceptional work that RML Specialty Hospital provides to fistula patients.  “We have many experienced CWOCNs (Certified Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurses) who have received the proper education and training, and have an excellent understanding of the physiological condition of this type of patient,” she explained.  “RML also has a terrific interdisciplinary group of specialists, including physicians, dietitians, and pharmacy and wound care nurses who collaborate for the best outcomes possible.”

Yanez cares for patients with various types of wounds and fistulas.  “I love helping patients and their families from every walk of life, and assisting them with the various challenging and complex issues they face,” she said.  “I take pride in my work, and love working for RML.”

 

Written by Denise Freese 

Link to original article can be found here.

Jane’s Courageous Recovery

A year ago, Jane arrived at RML unable to breathe on her own and unable to talk, move, or simply blink.

Jane battled Guillian-Barre Syndrome, an autoimmune disorder that affects the nervous system. Guillian-Barre begins with a weakness in the feet and hands and rapidly progresses to the rest of the body. Guillian–Barre Syndrome is rare with only 1–2 cases per 100,000 people annually, but is the most common cause of acute non-trauma-related paralysis in the world.

Recently Jane returned to RML, the picture of good health, walking, talking, and breathing. She returned to express her gratitude to staff who made such an impact during her time at RML.

Having a supportive care team makes a significant difference in the recovery process. In addition to caregivers at RML, Jane was blessed with husband Ken who was by her side throughout her battle with Guillian-Barre. Both Ken & Jane became an important part of the RML family. Their strong, dedicated spirits continue to inspire us.

Specialty Hospital Remodels to Benefit Patients, Staff

As advances in technology improve patient care, more space is required to house specialized medical machinery and equipment.  At RML Specialty Hospital, a plan is set to remodel the aging building, create more sound-proofed private rooms for patients, and add storage space for computers and other medical equipment.

“We’ve begun construction on D Wing, which currently houses administrative offices,” said Ken Pawola, Chief Operating Officer for RML Specialty Hospital.  “We have three patient care units in service now, and D Wing will be the fourth, which will add 26 additional private patient rooms.  We hope to have it up and running in early 2019.”

RML’s current building was constructed in the 1950s, with smaller double-occupancy rooms that aren’t conducive to offering the highest quality patient care.  “After the remodel, rooms will be larger and private, and will offer special perks like computers, lift devices, and dialysis outlets in each,” added Pawola.  “We’ll offer cutting-edge conveniences like you’d expect to see in a modern hospital.”

According to Pawola, the additional rooms will allow RML Specialty Hospital to fill to licensed capacity.  “Currently, we don’t have much storage space,” he added.  “We need additional room for specialty chairs, ventilators, computers, and medication carts.  We plan to build niches into the walls for extra storage space so equipment isn’t sitting out in the hallway.  It will be a better overall environment, much more functional and efficient.”

There are many advantages provided by RML’s remodel.  “More room to spread out is better for patient privacy and infection control,” said Pawola.  “Many patients are with us for a long time, and normal, uninterrupted sleep is important for the healing process.  There will also be more room for family members to visit.  And it’s better for our nursing teams, allowing them to work more closely together for improved teamwork and daily planning.”

 

Written by Denise Freese 

Link to original article can be found here.

Specialty Hospital Offers Life-Changing Experience for Wound Recovery Patient

When Chris Coley speaks, the gratitude pours out of him. After being sidelined by a serious bacterial leg infection last year, Coley spent five weeks rehabilitating at RML Specialty Hospital in Chicago.

“I had swelling, pain, and discoloration. Three days later I was in Metro Hospital’s ER,” said Coley. “I’d never been hospitalized before, so I was scared. I was told I could lose my leg if the infection worsened.” Treatment consisted of antibiotics, painkillers, and surgical skin grafts, and he got through it successfully. Then he faced five weeks of wound recovery care at RML Specialty Hospital.

“I weighed 350 pounds at Metro,” said Coley. “I’d been hiding under excess weight and big clothes. I dreaded mirrors and being photographed. RML told me losing weight would help my leg recover. If I didn’t, I could have major complications down the road.”

Coley felt an instant connection with his RML representative. “I trusted her, and it became the tone for everything,” he explained. “They were very encouraging. RML went from strangers to staff to friends to family. While I cried a little going in, mainly out of fear, I cried openly when I left, because they’d become my family.”

“I’ve met angels, and they work at RML. My nurses, therapists, and other caretakers talked with me about comics and other fun things to distract me from the pain. They put me on the Paleo diet, and I weighed 275 when I left. I hadn’t weighed under 300 pounds since the seventh grade,” he added.

Coley didn’t want to let RML down during his recovery at home, so he continued to lose weight, and now weighs a svelte 175. “I’m more sociable, and I have a new job working with people,” he said. “I enjoy seeing others and being seen. RML saved my life in more ways than one. I have two birthdays: December 25th and the day I left RML.”

 

Written by Denise Freese

Link to original article can be found here.

Ventilator Weaning Patient Undergoes Amazing Recovery, Life Transformation

Her story started with alcohol addiction, which led to dramatic weight gain and a stomach ulcer.  Carol Murillo’s husband found her one night on the bathroom floor, necessitating a trip to the emergency room at a nearby hospital.  Doctors discovered she had sepsis, a dangerous infection resulting from a perforated ulcer.

“I was in a coma for eleven days,” said Murillo.  “I stayed in the ICU for six weeks, then transferred to RML Specialty Hospital in Hinsdale for long-term recovery.  My right lung had collapsed twice, and I needed to be weaned off a ventilator.”

Murillo also underwent a tracheotomy, and was on dialysis for a week.  “RML left no stone unturned,” she explained.  “They treated me, my husband, my family, and my friends very well.  They made concessions for my support system.  My Care Coordinator even drew diagrams to explain each of my procedures to my husband.”

“I can’t say enough about RML,” added Murillo. “My health care team was amazing; from my doctors and nurses to my dietician, psychologist, physical therapist, and RML’s chaplain, they completely changed my life.  They’re so knowledgeable, and they were all very attentive, I never felt alone.  I was there almost three months, and they became family to me.”

Murillo’s Care Coordinatorcontinued to check on her once a month after her release from RML.  “They were tough, and encouraged my family to not let me wallow in sadness, and to make me work hard to improve,” she said.  “My recovery went well, due to RML’s support both in the hospital and at home.  All the hard work was worth it.”

Another positive change in Murillo’s life was that RML’s chaplain services helped her reconnect to her Catholic faith.  “My faith is stronger, I’ve lost 110 pounds, I’m walking again, and I’ve been sober for 21 months,” said Murillo.  “I don’t think I’d be here if it hadn’t been for RML.”

 

Written by Denise Freese 

Original article can be found here.

Holiday Caroling Warms Hearts of Specialty Hospital Patients

For patients needing long-term acute hospital care during the holiday season, it can be difficult to experience holiday joy. The staff at RML Specialty Hospital understands the need to spread holiday cheer, and achieves it with holiday caroling, a lovely, heartwarming tradition.

Chris Bacchi and Ken Pawola (Inventory Manager and Chief Operating Officer, respectively, at RML Specialty Hospital) and other RML staff, volunteer their time to offer a special show to RML patients and families. “This is the 20th anniversary, and my sixteenth year, of this fun holiday tradition,” said Bacchi. “Early on, there weren’t instruments, just vocals. We’ve recently raised the bar; Ken and I play guitar, and we’ve added a ukelele player and a multi-instrumentalist playing the recorder and other percussion instruments.”

Carolers spend several hours performing at each of RML Specialty Hospital’s two locations (Hinsdale and Chicago). The repertoire includes classic Christmas carols, plus some fun Christmas songs by Springsteen and other popular artists. “After caroling at the Hinsdale location, we have an informal jam session in the lobby,” added Bacchi. “We play rock songs, including some favorite Beatles tunes.”

Caroling took place on Tuesday, December 12th at the Chicago location, and will again on Thursday, December 14th (5:00 pm) at the Hinsdale location. “This is one of the best kept secrets at RML,” said Bacchi. “We do our best to help patients and their families, to lift their spirits. Some patients who normally have trouble moving find a way to wave their hands with the music. It’s so heartwarming, sometimes I think it does us more good than it does them.”

Interestingly, last year as carolers sang, a nearby patient on an EEG machine showed normalization of brain waves, reinforcing the belief that music and singing help create a calming effect for listeners. 

 

Written by Denise Freese

Original article can be found here. 

13th Annual Golf Tournament, September 18, 2017

 

 

 

 

On Monday, September 18, RML Specialty Hospital will host its 13th Annual RML Specialty Hospital Golf Tournament, benefiting The Patient and Family Needs Fund, at Ruth Lake Country Club in Hinsdale. Golf will be followed by dinner featuring a silent and live auction. New this year will be a concurrently run Paddle Tennis Clinic and Tournament.

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Motherly Love

A mother and son were admitted to RML at the same time. Due to the complexity of their medical conditions, they were unable to see one another. They could not talk on the phone or get out of bed to connect, despite being in the same hospital.

The son was determined to get back on his feet. He worked hard to get out of bed and gain the strength to walk again. In coordination with his clinical and therapy teams, he planned a surprise visit to his mom.

Imagine the joy and pride she felt as she watched her son, who had been confined to a hospital bed, walk into her hospital room. It was an emotional reunion with many happy tears.

Day in and day out, we are grateful to serve patients like this mother and son duo, who inspire us in many ways. Thank you to the patients and staff who make moments like this possible.

New Liver & Lease on Life

Imagine unexpectedly passing out on your apartment and waking up in a hospital to learn that your only option for survival is a new liver. That was a reality for Lia. She battled autoimmune liver disease and her liver was in critical condition.

Lia underwent a successful organ transplant but suffered major complications following the surgery. She battled kidney failure and a serious lung infection. More than once after the transplant, her family and friends were told she had only a few hours to live – Lia was not expected to make it through all of the complications her body was battling.

Lia’s long hospitalization following the transplant surgery left her unable to walk or use her hands and unable to breathe without the assistance of a ventilator. Lia transferred to RML with some pretty ambitious goals: despite barely surviving post-surgery complications, she wanted to get back on her feet and learn to breathe on her own again.

“Though my transplant was done at another hospital, RML was the first place I remember and where I was completely lucid. There were many dark times where I felt that I would never breathe on my own nor eat solid food, hold a fork without assistance or walk more than a couple of feet without my legs trembling and giving out. The best day was the day, with the support of Rob and the other therapists on staff, where I walked to the next corridor without stopping to sit in a wheelchair. That showed me that this was only temporary and I knew I could get better.”

Lia did in fact get better. After RML, Lia continued therapy. She finished planning for her wedding, started a new job and moved in to a new home. She is now happily married.

One Patients Journey

Janet Frampton knew she had COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) but was not expecting to end up on this journey.

Not too long ago Janet felt she was having trouble breathing.  Her hospital was full, so she was sent to Advocate South Suburban Hospital.  While she was there, her breathing became more difficult and she ended up needing the assistance of a mechanical ventilator for breathing.   Time passed and her physicians thought it would be best if Janet was transferred to a LTCH (long Term Acute Care Hospital) to continue her weaning from the ventilator.

That is when Janet’s family jumped in.  They wanted to find the best place for “mom”.   Jennifer, Janet’s daughter, researched LTCH and found RML Specialty Hospital.  The family agreed RML Specialty Hospital   would be the best place for mom and Chicago would be the ideal location for the family.

Not long after Janet arrived, she was able to breathe on her own for hours at a time.  Today she is up in a chair, looking forward to returning home very soon.

“The doctors here are a world of knowledge.  They are caring and professional” States Janet.  “I couldn’t be in a better place”.   “The staff here is caring, professional, and great.”

Thank you, Janet, for all your kind words.

Thank you RML Specialty hospital staff, for helping Janet on her road to recovery.