Adventist HealthCare Rehabilitation recently added an innovative robotic patient support system for balance and mobility training. Learn more.
To provide the most effective, up-to-date care, Adventist HealthCare Rehabilitation embraces innovative technologies that enhance the ability of persons served to reach their functional and quality-of-life goals. Philanthropy plays an integral role in this effort. Recently, a donation from a grateful family allowed us to acquire a ZeroG® Gait & Balance System, an overhead, body weight support system that helps patients safely build mobility, independence and confidence.
A gift from Jerry and Dina Leener supported the purchase of the ZeroG system, which was installed in April 2024 at Adventist HealthCare Rehabilitation Rockville Outpatient Clinic. The Leeners’ son, Mike, was born with Fragile X syndrome and worked with Adventist HealthCare Rehabilitation to learn to walk again following a spinal cord stroke. Mike expresses gratitude for his care by volunteering with Adventist HealthCare Rehabilitation. Meanwhile, his parents are building a philanthropic legacy that will help ensure generations of patients receive high-quality therapy, just as Mike did.
“The Leeners have become critical partners to Adventist HealthCare Rehabilitation in elevating the services our team provides through the acquisition of important technologies,” said Elan Burman, associate vice president of system philanthropy and donor relations and post-acute care services philanthropy lead at Adventist HealthCare. “We are always profoundly moved when patients and their families seek to express gratitude through philanthropic support. These donations increase the margin of excellence at which we’re able to operate, empower our dedicated clinicians and staff, and, most importantly, enhance care outcomes for future patients.”
Defying Gravity
For people recovering from stroke, neurological disorders, movement disorders and orthopedic surgeries, gravity can pose a serious obstacle. It forces them and their therapists to be mindful of the risk of falls and injury during rehabilitation. The ZeroG system removes gravity’s threat.
With the ZeroG system, patients practice walking, rising from a sitting position, getting up from the floor and other movements while wearing a sophisticated harness attached to an overhead track. A robotic arm provides adjustable body weight support, allowing people to feel lighter so they can move more easily. Therapists can set the robot to eliminate drag or provide resistance to a person’s movements, depending on the goals of therapy.
Importantly, thanks to the robot’s support, therapists can focus on enhancing a person’s function without worrying about a dangerous fall.
“With the ZeroG system, no one’s going to get stuck on the floor or get hurt trying to get up,” said Michelle Babcock, associate vice president of Post-Acute Care Services Operations at Adventist HealthCare. “The system keeps our patients and therapists safe. It allows people we serve to explore more freedom of movement than they could if our therapists were supporting them or holding on to them.”
Since debuting at the Rockville location, the ZeroG system has helped many patients make great strides in recovery, from regaining walking ability and improving balance and gait to enhancing their performance of activities of daily living.
“Some of the people we serve have become emotional during therapy because the ZeroG system helped them overcome a lack of confidence in their abilities in addition to the physical challenges of not being able to move well,” Michelle said. “We’ve seen tears of gratitude because this technology gave them back some freedom of movement.”
Taking Steps Forward With Technology
The ZeroG system is hardly the only recent example of innovative equipment that has entered Adventist HealthCare Rehabilitation’s armamentarium with the help of philanthropic gifts. Over the past three years, philanthropy has supported more than a dozen new technologies, services and facilities.
One of the most impactful acquisitions, the Bioness Integrated Therapy System (BITS) uses a software-based platform to aid visual and balance retraining in both inpatient and outpatient settings.
“BITS is especially helpful for patients with vestibular or other balance disorders,” Michelle said. “They may walk fine but experience dizziness or other balance problems. Using touchscreen technology and rehabilitation-specific applications and programming, BITS allows us to reduce dizziness, improve visual function and reduce the risk of falls.”
We began using our first BITS system more than two years ago, and it proved so effective that we acquired additional systems to deploy throughout our system. Now, we regard BITS as standard equipment and ensure every new outpatient clinic we open features this technology.
Another key piece of philanthropy-funded technology, the wearable Bioness H200 Hand System helps people with grasping deficits by using functional electrical stimulation to trigger nerves in the hand and forearm. Activating these nerves helps patients with neurological diagnoses improve their ability to, for example, hold a cup or toothbrush.
“Not being able to grasp objects necessary for daily life frustrates people,” Michelle said. “By helping improve that function, the Bioness H200 Hand System has a simple but profound impact on the lives of the people we serve.”
Life-Changing Support
Adventist HealthCare Rehabilitation will continue to add impactful patient care technologies in the years ahead, thanks to the generosity of donors who understand their importance to the people we serve.
“Seeing the generous support from the Montgomery County community and far beyond is truly inspiring,” Elan said. “It reflects a deep commitment to ensuring individuals who need rehabilitation services have access to the best care available. This support showcases the community’s collective investment in health, healing and hope for those in need. It’s incredibly meaningful to witness how people come together to strengthen the well-being of their neighbors, reinforcing the sense of connection and shared purpose that defines our community.”
Register to vote in the next U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals survey.
