UM Opens Trans. Care

Originally Released: October 14, 1996
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UM MEDICAL CENTER OPENS TRANSITIONAL CARE UNIT

The University of Maryland Medical Center has opened a new Transitional Care Unit for patients who no longer need inpatient care but who are still too sick to go home. The 23-bed unit, located at the Medical Center in downtown Baltimore, provides patients with skilled nursing services for post surgical care, wound management, and antibiotic treatment.

"In keeping with the concept of transitional or subacute care, the Transitional Care Unit provides medical care for patients who no longer need the inpatient care of an acute hospital but who are unable to care for themselves at home," says Donald N. Joyce, vice president of University Post-Acute Care Services. "The Transitional Care Unit allows us to provide these patients the medical supervision they need while, at the same time, reducing the length and cost of stay in an acute care hospital."

Patients cared for in the Transitional Care Unit are often those who have just had surgery, including cardiac, pulmonary, renal, transplant, vascular or general surgery. There are also elderly individuals who are too ill to care for themselves. Physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy are also available.

The new unit is now one of three transitional subacute units within University Post-Acute Care, part of the University of Maryland Medical System. At the William Donald Schaefer Rehabilitation Hospital at Kernan Center, there is the Transitional Rehabilitation Unit for patients recovering from stroke, fractures, multi-trauma injuries or orthopaedic surgery; and at Deaton Specialty Hospital, the Subacute Unit cares for medically complex patients who need intensive wound management, IV therapy, communicable disease care and rehabilitation.

University Post-Acute Care is dedicated to providing patients with access to a comprehensive array of post-acute services to meet their needs throughout the recovery. Other services include inpatient rehabilitation, home care and community based outpatient therapy.

The Transitional Care Unit at the University of Maryland Medical Center opened on October 1.

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This page was last updated on: March 12, 2008.