Select Specialty Hospital - Oakland

10/01/2025

It’s National Physical Therapy Month. Our theme throughout October is, “Your future is better with PT!” We will highlight how physical therapy can lead to a better, stronger tomorrow.

Our physical therapists are here to guide patients through every step of recovery, from hospital to home. For our patients, that means helping them return to the moments that matter. For our physical therapists and physical therapist assistants, it means making a difference and helping people move forward.

Join us throughout the month as we highlight the power of physical therapy.

09/27/2025

Michael Scott has a lot of faith in physical therapists. And he has a lot of faith in himself. When a motorcycle crash paralyzed his legs, it didn’t take long for the 29-year-old to move from acceptance to adapting to and overcoming his spinal cord injury. A physician-led team of physical, occupational and recreational therapists from HonorHealth Rehabilitation Hospital were there to help, with innovative technology and helping him develop strategies for everyday tasks like dressing himself.

To learn more about Select Medical’s network of hospitals, visit: https://www.selectmedical.com/about-us/

Lying in his hospital bed moments after a doctor gave him some of the worst news of his life, Michael Scott found solace.

09/26/2025

Spinal cord injuries (SCI) demand highly specialized care. At Select Medical specialty hospitals, an interdisciplinary team of physicians, nurses, therapists, and dietitians and others collaborate to address the complex challenges patients’ face – from blood pressure fluctuations and pain, to muscle loss, pressure sores and digestive issues that can lead to malnutrition.

“Good nutrition plays a supportive role in recovery,” said Camilla Johnson, clinical dietitian, Baylor Scott & White Institute for Rehabilitation. She supports and educates patients with SCI during their rehabilitation. “In the hospital, good nutrition reduces the length of stay and … it enhances overall outcomes,” she said.

Here are four ways our dietitians contribute to patient care to promote healing and prevent complications.

09/25/2025

Laz Reeder checked into a hospital for hernia surgery, but aspirated during anesthesia and went into respiratory failure. The 35-year-old Florida man needed two life support machines to survive. A month later when Laz had stabilized, his wife Sierra turned to the continuum of care at Select Specialty Hospital - Pensacola and Select Medical Rehabilitation - Pensacola to continue his recovery and rehabilitation. Laz had mountains of motivation waiting for him at home: his baby daughter, Nyla.

Read his full story: https://bit.ly/3IEJZPj

09/25/2025

Life changes with a spinal cord injury (SCI). Nurses play an important role in supporting patients with an SCI and their loved ones as they navigate their recovery journey.

As instrumental players on our physician-led multidisciplinary care team, nurses direct care and advocate for their patients’ physical and emotional needs as they recover and prepare to return home after rehabilitation.

Our Registered Nurses (RNs) provide 24-hour hands-on care, tending to a range of needs from administering medications to monitoring patients’ bowel and bladder functions to ensuring patients change position frequently to avoid pressure wounds. Nurses also reinforce therapy, helping patients put into practice exercises to strengthen deconditioned muscles and new ways of dressing and grooming.

Additionally, nurses offer emotional support to their patients with an SCI – problem-solving with them as they work through challenges. In preparation for discharge, nurses also ensure patients and their loved ones are aware of community resources to support their independence and well-being.

09/22/2025

Patients living with spinal cord injury (SCI) can experience sensory challenges that inhibit mobility and create fall risks. Fall prevention education is a focus throughout the SCI rehabilitation journey by Select Medical specialty hospital teams, including physical therapists.

Physical therapists help educate individuals with SCI about fall risk by integrating safe mobility strategies early into their care plan. For instance, the introduction of any new equipment, such as a bed or wheelchair, increases the risk for falls. Fall prevention is also underscored in a comprehensive rehabilitation plan of care across disciplines to incorporate equipment that builds muscle strength, promotes balance and improves mobility.

Deep commitment and collaboration across the interdisciplinary team of rehabilitation specialists is essential to ensuring the safe discharge of our patients with an SCI.

09/18/2025

We asked our clinicians to talk about the importance of the environmental services team, and they did not disappoint.

09/17/2025

Diagnosed with congestive heart failure at age 32, Robert Sauerwein kept surgery at bay for almost two decades by managing his condition with medication. That changed when he passed out while dining at a restaurant. Emergency services rushed Robert to the hospital. Several interventions, surgeries and device placements followed.

After 11 weeks, Robert stabilized and was ready to focus on the next step—strengthening his lungs to free himself from the ventilator and returning to eating and drinking. For that, he chose Select Specialty Hospital - Harrisburg for critical illness recovery. After success there, he continued building strength at Penn State Health Rehabilitation Hospital before returning home.

Read his story: https://bit.ly/4gzK9nW

09/17/2025

A devastating rollover car accident left 19-year-old Nathan Beck with a spinal cord injury. Two spinal fusion surgeries were necessary to prevent any further damage to his spinal cord. Once he was stable, Nathan transferred to Select Specialty Hospital - St. Louis. There, his care team would help him regain the strength to move on his own and care for himself again.

To learn more about Select Medical’s network of hospitals, visit: https://www.selectmedical.com/about-us/

A devastating rollover car accident left Nathan Beck with a spinal cord injury. Two spinal fusion surgeries were necessary to prevent any further damage to his spinal cord. Once he was stable, Nathan transferred to Select Specialty Hospital – St. Louis. There, his care team would help him regain t...

09/16/2025

Our nurses continually refine their skills by caring for patients with a wide range of serious health conditions. We understand the complexity of our patients’ conditions and offer robust continuing education and training to ensure our nurses are ready and confident to provide the highest quality, outcomes-based care. New nurses benefit from a range of programs that combine mentorship with hands-on experience to develop their clinical expertise and critical thinking skills.

To learn more about our professional development opportunities, visit: https://careers.selectmedical.com/professional-development/education/hospital-education/

09/15/2025

When he suddenly couldn’t speak at work, Cliff Bellenir’s colleagues knew something was wrong and called 911. Cliff, 49, suffered a ruptured aneurysm, causing bleeding in his brain and a severe stroke. Cliff survived a seven-hour surgery and five weeks in his first hospital. When he stabilized, his family turned to the physician-led, multidisciplinary team at Select Specialty Hospital – Oakland to help him relearn how to breathe, eat, walk and talk. “You can rest assured that your loved one will be taken care of here,” said his wife, Christal.

Read Cliff's story: https://bit.ly/4gonx9D

08/25/2025

Obrien Robertson collapsed from a massive heart attack. His wife, Denise, called 911. Obrien was shocked seven times at home and at the hospital before undergoing surgery to open two blockages. He then spent nine days on ECMO, a specialized life support machine. Obrien survived but could not breathe, eat, talk or walk. He and Denise turned to the physician-led, multidisciplinary team at Select Specialty Hospital – Oakland for continuing care that helped him regain his independence and get back home.

Read Obrien's story: https://bit.ly/41U59iL

06/19/2025

Today, we acknowledge the importance of Juneteenth, which commemorates the abolition of slavery.

03/27/2025

After a stroke, Angela Watson lost the ability to breathe, eat and move on her own. At Select Specialty Hospital – Oakland, she worked with an interdisciplinary care team to regain her strength and independence.

Read Angela's story: https://bit.ly/41LHodi

03/26/2025

Darlene Neese was still adjusting to retirement when the Michigan woman began experiencing shortness of breath. A trip to the emergency room revealed pneumonia and a tear in her colon. For five weeks, Darlene lay critically ill, connected to a ventilator and undergoing procedures to save her life. When she finally stabilized, she transitioned to Select Specialty Hospital – Oakland to relearn how to breathe, eat, walk and talk independently. Working hard every day in her therapy sessions, Darlene began achieving important milestones.

Read Darlene's story: https://bit.ly/43rF10p

02/27/2025

“Nana” Sharon Seidl was critically injured in a car accident, then developed complications that left her on a ventilator. She spent her 60th wedding anniversary in the ICU. Two months after the accident, Sharon transferred to Select Specialty Hospital – Oakland to begin her journey to relearn how to breathe, eat, walk and talk.

Read her story here: https://bit.ly/3QyI3IG

02/13/2025

William Lampkin, a 66-year-old auto parts delivery driver, faced severe complications following prostate cancer surgery, which left him bed-bound in an ICU for nearly a month. Once stable, his family transferred him to Select Specialty Hospital – Oakland. There, an interdisciplinary team of expert therapists, nurses and clinical staff implemented a personalized treatment plan that would help William take the first steps toward recovery.

Read William's story here: https://tinyurl.com/4mwfa9hb

11/08/2024

Julie Solomon, 73, fell and hit her head after returning home from a 10-day stay at the hospital. When she finally stabilized, Julie had become incredibly weak and had to rely on supplemental oxygen. After transferring to Select Specialty Hospital – Oakland, a physician-led team implemented a comprehensive treatment plan that would help her return to her vibrant lifestyle.

Read Julie's story here: https://bit.ly/40DNwEk

09/30/2024

Retiree Linda Marsh, who lives with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, was able to overcome pneumonia and influenza but the battle left her dependent on a ventilator and too weak to even raise her arms over her head. After three weeks at Select Specialty Hospital – Oakland, under the care of a physician-led, interdisciplinary team, Linda was stronger, breathing on her own, eating and talking again and ready for the next step in her recovery.

Read Linda's story here: https://bit.ly/4gLs3yM

05/22/2024

05/20/2024

When Carl "CJ" Bucalos, 41, suddenly experienced weakness and difficulty speaking he was taken by ambulance to the hospital where doctors discovered that he was bleeding into his brain. After emergency surgery to repair the issue, and time spent recuperating in the ICU, CJ was left relying on a ventilator to breathe and a tube to eat. He needed specialized care to begin the process of regaining his independence. For that, he was transferred to Select Specialty Hospital - Oakland.

Read CJ's story here: https://www.selectspecialtyhospitals.com/locations-and-tours/mi/pontiac/oakland/page-data/location-detail-tabs/success-stories/carl-bucalos-story/