Orthopedic patients find 'full gambit' at new Christus facility in Longview - Longview News-Journal

1 year ago 45

Dr. Stephen Littlejohn started his vocation with Christus Good Shepherd Medical Center 25 years ago. An orthopedic country specialist, Littlejohn has been successful the aesculapian tract agelong capable to spot definite patterns. 

"Twenty years ago, you would spot a diligent successful your office, and you would determine archetypal of each if they request an cognition oregon not," helium said. "If they do, you would determine which infirmary to spell to oregon you would determine if they request carnal therapy oregon ... country past carnal therapy ... A societal idiosyncratic decided which therapist (the patient) went to oregon which rehab installation they went to."

Littlejohn referred to the strategy arsenic disjointed and confusing for patients who were often sent to galore locations to person care. However, successful the past 20 years, diligent attraction has evolved to go much of a bundle to connection people, helium said.

The Christus Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Institute successful Longview is simply a premier illustration of that change. 

The institute, formerly known arsenic the Christus Good Shepherd Institute for Healthy Living, started its translation successful July 2021 erstwhile operation of the $35 cardinal task began. 

The bottommost level of the institute was remodeled to regenerate classrooms, a hoops court, spa country and much with session abstraction for orthopedics and podiatry physicians. Additionally, occupational and carnal therapy spaces were incorporated into the 2nd floor.

Part of the task besides includes the summation of 27,000 quadrate feet of abstraction astatine its NorthPark field adjacent doorway connected Hawkins Parkway.

Physicians moved into the renovated installation successful phases, and it officially opened  to patients successful October 2021, said Practice Manager III Daisy Kelley. Doctors moved from the 5th level of Christus's Medical Plaza III astatine 705 E. Marshall Ave.

Now, patients tin entree the institute and person consultation, care, travel ups, X-rays, therapy and adjacent office-based surgeries successful 1 place. 

"It is benignant of a one-stop-shop," Littlejohn said. "I deliberation it makes it a batch easier for radical to recognize wherever they request to spell to get what needs to beryllium done."

Services offered astatine the institute include: orthopedic specialists; full associated specialists; sports medicine specialists; enarthrosis and elbow specialists; podiatrists; trauma care; occupational and carnal therapy; fittingness and aquatic centers and more. 

"We person a afloat gambit, and we're growing," Littlejohn said.

It's hard to recognize however confusing it must've been antecedently for patients, particularly aged ones, who hadn't been successful a aesculapian strategy earlier to find retired wherever they needed to spell for care, helium said. While beneficial for staff, Littlejohn said the determination namely impacted patients. 

With galore orthopedic patients utilizing the assistance of a wheelchair, walker oregon scooter, parking astatine his erstwhile bureau made appointments inconvenient. That's nary longer an contented with the determination to the Hawkins Parkway facility, Littlejohn said.

"You tin ideate orthopedic patients ... Usually a batch of them aren't walking that good due to the fact that they person a breached limb oregon thing that's conscionable operated on," Littlejohn said.

"Parking is overmuch amended ... truthful it's made a large difference.".

He said helium believes the happier a diligent is, the amended helium oregon she is going to bash and the much assurance successful treatment.

"We consciousness similar we've got a win-win present due to the fact that it made america happier, (and) it's made the patients happier," Kelley added.

In summation to the institute remodeling, operation besides has been taking spot astatine NorthPark to physique six operating rooms specifically for orthopedics, Littlejohn said. While insignificant surgeries are conducted successful attraction rooms astatine the institute, it does not person a dedicated operating country space.

The orthopedic infirmary volition see the operating rooms with peculiar lighting, beds circumstantial for orthopedic patients, X-ray machines and much and is being added connected to the NorthPark campus, helium said.

Littlejohn believes having the quality to person attraction successful 1 spot and the option, if request be, for country adjacent doorway volition beryllium adjuvant for patients.

"Having a infirmary dedicated to conscionable orthopedics I deliberation successful and of itself conscionable volition amended ratio ... due to the fact that you're doing a batch of the aforesaid things implicit and implicit again," helium said.

He believes the caller infirmary further volition connection an accidental for Christus to beryllium an orthopedic powerhouse successful East Texas, helium said.

The enlargement is acceptable to beryllium implicit and unfastened by Oct. 1.

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