Everyone in Inpatient Rehab was amazing. They made me feel welcome and special, and the treatment I received while there was exceptional.
Kathy Tremblay of Keene, New HampshireDuring the devastating COVID-19 surge in the winter of 2021–2022, departments across Cheshire persevered, despite being stressed well beyond their normal limits. Nowhere was that more exemplified than the Inpatient Rehabilitation department, which specializes in getting people back on their feet and living their lives.
“COVID has certainly changed all of our lives in many ways,” says Elizabeth Olmstead, business development manager for rehabilitation services at Cheshire. “Our staff were amazing in
their commitment, working with all the PPE (personal protective equipment), which is not an easy task when rehab patients needed hands-on care to promote their recovery.”
One of the 18 COVID recovery patients seen from July 2021 to June 2022 was Kathy Tremblay, an insurance billing representative and Keene resident for 20 years. She caught the virus around Thanksgiving of 2021 from a family member while unvaccinated, and by December, was put on a ventilator for 21 days. She was admitted to the Inpatient Rehabilitation unit on Jan. 7 and was able to go home after a week and a half of caring treatment there.
“Getting to go to rehab was a big relief because I knew I was going to be OK,” Kathy says. “Everyone in Inpatient Rehab was amazing. They made me feel welcome and special, and the treatment I received while there was exceptional.”
“What I remember most about Kathy is her quiet, unwavering resilience,” says Meredith Matuszewski, CCC-SLP, a speech-language pathologist who worked with Kathy. “She fought hard to walk, speak, swallow, and take care of herself again. The gains she made were truly remarkable, as she went from extreme illness to returning home in just a few weeks with the help of her rehabilitation team.”
Cynthia Zipoli, OT, the occupational therapist on Kathy’s team, says, “Inpatient Rehab is always a team effort, and Kathy was certainly a big part of the team. She always dressed in her tie-dye shirts and had a positive outlook, which is often 50 percent of the battle here.”
Another inspiring recovery was that of Donald Hashem, who runs a facility maintenance business in Bellows Falls, Vermont, and serves as interim pastor in nearby Townsend. He was also diagnosed with COVID while unvaccinated in December of 2021 and had been on a ventilator in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) before being moved to Inpatient Rehabilitation for almost six weeks, starting in February.
“Don came to us from the ICU, unable to move his arms or legs,” says Kara Stoning, MSPT, the physical therapist on his team. “He struggled to breathe even sitting up on the edge of the bed, and it took weeks for him to be able to stand. Being a part of Don’s rehabilitation and seeing his accomplishments every day was truly an amazing experience that I will never forget.”
“Everyone at Inpatient Rehab was awesome,” Don says. “They were very compassionate, very kind and encouraging, cheering on my every accomplishment. I was called ‘the walking miracle.’ The Bible says that both life and death are in the power of the tongue, and the staff were all full of life. I’ll always be grateful to the hospital—also to all the people praying for me all over the world, from Canada to India.”
Being a part of Don’s rehabilitation and seeing his accomplishments every day was a truly an amazing experience that I will never forget.
Kara Stoning, MSPT
The Inpatient Rehabilitation department has seen both triumphs and sadness through the pandemic, including a short closure when the space was converted to a temporary ICU to care for a surge in COVID-19 cases.
“Our rehab staff had to step into roles that they were not accustomed to, but did so without hesitation,” Olmstead says. “The silver lining of the COVID experience for me was witnessing the strength and resilience of our staff and feeling very proud of what we all do.”
Cheshire Medical Center’s Inpatient and Outpatient Rehabilitation departments are always looking for skilled rehabilitation therapists to join our teams as demand in our region grows. Learn more or apply at cheshiremed.org/careers.