Barlow Outcomes Book 2017

3 Organization Overview Barlow Respiratory Hospital is regarded as one of the top long-term acute care hospitals in the nation serving the chronically critically ill, and the destination of choice for weaning patients from prolonged mechanical ventilation. Patients are referred to Barlow from nearly 100 hospital intensive care units (ICUs) in the Los Angeles metropolitan area and Southern California. With multiple locations in Los Angeles County, we are conveniently accessible to patients and families. In 2016, Barlow Respiratory Hospital was awarded the Gold Seal of Approval ® for Respiratory Failure Certification by The Joint Commission, the only one on the West Coast. Barlow is among fewer than two dozen hospitals nationwide that have achieved this elite certification. Barlow was also awarded the designation as the only West Coast Passy-Muir Center of Excellence, recognized for treating patients with tracheostomies, on and off the ventilator. Since 1902 At Barlow Respiratory Hospital, we have built a legacy of specialized care for respiratory illnesses. Originally the premier sanatorium in old, Los Angeles for the treatment of tuberculosis, Barlow is the longest continuously operating respiratory hospital in the United States. After contracting tuberculosis in New York City in 1895, Dr. Walter Jarvis Barlow headed west for the dry and sunny climate and a reasonable chance of recovery. Stemming from his infection and cure, he developed an urge to help other tubercular patients. From that caring motivation would emerge the founding of The Barlow Sanatorium in 1902. Barlow transitioned to a full-service respiratory hospital starting in the late 1960’s. Later, with the advent of intensive care units and critical care medicine, Barlow transitioned again, assuming its current mission as a regional specialty center for weaning chronically critically ill patients from mechanical ventilation. At Barlow Respiratory Hospital, patients with chronic critical illness and complex respiratory conditions benefit from the expertise of a multidisciplinary medical staff consisting of clinicians who specialize in pulmonary medicine, critical care medicine, and internal medicine, all working in close collaboration with physicians in a variety of medical practice specialties. The partnership between physicians and our interdisciplinary team of allied healthcare professionals of nurses, respiratory therapists, physical, occupational and speech therapists, dietitians, social workers and case managers promotes communication and coordination of care, to inform treatment decisions and support patient centered goal-setting.