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Stroke is the leading cause of serious long-term disability. The need for rehabilitation and chronic stroke care is crucial for the more than 795,000 people per year who have strokes. My name is Laura Young, and my passion is the management of post-acute care for patients who have suffered neurological injury. I have been a physical therapist since 2003, and obtained my Board Certification in Neurological Physical Therapy in 2006, with my most recent recertification in 2016. I have worked the majority of my career in inpatient rehabilitation, but also have experience in acute care, nursing home, and outpatient levels of care. Rehabilitation post-stroke can be very overwhelming, and I love working with patients and their families to help them navigate the journey.
I am currently the Director of Therapy Operations at New England Rehabilitation Hospital of Portland (NERHP), and the program leader of NERHP’s Joint Commission Certified Stroke Rehabilitation Program. The Stroke Program at NERHP has been joint-commission certified since 2007, and we provide rehabilitation to over 400 inpatients per year. Our goal is to reach as many stroke survivors as possible. The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association guidelines recommend IRF (Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility) level of care as compared to SNF for those patients who qualify and have access to this level of care. We hope to continue to educate providers and improve access so that Mainers who have suffered strokes can have improved outcomes.
I am proud to be a part of the Maine Stroke Alliance so that I may collaborate with other members to improve stroke care across the state. I am the committee chair for the Maine Stroke Alliance subgroup ‘Chronic Stroke Care: Rehab and Community Integration’. The primary focus of this Committee is recovery and reintegration following a stroke, prevention of long-term complications following a stroke, and maintenance of secondary stroke prevention strategies. If you are interested in becoming involved please request to join via the Maine Stroke Alliance website, or email me at laura.young@encompasshealth.com.