HealthNotes

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.

Bill Stark, 84, a retired U.S. naval officer, had served more than 30 years in the Navy and was eagerly looking forward to attending a ship reunion last September. But the day before the La Quinta resident and his wife Carole were scheduled to leave for Seattle, he experienced an intense bout of atrial fibrillation (AFib) and had to delay the trip.

Stark recalls his frustration at missing the reunion. “I called Dr. Rubin and told him, ‘It’s time; we’re going to do that ablation.” He was referring to previous consultations with Andrew Rubin, MD, Board Certified in Cardiovascular Disease and Cardiac Electrophysiology, with whom he had discussed potential cardiac ablation treatment at Eisenhower Desert Cardiology Center.

Stark’s arrhythmia condition goes back more than two decades. In 2002, he underwent coronary artery bypass grafting to repair three blocked arteries (triple bypass). The night before discharge, Stark suffered a severe episode of AFib that landed him in the ICU. He was later diagnosed with paroxysmal AFib, an irregular heartbeat characterized by periodic episodes that can last anywhere from a few minutes up to seven days.