Johnson Rehabilitation Institute again named among best facilities in nation BY KATHY CHANG Staff Writer Arlen Ray (r), clinical manager and physical therapist at the Johnson Rehabilitation Institute in Edison, works on the knee of Louise Ventrella of Westfield. PHOTOS BY ERIC SUCAR staff EDISON A knee replacement, a brain injury, or a stroke can be a scary ordeal. It changes your life and changes the way you do things, said Louise Ventrella, of Westfield, who had knee-replacement surgery in July. Marci Gietter, assistant administrator at the Johnson Rehabilitation Institute (JRI), said that basically life is interrupted, with such occurrences, especially with braintrauma patients. I have seen all ages, whether it was a dirt-biking or diving incident, she said. A lot of our older patients have brain injuries, as well [as other medical issues]. For Ventrella, her journey started six years ago. She had two partial knee replacements then, and on July 26, she had a full left-knee replacement at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. She began as an in-patient at JRI and is down to a once-a-week session with physical therapist Arlen Ray. Louise Ventrella uses one of the exercise stations at the Johnson Rehabilitation … Continue reading →

Less than a month after suffering a traumatic brain injury while herding cattle, Lane Allred, 18, of Thatcher was released from treatment in Tucson and has returned home. Lane is the son of Graham County Sheriff P.J. Allred. Lane was injured in the late afternoon of Sept. 7 when he was apparently bucked from his horse while herding cattle on Paddy's River Road. The area is near the Deer Creek turnoff of Bonita/Klondyke Road at the base of the Galiuro Mountain Range. Lane lost consciousness and was flown to the University Medical Center-University Campus in Tucson, where he remained in a coma for eight days, according to Allred. After the swelling of his brain subsided and Lane came out of his coma, he was transferred to a HealthSouth rehabilitative hospital located behind the Tucson Medical Center on Sept. 21. HealthSouth hospitals provide a higher level of inpatient rehabilitative care to those who are recovering from serious conditions, including neurological disorders, pulmonary conditions, brain and spinal cord injuries and amputations. Lane's condition continued to improve at a startling rate, and soon he was walking and talking on his own. His quick recovery amazed his health providers, and they decided he was … Continue reading →

Floridas federally-designated disability rights advocacy group sued one of the countrys largest brain-injury centers, alleging the facility is blocking its efforts to probe complaints of recent patient mistreatment. The Florida Institute for Neurologic Rehabilitation prevented an investigator from interviewing witnesses and from visiting locations on campus where alleged abuse occurred, according to the lawsuit, filed by Disability Rights Florida in U.S. District Court in Tampa. One investigator was asked to leave the Wauchula, Florida facility, the advocacy group said in the lawsuit. One complaint involved a patient who was allegedly improperly restrained. The second concerns an allegation of two staffers physically abusing a patient. Both incidents occurred within the past week or so, said Sylvia Smith, a spokeswoman for Disability Rights Florida. The institute has always allowed the disability group immediate and unlimited access to investigate abuse charges, said Jay Adams, an attorney for the brain-injury facility, in an e-mailed statement. He said the center cooperates fully with the group and with state regulators and it is unfortunate that they have filed this unsubstantiated complaint rather than focusing their resources and efforts on the health and well- being of Floridas disabled. Bloomberg's Investigation: Instead of providing care, Florida brain center … Continue reading →

Published: Tuesday, October 2, 2012, 12:01 a.m. The Lynnwood resident visited his friend, Colton Wilson, 21, in a hospital room shortly after he fell off his skateboard and hit his head. Tardif, 31, spoke with Wilson's mother and older sister. Then he got to work. "I'm a big energy person and I felt their energy," Tardiff said. "I called a couple of friends and asked, 'What are we able to do?'" In August, he founded The Colton Can Foundation to raise money for Wilson's recovery. With the help of other volunteers, Tardif last month held The Colton Can Traumatic Brain Injury Awareness Day at The Jet Bar and Grill in Mill Creek. The event included a concert by "American Idol" winner Kris Allen and other artists. It brought in a crowd of more than 400 people and raised about $18,000. "We had a great time and it was exactly what we wanted it to be," Tardif said. "It really honored Colton." Wilson is now out of the hospital and working toward recovery at a skilled nursing facility in Northgate. As a South Whidbey High School baseball player, Wilson battled bone cancer and used his wish from the Make-A-Wish Foundation in … Continue reading →