Inpatient Pediatric Rehabilitation Unit and Therapy Gym
Inpatient Rehab Referrals
Clinicians who want to refer a patient for inpatient rehab, please call (757) 668-9999 and ask to speak with the inpatient rehabilitation doctor on call.
Outpatient Rehab Referrals
Our team provides outpatient care to patients from birth to age 21. See our referral guidelines here.
Our Fax Number: (757) 668-7895
Visitor Information and Hours
VIDEO | Learn more about Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at CHKD
About Our Rehab Unit
CHKD has the only pediatric inpatient rehabilitation unit in Virginia. While most patients come from Virginia, North Carolina, and West Virginia, CHKD accepts referrals from anywhere in the country. Each case is individually reviewed by our medical team and discussed with the referring provider.
The 8-bed unit is located within our 206-bed, full-service, freestanding children’s hospital. At CHKD, every inch of our facility and every member of our medical team is devoted solely to the needs of young people, and our patients benefit from a full roster of pediatric-trained caregivers and support staff.
As part of an acute care children’s hospital, our rehabilitation unit is uniquely qualified to care for children with complex medical needs, such as ventilator support, that most inpatient rehab facilities do not handle. In many cases this allows us to begin rehabilitation earlier in a child’s recovery process than other facilities.
Our unit accepts most forms of insurance and accepts referrals from anywhere in the country. Parents from outside our immediate service area often stay at Norfolk’s Ronald McDonald house, located across the street from the hospital campus. Members of our staff are available to help coordinate insurance coverage and needs related to travel so you can focus on your child’s recovery.
Conditions We Treat
We are able to care for children with a wide variety of health care needs including, but not limited to, tracheostomies, central lines, feeding tubes, dialysis, cancer treatment, wound care, and respiratory support services.
- Amputation
- Spina bifida
- Brain tumors
- Spinal cord injury
- Cerebral palsy
- Stroke
- Feeding problems
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
- Joint disease
- Traumatic illness
- Neuromuscular disease
- Traumatic injury
Our Rehabilitation unit’s design was inspired by Norfolk’s thriving military aviation community, and features a “jet runway,” on the main hall to measure distances of movement during therapy sessions.
Each room is private with a permanent overhead lift and a private, accessible bathroom with a shower.
Therapy sessions take place in our cheerful, state-of-the-art therapy gym, equipped with the ZeroG Gait and Balance System, among many tools.
Treatment rooms, a family area, and a common area are also integrated into the unit. Take a tour of our inpatient rehabilitation unit here.
Because our unit is within a full-service children’s hospital, we are licensed to care for children with complex medical needs that disqualify patients from many other rehabilitation facilities. These include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Tracheostomies
- Central lines
- Feeding tubes
- Dialysis
- Cancer treatment
- Wound care
- Respiratory support services
Each patient who comes to the pediatric rehabilitation unit has a unique combination of skills and challenges, so many different specialists are involved in their care. Team members may include:
- Physicians
- Rehabilitation nurses
- Physical therapists
- Occupational therapists
- Speech therapists
- School instructors
- Medical social workers
- Rehab coordinators
- Nutrition therapists
- Child life specialists
- Mental health therapists
We incorporate the latest technology and assistive devices as part of our overall treatment strategy to restore and improve body movement and function.
Some of our therapeutic tools include:
- Zero G Gait and Balance System: a Robotic body-weight support system on an overhead track for practicing a wide range of activities without the risk of falling.
- BIODEX Balance system: static and dynamic balance testing and training.
- Bioness Integrated Therapy System: assesses and treats the physical, visual, auditory, and cognitive deficits resulting from traumatic injuries and movement disorders. It can assess visuomotor coordination, reaction time, visuospatial perception, visual and auditory processing, working memory, physical and cognitive endurance.
- Bioness neuroprosthetics: We utilize the L300 Go Foot Drop System and the H200 for hand paralysis.
After Discharge
Most children will require ongoing therapies and follow-up appointments after discharge. CHKD offers outpatient physical, occupational, and speech therapy services at a variety of locations, and our physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians have offices throughout Hampton Roads.
