Rehabilitation Hospital of the Cape and Islands (RHCI) is set to open a new outpatient center in Plymouth this winter. The RHCI-Plymouth Outpatient Rehabilitation Center follows the model of RHCI's other successful satellites and offers therapy as well as physician services.

"It's a model we share in common with Spaulding, and it sets us apart from the local therapy practices," says Carol Sim, RHCI President and CEO. "The combination of physiatry services with physical, occupational and speech therapies means we can offer coordinated, multi-disciplinary rehabilitation care that is unique in the area. We think patients as well as referral sources will appreciate the scope of services we have to offer and the expertise of our clinicians."

The newly built center includes two spacious gyms and eight private treatment rooms. Therapists will specialize in treatment for sports injuries, back and neck pain, knee and shoulder injuries, arthritis, stroke and other neurological conditions, plus post-surgical rehabilitation. Jeffrey Skeiber, MSPT, MBA, formerly site manager at RHCI's Yarmouth outpatient center, is manager of the satellite.

Jay E. Rosenfeld, M.D., an RHCI physician with dual board certifications in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Pain Medicine, will offer diagnostic, treatment and consultation services. His areas of expertise include non-operative management of spinal and orthopedic conditions, Baclofen pump management, and treatment of spasticity and pain. Dr. Rosenfeld was RHCI's first medical director, a position he held for several

The new 6,200 sq. ft. center is located at 1 Scobee Circle in the Plymouth Industrial Park off exit 7. RHCI expects the center to begin accepting patients in January, pending final approval from the Department of Public Health. The center will serve patients from Plymouth, Kingston, Duxbury, Carver, Plympton, Middleboro and surrounding communities. Its location near the junction of Rtes. 3 and 44 makes it readily accessible to residents and commuters from these communities.

RHCI-Plymouth is the fifth outpatient center and the first off-Cape for RHCI. Other outpatient centers are located in Sandwich, Yarmouth and Orleans, and RHCI's pediatric center is located in Sandwich. Therapists at these centers provide more than 75,000 visits per year.

RHCI-Plymouth is part of the Spaulding Rehabilitation Network, as are all RHCI facilities. For information, contact RHCI-Plymouth at (508) 927-7424 or see details on-line at www.rhci.org/Plymouth.