Executive Director
Hello again from Bay
Area Rehabilitation Center. It's warming
up again, mosquitoes are back, and it seems like
we're just getting over Ike (many of you are
still trying to recover) and it's already time
to get prepared for another storm season!
Time marches on and so do we. As time goes
by, we seem to be in a constant state of change.
Some of that change is good, for it promotes
better services and techniques to help our
clients, but some is not so good.
Increased restrictions on services provided by
insurance, higher costs to operate a business,
and the recent overall downturn in the economy.
Through it all though, at Bay Area we are
diligently working to make our way through those
changes to continue providing outstanding
rehabilitation services to you.
If you have the time to look at our
Outcomes for 2008,
you will see we have had an increase in the
number of clients seen, compared to 2007, in all
three reporting programs. We believe this
is a direct result of the faith that you, the
local community, have in the ability of Bay Area
to positively impact your condition. For
that please accept our heartfelt thanks!
What you do not see, however, is how well Bay
Area compares against the nation in terms of
therapy services. Using comparative tools
such as the LIFEware and WeeFIM II reporting
systems, we know that our therapy services are
on par, or better, with other rehabilitation
facilities throughout the United States.
In our analysis, we consider how long someone is
receiving therapy and the level of improvement
shown throughout the therapy. Those
statistics are compared against a nationwide
database, which we review quarterly. What
we have found is that the quality of care
received at Bay Area is as good as what you will
find anywhere. When that level of care is
combined with the facility resources we have -
the large heated pool, a variety of treatment
spaces, and unique equipment - you get the type
of rehabilitation program seldom seen anywhere
else! And we haven't stopped there either!
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As many of you know, in May 2007 the
Baytown Opportunity Center merged with
Bay Area. Since that time we have
made changes to that program that have
resulted in a phenomenal growth in the
number of clients seen (from 35 clients
seen in 2006 to 186 seen in 2008), the
types of programs offered, and the
opportunities available within those
programs. In 2007 we began working
with local school districts to provide
vocational rehabilitation services to
select students age 18 and above.
We know work with 4 local ISDs and
anticipate one or two more to join this
year. In 2008 we began our Career
Development Team (CDT) program, which
helps mentally and physically challenged
individuals learn how to succeed in the
work environment, ultimately assisting
many of those individuals with getting a
job. Finally, in 2009 we became
qualified as a Home and OCmmunity Based
Service provider, or HCS. The HCS
program allows us to provide to select
individuals identified through the Texas
Department of Aging an Disability
Services (DADS), client case management
and a broad array of other assistive
services.
It has been an exciting and hectic two
years as the Executive Director, but two
years that have been immensely
fulfilling as we have been able to serve
the community in so many different ways.
Please fell free to contact me to
discuss any aspect of Bay Area
Rehabilitation Center, and I look
forward to hearing from you soon.
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