Page 56 - South Mississippi Living - February, 2023

HEALTHY LIVING
SINGING RIVER
Skilled Nursing Facility
Expanding Award-Winning Care
story and photos courtesy of Singing River Health System
Singing River Health System’s Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) is home to the Mississippi Gulf Coast’s only five star-rated facility by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS). The Singing River Skilled Nursing Facility located at Pascagoula Hospital provides short- term rehabilitation to patients who are not strong enough to go home after their hospital stay while recovering from an illness or injury but are not sick enough to remain admitted to the hospital.
Pascagoula Hospital’s SNF opened in August 2017 as a 36-bed short-stay rehab facility. In January, the facility expanded to a 54-bed unit. Accommodations include private rooms and bathrooms with a personal television and cable access for the patient’s entertainment and convenience. Activity rooms are available on each floor supplied with board games, puzzles, and books for patients to enjoy 24 hours a day.
One of the primary amenities that set the Pascagoula SNF apart from any other facility along the Coast is the quality of care patients receive during their stay. The SNF at Pascagoula Hospital offers a very low staff-to-patient ratio, as low as a 1:9 ratio, while other skilled nursing facilities have up to a 1:25 average ratio. At Singing River, patients can expect to receive the most dedicated care from some of the most talented healthcare professionals along the Coast. Patients will also have 24-hour access to a licensed, registered nurse to ensure that medical equipment is working properly and that all their needs are met.
Many patients with a range of health issues benefit from skilled nursing care. Skilled nursing provides a short-term rehab solution for individuals that may suffer from a stroke, heart attack, hip fracture,
joint replacement and more. Intense treatment options such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy are also available for patients up to six days a week.
Singing River’s SNF is proud to be home to the only rehab facility on the Coast that reached the Gold Standard in the assessment and management of oropharyngeal dysphagia performed in-house. Singing River has a dedicated team of speech language pathologists who have been trained and certified in the use of Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES). FEES is higher in specificity in identifying complications that arise with swallowing impairments.
Additional services performed in the Skilled Nursing Facility include infusion therapy, wound vacuums, oxygen therapy, tracheostomy care, enteral feeding, therapeutic diets, and diabetic monitoring and teaching. Patients also receive weekly scheduled meetings with a nurse practitioner, discharge planner, nurse manager and rehab director to evaluate the next steps in the patient’s care plan.
The Singing River Skilled Nursing team provides the best possible care and is here to help with recovery needs. In order to be admitted to the SNF, speak with your doctor and hospital care team about a referral. To learn more, call 228.809.1131 or visit SingingRiverHealthSystem.com.
56 | February 2023
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