Page 25 - BeaufortMemorial

Along with physical therapy, she started speech and occupational therapy. Initially she was taught American Sign Language, but as her motor skills improved, she was able to advance to augmentative and alternative communication.

Te speech therapist at HealthLink gave Turner picture symbols Julia could use to communicate her needs.

“I glued them on magnets and put them on the refrigerator,” Turner says. “When she was hungry, she’d bring me a picture of milk.”

Once she learned how to use the pictures, she was given a voice output device that used the same symbols with a recorded voice saying the word.

Two years ago, Turner took her daughter to Charleston to be examined by a neu-rologist at the Medical University of South Carolina.

“He looked at a picture of her brain and told me she was much more self-sufcient and capable than she should be given her condition,” Turner says. “I truly believe Julia has done so well because she has had a great group of people who have taken an interest in treating the whole child. You can’t argue with the results.”

HealthLink for Children offers a full schedule of speech therapy services—from oral motor intervention to cognitive rehabilita-tion, as well as occupational and physical therapies. The main facility is located in Suite 360 of the Beaufort Medical Plaza (adjacent to the hospital).

Last year, HealthLink began ofering its services at the reha-bilitation center at Blufton Medical Services, Beaufort Memorial Hospital’s outpatient facility in Westbury Park.

“Te physicians in Blufton had asked us to provide physical, oc-cupational and speech therapies at the outpatient center to make it easier on their patients,” says Laurie Martin, senior director of Blufton Medical Services. “Te demand was so great, we decided to open a freestanding rehabilitation facility just for children.” Tim Keane, DO, of Sea Island Pediatrics, couldn’t be happier. Te Beaufort physician, who practices at Blufton Medical Services on Tuesdays, often refers patients to HealthLink.

“Tey have very good speech therapy, as well as PT [physical therapy] and OT [occupational therapy],” Dr. Keane says. “It’s great having them right next door. It is much more convenient for my Blufton patients.”

HealthLink–Blufton opened in February in the building directly across from Blufton Medical Services at 7 Arley Way. Half of the 3,986-foot medical ofce is dedicated to pediatric rehabilitation; the other half is for physician ofces.

“If HealthLink hadn’t opened in Blufton, I’d still be going to Beaufort,” says Barbara Turner, whose daughter, Julia, receives therapy twice a week. “Te therapists and staf are so incredible. I’ve seen such a vast improvement in Julia. She sings; she dances; she’s happy.”