The Palisades Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine Center will be located inside the existing Palisades Sports & Fitness Center at 7700 River Road.
It replaces an existing facility that was formerly run by the Kessler Institute.
According to Ingrid Pais, director of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Palisades Medical Center, the move was necessary because the demand for physical and sports medicine therapies has increased tremendously in recent years.
"We're expanding because of the volume of our business," Pais said. "This not only helps our capacity with physical therapy, but can also lead us to specialization in sports medicine."
The Palisades Sports & Fitness Center, which has been in business for a few years, will remain in business. It is run under the auspices of the hospital. The new PT and Sports Medicine Center will run in conjunction with the fitness center, with all the necessary resource equipment on hand.
Pais is excited about the way physical therapy and sports medicine related activity has taken off in recent years.
"When I started, we probably had about 10 employees," Pais said. "Now we have 28 professionals in the department and we have quadrupled the volume of patients we treat. We have several new incentives, like a pediatric program. Before, those kids never had the services necessary to rehabilitate injuries. But now, since we're growing so fast, we had to expand our services into the space in the fitness center."
Pais said that it would benefit all patients to have the relationship with the existing fitness center.
"We have a physical therapy clinic catering to sports injury rehabilitation," Pais said. "We are working with the fitness center, but it is still a hospital physical therapy facility. It serves a dual purpose, but for those who have injuries, we're right there. Whether you are training for a triathlon or recovering from a routine injury, each patient is treated like a star athlete through individualized care from one of our specially trained therapists."
Bruce Markowitz, the Palisades Medical Center president and CEO, believes that the new center will be an added plus to the hospital.
"The opening of the new center enables Palisades Medical Center to meet the growing need for physical medicine and rehabilitation services," Markowitz said. "During the past several years, physical medicine and rehabilitation visits at Palisades have quadrupled to more than 3,000 per month. This expansion will provide more space and more hours of availability for our patients."
Pais said there will be different incentive plans with the patrons of the existing Fitness Center.
"We want to have different types of programs for fitness and training, focusing on preventative steps," Pais said. "But now, we can handle the specific injuries. This is a big step for us. We've only been open two days, but we're already doing great business."
The new center will have expanded hours from 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. and will also be open on Saturdays.
Some of the equipment that will be featured in the new facility includes Nautilus, Cybex, Icarian and Arcuit strength equipment, LifeFitness, Precor, StairMaster, and cross-conditioning cardio equipment. The facility also has free weights, cable and stretching equipment, an indoor walking and jogging track, spacious locker rooms, and a sauna. Acupuncture is also available by a board certified medical acupuncturist.
To learn more about the Palisades Medical Center's new Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine Center, call (201) 854-5013.
Jim Hague can be reached via e-mail at either OGSMAR@aol.com or jhague@hudsonreporter.com
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