Specialty Hospital of Washington Nursing Center Opens Chronic Ventilator Management Unit

WASHINGTON, D.C. - (April 10, 2006) The Specialty Hospital of Washington (SHW) announces the opening of its 17 bed ventilator weaning and chronic ventilator management Respiratory Care Unit (RCU).

"Considering the existence of a significant population requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation and a paucity of facilities providing for such care, the opening of this Unit is a great and necessary benefit to a segment of the D.C. Medical Community that prior to this date has been underserved" states Dr. Leslie Kingslow, FCCP - a prominent pulmonologist in the District of Columbia who serves as Medical Director for both the Nursing Center's Chronic Ventilator Management and Pulmonary Rehab Programs.

"We are proud and excited to be the only RCU in the District," says Jim Gerrity, SHW's Nursing Center Administrator. "Changes in reimbursement now allow us to provide our residents with high quality, cost effective, and medically advanced services, which will also meet the constantly growing need for ventilator management in Long Term Care settings for the D.C. population."

The Nursing Center at SHW is proud to use the Respironics' line of equipment. Respironics is a leading developer, manufacturer and distributor of innovative products and programs that serve the global sleep and respiratory market. By adopting their Total Ventilation Solutions program to treat, monitor and manage respiratory-impaired patients, SHW Nursing Center now has access to the newest BiPAP® Vision® Noninvasive Ventilatory Support System, the Esprit® Critical Care Ventilator, and pulse oximeters.

The SHW Nursing Center specializes in Long-Term Care and is licensed with both skilled and unskilled beds all in private rooms. Each of the Respiratory Therapy staff is Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certified and the Nursing Center provides in-house physician coverage 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

"In addition to the talents of Dr. Kingslow, we are proud that our highly trained staff are prepared to provide high quality, skilled care to this special population which has traditionally had to leave the District to receive services" says Regena Bines, RNC, Director of Nursing for the Specialty Hospital of Washington Nursing Center.

The Specialty Hospital of Washington Nursing Center is located at 700 Constitution Ave. NE, and is owned and operated by Specialty Hospitals of America, LLC, a health care management corporation based in Portsmouth, N.H.