Gaylord Hospital

Gaylord Specialty Healthcare is a nationally renowned, independent, nonprofit health system offering specially designed and accredited medical management and intensive rehabilitation from common to catastrophic illness or injury. It specializes in programs for patients with spinal cord injury, stroke, brain injury, pulmonary, and complex medical cases. Gaylord Outpatient Services rehabilitates patients in the community, and physical therapy, orthopedics, and sports medicine help athletes recover to peak physical performance after injury, leveraging leading-edge technology and provider expertise. In addition, Gaylord is home to the Milne Institute for Healthcare Innovation, providing access to leading-edge research in rehabilitative medicine, and Traurig House, offering a transitional living experience for brain-injured and stroke patients as an interim step between hospital and home. Gaylord's 137-bed inpatient hospital in Wallingford admits 1,350+ patients annually; while it's five outpatient sites (Wallingford, Madison, Cheshire, Cromwell and North Haven) see a total of 8,000+ patients per annum. With a staff of approximately 975 full-time, part-time, and per-diem employees, Gaylord Hospital is the third largest employer in Wallingford contributing to the region's economy. Gaylord Specialty Healthcare is accredited nationally by the Joint Commission and internationally by CARF (Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities) for all inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation programs. Gaylord has additional specialty accreditation for its spinal cord, stroke, and brain injury programs - making it one of two long-term acute care hospitals in the world and the only kind in the U.S. with this unique level of CARF accreditation. Gaylord has clinical affiliations with the following schools: Yale University School of Medicine; the University of Connecticut School of Medicine; Quinnipiac University Medical School and School of Allied Health; Southern Connecticut State University, Gateway Community College, Naugatuck Valley Community College, Lincoln Tech, and Goodwin University. In 2021 Gaylord affiliated with UConn School of Medicine as a clinical partner for the newly created residency program in Physiatry, the first and only one in Connecticut. We also partner with Albertus Magnus, Griffin Hospital School of Allied Health, and the University of St. Joseph. Mission statement: Gaylord's mission is to preserve and enhance health, maximize function, and transform lives. The role of the hospital in Connecticut: Gaylord Hospital fulfills a unique place in the healthcare continuum. The hospital's 137 licensed beds represent a significant part of the rehabilitation, long-term acute, and chronic disease hospital capacity existing in the state. Gaylord fills the gap between the acute care hospital and other tertiary levels of care such as the skilled nursing facility, home care agency, or assisted living center. By providing a hospital level of care, Gaylord offers 24-hour medical, nursing, and respiratory staff coverage. Therefore, it provides diagnostic and treatment resources at the hospital level of care, but with the option of longer stay (an average of greater than 25 days) and at less cost than an acute care hospital. (See discussion under "market share" herein.) More than 90% of the hospital's inpatient admissions are from acute care hospitals. Physician referrals drive most outpatient therapy visits. Program background and key services: Depending on their individual needs, patients admitted to Gaylord for inpatient services may take advantage of the medical or rehabilitation divisions. The medical division consists of a medically complex program for patients with serious medical issues, including wound care and complications from infectious diseases and surgical complications due to illness or injury requiring 24-hour medical and nursing supervision; the ventilator care program for the care and weaning of patients from ventilators, and the pulmonary program for those with chronic respiratory insufficiency. The rehabilitation division addresses patients' needs after experiencing acute accidents or illnesses that may leave them disabled in some way. The hospital's major programs are in pulmonary, stroke, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, orthopedic, and multiple major trauma. Gaylord is a partner site of a national spinal cord injury program designated by the U.S. National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) as a model system of care for spinal cord injury. Only 14 healthcare organizations in the country have this designation. Gaylord is currently involved in spinal cord injury-related care and research through the Spaulding New England Regional Spinal Cord Injury Center (SNERSCIC) at Gaylord, with a Gaylord physician as the principal investigator. Gaylord has a long and distinguished history of firsts and prides itself on being an early adopter of various medical and rehabilitation technologies regionally and nationally. Gaylord was the first in Connecticut to become a Passy Muir Valve Center of Excellence to allow patients with a tracheostomy or on mechanical ventilation to speak; the first in Connecticut to offer spinal cord injury patients the opportunity to walk using the Ekso robotic suit and was the second in North America to achieve the one-million step milestone; the first in the United States to become a Vapotherm Center of Excellence recognizing the value of heated humidification for pulmonary patients to improve outcomes. Gaylord was the first and only organization in Connecticut to use the ZeroG gait and balance system and the first in New England to use it in an outpatient facility. Gaylord is the only hospital to employ SmartWheel technology in its wheelchair clinic to help patients receive an in-depth assessment of the users' propulsion techniques to minimize the risk of repetitive stress injuries. Gaylord uses pressure mapping systems for adolescent, adult & bariatric wheelchair users to determine optimal pressure relief to avoid skin breakdown. Gaylord also offers an FES stim bike, BITS, four Alter-G's (anti-gravity treadmills), the Bioness upper extremity-hand rehabilitation system, and aquatic options for a full continuum of technology and hands-on manual therapy to meet all patient's needs. In 2023, Gaylord became the first healthcare organization in North America to use the Phagenyx Neurostimulation System from Phagenesis, Ltd. to treat dysphagia among stroke patients. An essential program for people with acquired brain injury is the Louis D. Traurig transitional living center, a freestanding, eight-bed house on the Wallingford campus that offers the opportunity to practice activities of daily living and problem-solving techniques and enhance social skills by providing a therapeutic, supervised setting and coordinated peer interaction while continuing to receive physician, nursing, and therapy services. This setting achieves an average rate of 95% of successfully returning residents to their community. The transitional living center is the only facility of its kind in Connecticut. The Connecticut State Department of Public Health and Addiction Services licenses it. Gaylord's continuum of care for patients is extended through outpatient physician and therapy services. Improving accessibility to outpatient rehabilitation remains one of the organization's priorities, which is why Gaylord offers residents five locations for therapy services in North Haven, Madison, Cheshire, Cromwell and Wallingford. More than 30 clinical services enhance the hospital's outpatient treatment programs. Gaylord's Center for Concussion Care provides a statewide resource for this growing issue and has worked with area schools, athletic teams, and pediatricians to move to focus on the danger of an untreated concussion. While most outpatients are from CT, out-of-state patients regularly utilize Physiatry and Speech services based on unique and specialized services. Professional and community education: Gaylord focuses on community relationships to promote wellness and advance healthcare through education, research, and clinical practice improvement. Employees are actively engaged in community and professional organizations. More than 187 students participated in almost 13,208 hours of educational programming at Gaylord in medical services, nursing, psychology, social work, pharmacy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, therapeutic recreation, respiratory therapy, and nutrition. Gaylord staff members have been published in various media, primarily in medical journals related to their specialty. The Milne Institute for Healthcare Innovation was launched in August 2020 on the Gaylord campus and is rigorously pursuing research opportunities and involving staff in new product invention opportunities.