OSF to open 7,500-square-foot rehabilitation center at Ottawa YMCA

Patients needing rehabilitation services in Ottawa and surrounding communities will benefit when OSF HealthCare opens a 7,500-square-foot health care rehabilitation center in the newly constructed Ottawa YMCA, 411 Canal St., located alongside the Illinois River, the hospital said in a news release.

This facility, known as OSF Rehabilitation at the Ottawa YMCA, will provide specialized care, including physical, speech and occupational therapies. Outpatient pulmonary and cardiac rehabilitation services and pediatric services will continue to be available at OSF St. Elizabeth Medical Center and will not be relocated to the Ottawa YMCA.

In addition to new exercise equipment, the facility’s design will be enhanced by the addition of a Solo Step – a ceiling-mounted harness – that will help therapists engage patients in more advanced activities while maintaining safety measures. The space also will include aquatic therapy that will benefit patients who need pool-based therapy.

Relocating the rehabilitation services to the YMCA from OSF St. Elizabeth will allow patients to become acquainted with both equipment and staff, which could give community members added incentive to join the YMCA and pursue healthier lifestyles, OSF said in the release.

“[The] OSF St. Elizabeth Medical Center is excited to be affiliated with the Ottawa YMCA in this endeavor,” said Dawn Trompeter, president of OSF St. Elizabeth Medical Center and OSF St. Paul Medical Center in Mendota. “This is just one example of progress as we continue to evaluate the needs of the communities we serve and the health care footprint of our [Interstate] 80 market.”