Transitional Care Hospital’s Respiratory Unit One of Only 15 Worldwide Recognized by Medical Device Maker Passy-Muir, Inc.

NORFOLK, VA – Sept. 29, 2017 — Already recognized for its exceptional ventilator weaning program, Lake Taylor Transitional Care Hospital has just been named a Passy-Muir® Center of Excellence.

At a special reception on Sept. 19 at Lake Taylor Norfolk campus, representatives from the medical device manufacturer Passy-Muir, Inc. personally conveyed the designation to the Lake Taylor respiratory program staff, while the hospital administration, commissioners from Norfolk’s Hospital Authority of Norfolk Board and the Lake Taylor Foundation board, and several former patients and their families looked on.

According to Gail Sudderth, RRT, of Passy-Muir, Inc., very few facilities have demonstrated the outstanding teamwork, education, and utilization of the Passy-Muir® Valve to earn the Center of Excellence designation. “Not every facility that applies for this recognition earns it,” said Sudderth. “We’re very pleased to present this honor to Lake Taylor and hope that area physicians and other primary care health systems will recognize this valuable resource that’s available to patients in southeast Virginia.”

A medical device invented by an actual patient (David A. Muir), the Passy-Muir® Valve provides tracheostomized and mechanically ventilated patients the ability to speak, while also improving the swallowing reflex, various pulmonary functions and assisting with ventilator weaning protocols. In doing so, it decreases recovery time, hospital costs and enhances the quality of life for patients.

“The Passy-Muir Valve® allows patients to speak and eat early in recovery, even while they are still on the ventilator. “It gives patients a sense of hope, empowerment and motivation to work with the nurses and therapists to get stronger and to go home sooner,” said Millicent Zanders, CRT, Lake Taylor’s Director of Respiratory.

“Being named a Center of Excellence demonstrates Lake Taylor’s commitment to providing the highest level of transitional care,” said Thomas Orsini, president and CEO of Lake Taylor. “The entire respiratory team worked very hard to earn this recognition. Patients, family members and other clinicians in the community will now know that we have a unique set of skills and the experience to care for these patients with exceptional outcomes.”

“Our Respiratory Department, along with the help of Speech Therapy, has once again shown their passion for continued excellence in their field,” Orsini stated. “Lake Taylor is now the model of this type of care for the Hampton Roads region and is one of only 15 facilities in the world to be designated a Center of Excellence for using the Passy-Muir valve to enhance patients’ quality of life and reduce recovery times.”