What started on June 14, 2017, as a routine practice for the upcoming Congressional Baseball Game for Charity turned into a helicopter ride to MedStar Washington Hospital Center and emergency surgery for U.S. Congressman Steve Scalise. Gravely wounded by a gunman who opened fire on him and other legislators, Scalise would undergo multiple surgeries and battle infection in the coming weeks. But like so many other patients with complex injuries, survival was just the first step in a recovery that may continue for months. One month later, when Scalise left MedStar Washington Hospital Center, he was immediately admitted to MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital for an eight-week stay.
Multidisciplinary Care Team
A multidisciplinary care team, including physiatrists, nurses, physical and occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, recreation therapists, neuropsychologists, case managers, and dietitians, provided an initial review of his immediate needs and developed a treatment plan. Throughout his rehabilitation, the team met weekly to share updates on Scalise’s progress. Family meetings were also held to provide his loved ones a more global picture of the present—and the future.
Intensive Therapy, Six Days a Week
Scalise, like other patients, was put through rigorous therapy during his acute rehabilitation. Pushing himself and his body for three hours a day, six days a week, he moved from a wheelchair, to a walker, onto crutches and, in time, from walking 20 to 200 feet. Progress like Scalise’s results from a patient’s determination, the skill of the rehabilitation experts, and their use of the latest technology, such as functional electrical stimulation to muscles and ZeroG®, the robotic body weight support system first developed at MedStar NRH. The Congressman’s hard work eventually paid off, and eight weeks later, he returned to Congress.