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New space will serve 275 patients daily through outpatient and DayRehab programs
At a special ribbon-cutting ceremony, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab leadership, staff and patients recently celebrated the opening of a newly constructed, state-of-the-art, 41,000-square-foot clinical space on the 16th floor of the Streeterville hospital — an $18 million investment designed to expand patient access to rehabilitation services.
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The new floor will serve more than 275 patients each day, including more than 100 through the DayRehab Center — which offers an intensive rehabilitation program for patients who no longer need hospitalization but still require high-level rehabilitation care — and 175 through the hospital’s outpatient musculoskeletal program — which offers one-on-one, highly individualized sessions to help patients improve function. In addition to physical, occupational and speech therapy, patients will have access to a comprehensive interdisciplinary team that includes physicians, nurses, psychologists, social workers, vocational rehabilitation specialists, prosthetists and orthotists, and other experts who support their return to work, daily activities and meaningful participation in life following injury or illness.
“This opening represents much more than a change of location. Designed with patients, clinicians and researchers in mind, the new floor will expand access to care and create opportunities for greater collaboration,” said Kimberly Brennan, PT, vice president of outpatient/day rehabilitation at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. “As demand for rehabilitation services continues to grow, this investment allows our No. 1-ranked rehabilitation hospital to care for more patients while advancing innovative models of treatment and recovery.”
The new space significantly increases Shirley Ryan AbilityLab’s capacity to care for individuals recovering from stroke, spinal cord injury, brain injury, cancer and other complex medical conditions, as well as those seeking care for orthopedic conditions, sports injuries, pelvic health conditions and complex hand injuries. Clinicians in both programs are leaders in rehabilitation care, with most holding advanced board certifications to serve diverse patient populations. They also contribute to education and research, bringing the latest innovations directly to their clinical practice.
The space, designed to facilitate high-intensity care and optimize patient outcomes, features:
- Specialized treatment environments, including a robotic body-weight support and fall-protection system that enables advanced mobility training for children and adults
- A playful pediatric therapy area featuring slides, climbing equipment and swings, along with quiet spaces for children who benefit from a lower-stimulation environment
- An activities of daily living studio, enabling patients to practice everyday tasks (e.g., cooking, cleaning, personal hygiene) one-on-one with therapists and in group settings
- Integration of research into care, including advanced gait and motion analysis through embedded outcome measurement technologies and markerless motion-capture systems
- Dedicated spaces for vestibular therapy, prosthetic and orthotic care, vocational rehabilitation and patient education
The DayRehab Center moved from a space within a neighboring building. The outpatient clinic relocated from the hospital’s 15th floor, enabling that space to become dedicated entirely to the outpatient neurological program, further expanding care for that patient population.
In addition to these new spaces, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab provides intensive DayRehab and outpatient services across Chicagoland — including in the city and north, west and south suburbs — ensuring patients can access high-quality rehabilitation care close to home.
