Reclaiming Your Life
Eisenhower Health offers the largest, most diverse rehabilitation therapy program in the Coachella Valley to help people recover from illness or injury. Learn about its highly trained staff and cutting-edge technologies in this Q&A with Todd McDonald, MS, OTR/L, CCM, CSRS, MRMC, Director, Eisenhower Rehabilitation Services.
Q: If you could only share three things about Eisenhower Rehabilitation Services, what would they be?
A: Our size and comprehensiveness are unmatched in the Coachella Valley. We have the most clinicians with specialized training — 96 in physical therapy, 26 in occupational therapy and nine in speech therapy — plus, 20 support staff. Our specialized care is vast, from lymphedema to orthopedics to neurology, pelvic health and more. This depth of expertise means we can help nearly any patient.
Q: How would you describe the expertise of the staff?
A: A majority of our clinical team has master’s degrees, if not doctorate degrees, along with an impressive list of advanced specialty certifications. Some staff members work as adjunct faculty at area universities and colleges, training the next generation.
Q: What medical conditions benefit from rehabilitation services?
A: A broad range of conditions can benefit from rehabilitation services: traumatic brain and spinal injuries, fractures, diseases that cause loss of mobility, fall injuries, swallowing disorders, strokes, balance and breathing issues, chronic pain, cardiac arrest, cancer, infections and more.
Q: What does your cancer care program offer patients?
A: We partner with Eisenhower Health oncologists to provide specialized care that encompasses pre-habilitation — physical and mental health interventions that get you prepared for treatment — along with post-mastectomy care and lymphedema care, which addresses the build-up of lymphatic fluid that can occur after cancer surgery. We also focus on daily living and strengthening to maximize your function potential, pre- and post-cancer treatment.
Q: What do you offer patients with balance deficits?
A: The Eisenhower Balance Institute is the only facility in the Coachella Valley that offers the
SMART EquiTest®, Bertec Balance Advantage® and Bertec Vision Trainer systems, the gold standards for assessing balance. With this computerized technology, a clinician can objectively evaluate the balance system and design a customized training program for each patient.
A: Our pelvic health program is growing — it’s the largest of its kind in the Coachella Valley. Issues with bladder and bowel incontinence keep people homebound. Helping retrain those muscles gives people a freedom they wouldn’t otherwise have. Addressing problems around sexual health gets someone back to being a partner or enjoying intimacy. These are real-world issues, especially for an aging population, but we are identifying them in younger and younger people, too.
We also recently launched a neuro-vision program for problems that can develop after a stroke or other neurological deficit, such as double vision or only seeing out of part of the eye.
Q: Is Parkinson’s disease another expanding area of need?
A: Yes, we’re seeing a rise in demand. Our Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT®) BIG and LOUD programs offer intensive therapeutic exercises to improve movement and mobility, as well as speech therapy to enhance communications. We also employ the SPEAK OUT!® speech therapy program developed by the Parkinson’s Voice Project.
Q: What are some other technologies you employ?
A: In our Swallow Evaluation program, we use VitalStim™ neuromuscular electrical stimulation, which applies small electrodes to the neck to stimulate and re-educate muscles responsible for swallowing. In our Safe Driving Program, we use STISIM Drive®, an innovative driving simulation technology, to assess and rehabilitate people who want to return to driving after illness or injury.
No matter how much technology we have, or how cutting-edge it is, the true impact of rehabilitation comes down to the hands-on expertise and compassion of our therapists. They make the difference in someone’s recovery.
Q: Your department now provides services for Eisenhower Desert Orthopedic Center. How does that benefit patients?
A: Eisenhower Desert Orthopedic Center once managed its own rehabilitation services, but it has joined the larger Eisenhower family. We are all working together. From an organizational standpoint, it makes sense, and results in greater efficiency and communication.
Q: What first interested you in rehabilitation?
A: Growing up, my best friend’s sister had cerebral palsy. I used to attend her therapy appointments and I became fascinated. It was a perfect career match for me. I first joined Eisenhower Health as manager of the former inpatient rehab unit. This feels like home.
Q: How does being a teaching hospital make a difference?
A: We are helping to grow the field of rehabilitation. We host about 50 interns from all over the country each year in physical, occupational and speech therapy. This is a great training ground. Each intern is paired with a seasoned mentor and gradually learns to handle their own caseload. A good percentage have joined our staff.
A: A physician’s prescription with a diagnosis is required. After that, the next step is an initial evaluation with one of our licensed therapists.
Q: How can patients further their own rehabilitation?
A: Someone who is motivated, willing to learn and works hard will contribute a great deal to their own healing. Patients are dealing with changes: their bodies don’t move the same way they used to or they face future uncertainties. We give them the tools but the magic doesn’t happen here. It happens when they go home and continue practicing what they learned.
For more information, visit EisenhowerHealth.org/Rehabilitation.
Five Convenient Locations
Eisenhower Health
Dolores Hope Building
39000 Bob Hope Dr., Rancho Mirage, CA 92270
760-773-2033
Eisenhower Desert Orthopedic Center
39000 Bob Hope Dr., Rancho Mirage, CA 92270
760-773-1630
Eisenhower George and Julia Argyros Health Center
45280 Seeley Dr., La Quinta, CA 92253
760-837-8368
La Quinta Physical and Occupational Therapy
One Eleven La Quinta Center
78822 Highway 111, La Quinta, CA 92253
760-777-7710
Palm Springs Physical and Occupational Therapy
4771 E. Palm Canyon Dr., Suite F, Palm Springs, CA 92264
