Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Cape Cod to Expand

SANDWICH, Mass. — The Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Cape Cod in Sandwich is planning on breaking ground at the beginning of the New Year to expand the hospital to be able to accommodate more outpatient services, according to Cape Cod Times.

Sandwich currently has an aging population of Baby Boomers, and it has become necessary to provide more outpatient services for the hospital. According to Stephanie Nadolny, vice president of Spaulding Cape Cod, the hospital plans on expanding to the back of the rehabilitation building with the addition of a two-story, 6,000-square-foot facility.

The expansion includes the addition of eight outpatient treatments rooms, two physician exam rooms and offices. With the expansion, two existing gyms will have to be moved for the new construction. The $6.3 million expansion will also include a change in one of the outpatient gyms that will receive a multipurpose room, which will be used for things such as yoga and tai chi, according to Cape Cod Times.

Although the hospital is expanding, the amount of patient beds will continue to be 60 inpatient beds, but this area will still get some upgrades such as new flooring and the renovation of an apartment used to prepare the patients for leaving the hospital. The lobby of the hospital will also be renovated and get a facelift to improve the work flow, according to Carole Staciowski, director of community relations for Spaulding Cape Cod.

Staffing increases will also be possible for Spaulding due to the expansion of the 65,000-square-foot hospital. According to Staciowski, over several years, the number of physical therapists for outpatients will grow from 24 to 38. The hospital also plans to add two more physicians to its eight0person medical team and its four administrative employees.

The construction project is due to both the hospital becoming quite crowded as well as the environment of patient care, Staciowski told Cape Cod Times. The hospital saw this as a good opportunity for growth as the rehabilitation center anticipates an increased need for their outpatient services as the Baby Boomer population in Sandwich continues to grow. Nadolny said that the population change was a lot of the reason for the expansion. Nadolny hopes that the expansion to the rehabilitation hospital will allow the Sandwich population to remain as active as possible for a longer amount of time, according to Cape Cod Times.

Construction to the hospital will be completed in six to nine months, estimated Nodolny. The hospital officials hope that they will be able to break ground on the project in the beginning of January. Funding for the expansion to the rehabilitation hospital is coming from Partners Health Care, the parent company of the Spaulding Rehabilitation Network, as well as from a philanthropic campaign.