Healthsouth Riosa

07/25/2008 Posted by SuzanneHildebrand

I am writing this as a rebuttal to the negative comments I found on this site. RIOSA is an outstanding facility and my husband has received exemplary care there. He had a massive stroke in April and spent almost 45 days at RIOSA; last weekend he fell at home and fractured his hip and has had surgery. He will be returning to RIOSA in the next few days. There is a good rehab within 5 minutes of our home and RIOSA is 30 miles away but it is important that he have the best care available and for that reason, we will be returning to RIOSA. The therapy staff is outstanding, the facility is clean and modern; the nursing care is very good; and Drs. Onghai and Cottle are the best. Dr. Senelick no longer sees patients but he is the founder of RIOSA and a pioneer in the field and is the Medical Director. The compassion of the staff to both my husband and me has made this horrible experience more bearable. Our niece is a 17 year old quadriplegic and she is now at RIOSA, coming all the way from Louisiana. Over the years I have referred my boss’s sister who had a massive stroke and an attorney friend’s mother who also had a stroke as well. They share the high regard for RIOSA that I have. I never thought my family would need RIOSA but when the events occurred, there was no question as to where we would go. I am not going to hide behind a pseudonym. My name is Suzanne Hildebrand and I can be contacted if you have any questions about how I feel about RIOSA.

06/29/2008 Posted by hnybmrb

As someone who has been employed at RIOSA, I can say that there are definate pro's and con's about RIOSA, but more pro's than cons. If you are willing, able, and need to have 3 hours of therapy every day, I definately recommend it. The licensed therapists all have either master's or doctorates, so they really know what they're doing. It is true that there is unlicensed help, but they only strictly follow what the therapist tells them to do with the patients. They are called Techs. Most techs are already studying therapy or applying to therapy schools, which says alot for RIOSA because at most other facilities, techs are just anyone you could pull off the street. Everybody in our rehab department has a true love for making people well and work to their maximal potential each and every day to see that happen. Therapy and nursing are slightly under staffed at this time, so things are kind of hectic, especially with all the renovations going on, but we are trying to resolve that as fast as possible. We do have a lot of contract nurses right now, which makes it difficult to get top notch nursing care, because most aren't around long enough to "learn the ropes" so to speak, and so patient care decreases subsequently. As for the Doctor with a few seconds comment below... I have never seen more attentive doctors than the ones at RIOSA. These doctors even come down to the therapy gym to check on their patients! All the other hospitals I have worked at, the doc is in the room for 2 seconds, does a quick screen, asks 2-5 questions, and is out... no time for patient questions, leave those to the nurse. The food is bad, and the cafeteria's only open during lunch mon-fri. And case managers are awesome and on the ball with getting exactly what the patient needs. Our cognitive therapy is top notch. If you need aggressive neuro rehab I wouldn't recommend anywhere else, but don't come if you just want pampered all day long. You will be here to work to get better.

Pros: docs, therapy service/knowledge, parking, effectiveness of rehab

Cons: food, nurse service