A view outside of Goodwill’s new brain injury clinic. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place at the location on 8 Science Park Road on Sept. 12. Contributed photo
SCARBOROUGH — Officials at Goodwill’s new brain injury clinic say the move from Portland to Scarborough will provide patients with easier access to more services.
The new custom-built location on 8 Science Park Drive features an indoor track where patients can practice walking, a yoga studio, private medical treatment rooms, a kitchen to re-learn cooking skills and more.
“We’re going to be located in a medical park where our referral partners and access will be easier because people can get on and off 1-95 on U.S. Route 1,” said Trendy Stanchfield, senior vice president of advancement for Goodwill. “It’s a more rural location … . The location was enticing to us for so many reasons.”
The suite in Portland sold earlier this year and officially closed in July. An open house and ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place at 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 12 at the new location.
According to a press release, the NeuroRehab facility moved from 75 Washington Ave. to better serve clients who suffer from acquired brain injuries. Goodwill’s team includes case managers, nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, neuropsychologists, speech pathologists, and others who treat the cognitive, emotional and physical needs of patients with brain injuries.
Stanchfield said the biggest challenge for the clinic is making sure the medical world knows it exists. As a holistic group, she said, staff try to treat the entire client versus going to different modalities across different clinics.
Goodwill also operates a NeuroRehab center in Lewiston. Combined, the two locations have helped rehabilitate more than 9,000 people with brain injuries.
With nearly 200 patients seen on average each year, Stanchfield said the new location is a better fit for patient needs because of its easy accessibility.
Dr. Kathleen Albert, clinical director of the BaySide NeuroRehab facility, who will be working at the new location, echoed those sentiments.
“You can’t ambulate well being in a busy downtown area, on the third floor — it wasn’t ideal,” Albert said. “This new location has onsite parking and we have outside areas for patients that have picnic tables, basketball hoops, gardens … it gives a lot of opportunity.”
According to its website, brain injury is the leading cause of disability and death for young people.
“We see patients of all ages — youth with sports concussions, middle-age folks with random vehicle accidents, and a lot of slips and falls where people hit their heads,” Stanchfield said. “Some people may get cancer treatment and get cloudy brain from chemotherapy. Everything on the spectrum, we have seen it.”
“These people are so inspirational to me because there they are, going about their daily life, and something happens … ” she said, referring to patients. “Whether it be a stroke, or a car accident, or a tumor, and their whole life turns upside down. To be able to watch them face these challenges an overcome them to the best of their abilities is an honor and an inspiration.”
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