LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - A Lubbock rehabilitation hospital has expanded its capacity to help more patients recover from life-altering medical events and return home to their families.
South Plains Rehabilitation Hospital at North Slide and Colgate recently completed its latest expansion, adding 26 beds along with a new dayroom for group therapy and family visits, plus a new courtyard. The growth comes as the facility sees increasing demand from patients across the South Plains.
John Robles is among those benefiting from the expanded services. Three weeks ago, the active, healthy man couldn't even get out of bed, let alone walk across a room. Today, with guidance from therapists, he's making remarkable progress.
"I mean, it's been baby steps, but from where I was, to where I am now, it's just... I used to, my dad would take videos, and so seeing where I am now to then, it's just baffling," Robles said.
About a month ago, Robles was spending time with his girlfriend when he suddenly developed a headache, started feeling dizzy, lost his balance and experienced vision problems.
"I told my girlfriend, can you call the ambulance, please? And the next thing I knew, I woke up in the ICU," Robles said.
Doctors discovered the 33-year-old had suffered a rare brain stem stroke. After a week in the hospital, he came directly to South Plains Rehabilitation Hospital to begin speech, occupational and physical therapy.
"I'm lucky to be alive. I thank God for that," Robles said. "The staff and faculty and the therapists are amazing. I think like they pretty much paved the way for my new normal."
CEO Beth Tucker said the hospital typically treats patients who have experienced life-altering events, including stroke patients, neurological patients and those with hip fractures or other debilitating conditions requiring extended hospital stays.
The joint venture between Encompass Health and UMC opened in May 2019 with 40 beds. The facility added 26 more beds a few years ago, then completed another 26-bed expansion this summer.
"Which we're just excited about. We're excited to offer that to the community. So before, we had a waiting list to come in. And so, to be able to offer the therapy to patients to be able to get back home to their friends and family, it's really meaningful to our staff," Tucker said.
For Tucker, the expansion represents more than just increased capacity. She said witnessing patient transformations makes the work meaningful.
"So, we see them come in on stretchers and then they're literally walking out the door. And our staff all line up. We have clappers and a lot of patients pick their own songs, kind of like a fight song that they used. And so that's one of my favorite things," Tucker said.
Robles will soon experience that walk-out celebration himself. His advice to others reflects his journey: take care of yourself, be grateful for what you have, and persevere through obstacles.
"Just in life, really, if there's an obstacle, you've just got to get over it. So, keep going," Robles said.
Tucker said the expansion will support not only the Lubbock community but patients from across the region, from eastern New Mexico to Amarillo to Big Spring.