DOWNEY – Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center officially opened its new $109 million Outpatient Building last month, giving caretakers and patients expanded opportunities to provide and receive increased rehabilitative care.

The facility is the latest addition to the multi-year, $418 million renovation and beautification project spearheaded by former LA Supervisor Don Knabe and dubbed Rancho Rising 2020. The project broke ground in August of 2015, and as the project’s name suggests, is anticipated to be completed in 2020.

According to Associate Hospital Administrator Shawn Phipps, the new building is another reflection of the standard of care Rancho has built a reputation for.

“We’re so excited that this new outpatient facility truly provides our patients with a ‘one stop shop’ where they can get all of their therapy, medical, [and] nursing needs all in one place,” said Phipps.

“We’re actually right next door to the [Don Knabe] Wellness Center, where they can get care throughout the duration of their life with a disability. We also have our patient rehabilitation center right next door as well.

“You see the full continuum: inpatient rehabilitation, outpatient rehabilitation, and then wellness throughout their life. It truly reflects the excellent care that Rancho has always been known for.”

In addition to providing state-of-the-art rehabilitation programs, occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy and art programs, Phipps added that patients will be able to meet with their designated physician.

One of the highlights of the building is the new rehab therapy facility, which Physical Therapy Department Chief Lilli Thompson said was “custom designed to meet the needs of staff and patients as they are going through rehabilitation.

“Rehabilitation is a process that starts from the time of injury...once they’re medically stable they transfer into the rehab setting and that’s really where the work of recovery begins,” said Thompson.

“In order for people to get back to activities that are really meaningful for them, we have to start with some foundational things…that is what the rehab process is about. In order to make that happen there are a lot of skills, expertise, tools that we need to help keep the patient safe challenge them at their maximum capacity so that we can push for neuro recovery and functional recovery, but also keep the staff safe.”

According to Thompson, some of the new equipment has the potential to not only increase quality of care, but quantity as well.

“The technologies are evolving continuously. We have robotic devices that are exoskeletons that fit over a person’s limbs and help them to walk essentially without much effort.

“As far as capacity goes, we can expand our capacity to treat patients into a larger volume [and] broader scope because we’ve got the environment to support that. Where it might take three therapists just to help one person walk, now with the technology available one therapist can help that patient accomplish those same goals; that frees up two more clinicians to treat other patients. That’s where the technology gives us the bang for its buck.”

The Outpatient Building is expected to serve 71,000 patients in 2019, according to hospital officials.