[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 116 (Thursday, September 9, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1817-E1818]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING THE BRAZOSPORT REHABCARE CENTER AND NATIONAL REHABILITATION 
                             AWARENESS WEEK

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. RON PAUL

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 8, 1999

  Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to 
recognize and join with the Brazosport RehabCare Center in Lake 
Jackson, Texas, in observing and celebrating National Rehabilitation 
Awareness week beginning September 12 through September 18, 1999.
  The Brazosport RehabCare Center opened its doors on December 31, 
1992. Construction was completed at the end of April, 1993, for a total 
of 14 acute rehabilitation beds.
  The Brazosport RehabCare Center is located in Brazosport Memorial 
Hospital in Lake Jackson, Texas. The primary service areas include the 
cities of Lake Jackson, Clute, Freeport, Angleton, Danbury and 
Brazoria. This service area has a combined population of approximately 
95,000. The secondary service area includes the cities of Sweeny, West 
Columbia and Old Ocean with a population of approximately 16,000. The 
RehabCare Center has also attracted patients from Bay City and Alvin.

[[Page E1818]]

  Comprehensive impatient rehabilitation services are provided to 
individuals with orthopedic, neurological and other medical conditions 
of recent onset or regression. These patients have experienced a loss 
of function in activities of daily living, mobility, cognition or 
communication. Types of patients admitted into the Brazosport RehabCare 
Center may include those with a diagnosis of stroke, spinal cord injury 
or dysfunction, brain injury, amputation, multiple trauma, hip fracture 
or joint replacement, arthritis, congenial deformity, burns or other 
progressive neuralgic syndromes such as Parkinson's Disease, Multiple 
Sclerosis and Gullian Barre.
  The services Brazosport RehabCare Center provides include 
rehabilitation medicine, rehabilitation nursing, physical therapy, 
occupational therapy, speech/language pathology, social work, 
psychology and recreational activities. In addition, prosthetics/
orthodics, vocational rehabilitation, audiology and driver education 
are provided when necessary through affiliate agreements with external 
organizations. The goal of each service is to maximize the individual's 
potential in the restoration of function or adjustment by integrating 
with other services.
  By addressing the multiple effects that disability has on the patient 
and family and by integrating the combined resources of patient, family 
and interdisciplinary rehabilitation team, comprehensive rehabilitation 
programming can maximize the abilities and esteem of the patient and 
family and foster a healthy re-integration into the community. At the 
Brazosport RehabCare Center, patient outcomes are exceptionally 
positive. Eighty-six percent of their patients are able to return home 
and lead an independent lifestyle.
  I am proud and honored to have the Brazosport RehabCare 
rehabilitation facilities at Brazosport Memorial Hospital, Lake 
Jackson, Texas. Please join me in recognizing the Brazosport RehabCare 
Center for its outstanding services and remarkable accomplishments as 
we celebrate National Rehabilitation Awareness week.

                          ____________________