Overview

Rehabilitation and Wellness Center

Whether you’re recovering from a stroke, illness, surgery or injury, Yale New Haven Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Wellness Center at Bridgeport Hospital Milford Campus can help you regain independence and return home as quickly and safely as possible. Our rehabilitation, nursing and medical staff offer round-the-clock care seven days per week. 

What sets our team apart is the ability to balance clinical expertise with genuine compassion by physicians, nurses, physical therapists, physical therapist assistants, occupational therapists, speech language pathologists and rehabilitation associates. Our mission is to provide safe, effective, efficient and equitable patient-centered care that is evidence-based in order to optimize recovery.

Our dedicated team provides care 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Each patient receives an individualized plan of care, tailored to their unique goals and medical needs. Most patients complete their rehabilitation stay within 7 to 14 days. We also offer opportunities to participate in innovative research.

Our goal is to help you achieve your highest level of function so you can return to your everyday life with confidence.

Specialized Expertise

Our center is among the few acute inpatient rehabilitation programs with board-certified physiatrists, who are physicians trained in physical medicine and rehabilitation. Working closely with your care team, they oversee your progress and ensure your recovery stays on track.

Comprehensive Therapy

Patients participate in intensive, one-on-one physical, occupational and/or speech language pathology for at least three hours per day five days per week, with additional therapy provided on weekends. Therapy focuses on restoring mobility, communication and the skills needed for daily living.

A Healing Environment with Advanced Facilities and Services

The Rehabilitation and Wellness Center is designed for soothing, holistic healing to treat and bring comfort to the body, mind and spirit. The 23-bed unit offers specially designed rooms that accommodate the needs of all patients, including larger beds with higher weight capacity. Language translation services are free to caregivers and visitors.

• Gym equipped with specialized balance and neuromuscular training technology
• Therapeutic kitchen and bathrooms where patients practice cooking, bathing, dressing and other daily routines to prepare for life at home
• Electronic medical records in a single, efficient system that follows a patient through their lifetime of care
• Rapid lab results from an on-site laboratory
• On-site acute care and emergency medical services
• Wellness offerings include pet therapy, art therapy, Reiki sessions and therapeutic gardening

Conditions we treat:

• Amputations
• Bilateral total joint replacement
• Brain injury
• Congenital anomalies
• Hip fracture
• Major multiple trauma
• Neurological disorders including multiple sclerosis, Guillain-Barré syndrome and Parkinson’s disease
• Operative and non-operative spinal conditions
• Osteoarthritis
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Severe burns
• Spinal cord injury
• Stroke

The Rehabilitation and Wellness Center is often the first step in a continuum of care that then extends into the home and the community.

Rehabilitation Team

Your care is led by a dedicated team of rehabilitation professionals who partner closely with you, your physicians, and your loved ones to help you achieve the best possible recovery. Each patient receives an individualized plan of care, assessed daily to track progress and adjust treatment for the best outcomes.

• Advanced certifications: on-staff nurses specially certified in rehabilitation nursing
• Cutting-edge technology: physical and occupational therapists incorporate innovative tools such as virtual reality, body-weight support systems, e-stim and Bioness devices to maximize recovery
• Expert physical therapy: all therapists are trained in high-intensity gait training, with advanced certifications in brain injury, Parkinson’s disease and stroke rehabilitation
• Safety-focused care: every patient receives comprehensive fall assessments and personalized prevention strategies
• Specialized speech therapy: speech-language pathologists provide expert care in speech, language, voice, and swallowing disorders. On-site FEES studies and Visipitch technology support advanced treatment.

Your care team includes:

• Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs)
• Case managers
• Chaplains representing all faiths
• Consulting physicians and specialists
• Dietitians
• Hospitalists
• Neurologists and neuropsychologists
• Occupational therapists
• Physiatrists (rehabilitation physicians)
• Physical therapists
• Prosthetic/orthotic technicians
• Rehabilitation nurses
• Social workers
• Speech-language pathologists
• You, your caregivers and your loved ones

Together, this team works with one goal in mind: helping you recover safely, regain independence, and return home as quickly as possible.

Education for Patients and Caregivers

We help patients and caregivers better understand the patient’s needs and rehabilitation plan. We welcome family members and/or caregivers to therapy sessions for training prior to the patient’s return home.

Treatment plans may include an assessment of the patient’s home environment. One of our rehabilitation experts can come to your home, assess your home entrance, stairs, kitchen set-up and layout, check doorways and area rugs, and ensure the bathroom is equipped so you can maneuver safely.

Support After Discharge

Discharge planning is an ongoing process starting from the time of admission and involves the entire interdisciplinary team. Along with rehabilitation experts, our care coordinator will develop a plan to make your transition home as smooth as possible. We will arrange for medical equipment or homecare services as needed.

Support Groups

Free, monthly support groups for patients/former patients, their caregivers, family and friends. 

• Amputee Support Group: Meets the second Tuesday of each month, 4-5 pm
• Stroke Support Group: Meets virtually the third Wednesday of every month, 3:30-4:30 pm

Learn more here.

Awards and Recognition

• Certified by The Joint Commission in Stroke Rehabilitation
• Recognized by Newsweek as one of America’s Best Physical Rehabilitation Centers
• Named one of U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals for Rehabilitation
• Press Ganey Guardian of Excellence Award in 2017, 2019 and 2020, recognizing the center for its exceptional patient care, including one-on-one, intensive therapy for patients throughout the region with neurological disorders, trauma, limb loss, joint replacements and other conditions.