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Pioneering Revolutionary Rehabilitative Technologies at St. Charles Hospital's Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Program BY BRITTAIN WHITESIDEGALLOWAY JENNIFER SEMEL, MD: ST. CHARLES HOSPITAL IS AT THE FOREFRONT OF A NUMBER OF EMERGING TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES IN THE FIELD OF REHABILITATIVE MEDICINE WITH PROMISE OF VASTLY ENHANCING THE LIVES OF THOSE WITH PHYSICAL AND COGNITIVE DISABILITIES, THANKS TO THE EFFORTS OF A TEAM LED BY DR. SEMEL. SINCE 1907, WHEN four French sisters representing the Order of the Daughters of Wisdom founded St. Charles Hospita l to provide care for 27 children with physica l and developmenta l disabilities, St. Charles Hospita l has been the leader of rehabilitative ca re on Long Isla nd. No strangers to the path less traveled, St. Charles Hospita l's Physica l Medicine and Rehabilitation team has made great strides to remain true to the hospital's original mission of providing care for those living with disabilities or requiring rehabilitation by employing forward-thinking approaches to care. With Jennifer Semel, MD, physiatrist, Medica l Director of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at St. Charles Hospital, at its helm, her team — comprised of physiatrists, rehabilitation nurses, physical, occupational and speech therapists, social workers, psycholo- gists, and nutrition and recreational therapists — collaborates to create personalized therapy plans for each patient. In between caring for adult and pediatric patients with injuries or disabilities — including spinal cord injuries, stroke, multitrauma injuries, traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), amputations, hip fractures and nerve disorders, among others — the team actively searches for innovative rehabilitative technologies that hold promise of improving patients' lives. "From our physicians to our therapists to our support sta, we are all highly dedicated to what we do," says Dr. Semel. "It's in our DNA, so to spea k, given that our hospita l was founded with the mission of caring for individua ls with disabilities, and we aim to remain true to that. W hen we want to invest in our rehabilitative services and purchase leading-edge devices, our hospital's leadership and auxiliary lend their support to our endeavors to stay a head of the curve. "Pa r ticula rly in the last five yea rs, our field has rapidly cha nged, with the advent and increasing availability of ultramodern robotic technologies," Dr. Semel continues. "Our team strives to get in on the ground level of these technologies so we can oer the best therapies available that have the potentia l of changing our patients' worlds." ENHANCING OUTCOMES THROUGH TECHNOLOGY Nearly a decade ago, St. Charles Hospital began using groundbreaking rehabilitation tools to improve patient outcomes, including specialty electrica l stimulation devices. One example is a stationary bicycle designed to help maintain muscle mass, lung function, bone density, 0 6❱❱❱❱❱ C O V E R F E A T U R E