East Bank Center In Loves Park Celebrates 10 Years

ROCKFORD, Ill. - Aug. 21, 2015 - PRLog -- (Loves Park, Illinois, August 21, 2015) – The East Bank Center in Loves Park was the venue for much more than just a ten-year celebration in serving the community with five-star inpatient rehabilitation. It was the culmination of a lifelong journey for owner Jim Palazzo.

Jim’s journey began as a youngster who was active in his church youth group. He recalled being about nine or ten years old, visiting a nursing facility where the youth were playing Bingo with the residents. Jim and his younger brother decided to go exploring, specifically to see where the “really sick people” were.

Jim describes that experience as horrific. Senior citizens were lined up along the hallway, tied to the railing around the nurse’s station. Despite his brother’s urging to go back to the Bingo game, Jim felt compelled to stay. One woman motioned him to come over, and asked for his help to get moved from one place to another. He untied the woman from the railing and moved her to an area about 10 feet away. As he began to walk away, she grabbed his hand and pulled it toward her mouth. Not understanding what was happening and duly terrified, Jim watched as the woman kissed his hand and mouthed “thank you” to him.

That experience set in motion Jim’s lifelong passion and calling to minister to seniors. During high school, he won a humanitarian award because his teachers and peers recognized his compassionate heart toward the handicapped and disabled.

Jim attended Purdue University on a wrestling scholarship pursuing an Engineering degree, but switching to a Healthcare Administration focus just 5 weeks into school.  During that time he spent three years as caregiver to an elderly gentleman, which he absolutely loved.

His first job out of college was another pivotal experience for Jim. He was offered a position as an administrator at a skilled pediatric nursing facility for the profoundly handicapped. At the interview he witnessed children in cages or lying on the floor and was repelled by the extreme suffering these human beings were experiencing. He hated the job, but felt compelled to stay and help.

To say Jim made a difference in the lives of those residents was an understatement. Over the course of fifteen years, the company went from six to thirty-six buildings, and from a few hundred beds to forty-two hundred beds.

By the time he was 32 years old he had achieved Sr. Vice President status in the organization, and completely changed the quality of care the residents received for the better. This experience solidified in his mind that no one should be relegated to institutional life for someone else’s personal gain. He decided it was time to go out on his own.

There were tools available to ensure that people could stay at home and receive high quality care with a personal touch. He channeled those ideas into several businesses, beginning with the grand opening of the East Bank Center, a facility focusing on orthopedic, cardiac and neurological rehabilitation in August 2005. He also runs Transitions Hospice LLC, Transitions Home Medical Group, Advanced Therapy Solutions, and Advantage Medical Equipment LLC.

The East Bank Center is the only skilled nursing facility in the Rockford area accredited in both rehabilitation and nursing by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) and has been rated by Medicare as a five star organization for six years running. They also recently received 5 stars by U.S. News and World Report for best nursing homes in 2015.

East Bank Center has treated over 7,000 patients over the last ten years, with over a 99% satisfaction rate.

For more information, please contact Ruth Mattson at 847-515-1505 or email rmattson@transitionshospice.com.

East Bank Center
Advanced Therapy Soltions
6131 Park Ridge Road
Loves Park, Illinois 61111
(815) 633-6810

Transitions Hospice
12040 Raymond Court
Huntley, Illinois 60142
(847) 515-1505
http://www.transitionshospice.com

Transitions Home Medical Group
710 E Ogden Ave Ste 500
Naperville, Illinois 60563
(630) 364-4603

Advantage Medical Equipment
12040 Raymond Ct 2
Huntley, Illinois 60142
(847) 669-1500