Brooks Rehabilitation celebrates remodeled facility

Brooks Rehabilitation has completed extensive renovations to its 14th Street facility, enlarging the gym and installing new state-of-the-art physical therapy equipment.

An open house celebration and ribbon cutting will be held Oct. 8, 4 to 6:30 p.m. The public is invited to tour the facility and enjoy drinks and snacks. The remodeled facility, which offers physical therapy, speech therapy and occupational therapy, is located at 1885 S. 14th St.

The 14th Street location has served as a rehab facility for more than 30 years and has been operated by Brooks Rehabilitation in recent years. The clinic needed modernizing, says Robert H. Springer III, a physical therapist assistant and provider relations specialist at Brooks Rehabilitation.

“The facility was outdated,” Springer says. “We wanted the facility to match our other Brooks facilities that are up to date. Brooks is continually investing in technology and research. We wanted to bring some of those cool, new things to Nassau County.”

The remodeled facility consists of an enlarged gym with 10 treatment tables. In addition, there are four private evaluation rooms for physical therapy, a private room for occupational therapy and a private room for speech therapy.

“We’re the only multidisciplinary rehabilitation clinic in Nassau County,” Springer says, noting the clinic can often provide several types of services seamlessly in one appointment for stroke patients and others needing comprehensive rehabilitation.

The expanded gym will accommodate enhanced technology such as a Solo-Step Overhead Track System, which is a harness system that allows patients to safely work on balance, strength and gait training.

“It eliminates the fear of falling,” Springer says. “It increases a patient’s confidence and independence and allows the therapist to provide a more challenging therapy.”

The remodeled facility also offers virtual reality-enhanced therapies, such as an Oculus headset that can be used to help patients with balance.

“We can simulate real-life scenarios,” he says. “For example, we can simulate what it’s like for a patient to walk in a crowd. Or, for patients who have had a stroke and haven’t been able to walk around in a kitchen, we can simulate that.”

The enlarged gym also includes new bicycles and a Smith machine for weight training with a focus on specific muscle groups.

Brooks Rehabilitation takes pride in offering the latest technology, Springer says. The updated facility means that Nassau County patients will have no need to travel to Jacksonville for the latest rehab technology.

“Brooks is always doing their due diligence in advancing our equipment, making sure we offer specialized training and services that no other facility in the region can replicate,” he says. “What we have here mirrors what we have in Jacksonville.”

The renovations were also prompted by a growing demand for services in Nassau County, Springer says. Brooks Rehabilitation also operates an outpatient clinic on the south end of the island, at 4800 1st Coast Hwy., and a facility in Yulee.

“We have an aging population on the island, and more people are better educated about physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy,” he says. “These renovations ultimately reflect Brooks’ mission to meet community needs.”

As part of its mission as a nonprofit, Brooks also offers several adaptive sports opportunities in Nassau County, such as adaptive biking and adaptive fishing. In December, Brooks’ therapists will host an adaptive golf experience at the Golf Club of Amelia. Adaptive sports demonstrations will be presented at the open house.