SOUTHAVEN, Miss., August 6, 2009 – Baptist Memorial Hospital-DeSoto has partnered with the T.K. Martin Center for Technology and Disability to open the center’s first satellite location for assistive technology, driving rehabilitation and biomedical engineering on July 29.

Baptist DeSoto is the only hospital in the metro-Memphis area to offer this level of comprehensive rehabilitative care. The T.K. Martin Center is based at Mississippi State University in Starkville, where it contains laboratories to design computers for the disabled, workshops for the fabrication of specialized wheelchairs, an augmentation lab to customize vehicles for the disabled and a seating and mobility center. The T.K. Martin Center provides comprehensive, multidisciplinary evaluations to remove limitations through the application of assistive technology, allowing individuals to participate in educational, vocational and leisure activities to the fullest degree.

“We are so excited to partner with the T.K. Martin Center,” said Brad Kennedy, director of rehabilitation services at Baptist DeSoto. “Our mission is to provide the most comprehensive, high-quality rehabilitative services to the people of our community, and the T.K. Martin Center is a great partner for this endeavor.”

The Baptist DeSoto rehabilitation department includes acute care therapy services, an inpatient rehabilitation program and three outpatient clinics. The inpatient rehabilitation program has been accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities longer than any inpatient rehabilitation program in the metro-Memphis area. It was recently ranked in the top 10 percent nationwide for quality by the Uniform Data System for Medical Rehabilitation.

Baptist DeSoto is a 339-bed hospital that offers diagnostic, surgical and rehabilitation services. In 2001, the hospital completed an expansion project that nearly doubled its size, expanded its labor and delivery services and added open-heart surgery and radiation therapy.

In April 2001, the Baptist DeSoto Outpatient Diagnostic Center and Women’s Center opened, which houses DeSoto County’s first open MRI, mammography services and other diagnostic tools. In November 2006, Baptist DeSoto opened a new, 11-story tower, featuring all-private rooms, expanded operating suites and a new emergency room.

For more information about Baptist DeSoto, please call 662-772-4000 or visit desoto.baptistonline.org.

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