Rep. Gabrielle Giffords will likely progress to the next phase of her recovery process at a rehabilitation center, according to several local and national reports.
Her condition was moved from “”critical”” to “”serious”” over the weekend and has not been altered since. The U.S. representative for Arizona’s 8th Congressional District sustained a brain injury via a gunshot wound to the head on Jan. 8 at a grocery store meet and greet called “”Congress on Your Corner”” in northwest Tucson.
Giffords may move as early as Friday from the University Medical Center in Tucson to TIRR Memorial Hermann Rehabilitation Hospital in Houston, depending on the congresswoman’s recovery process.
TIRR Memorial Hermann Rehabilitation Hospital is one of 11 not-for-profit care centers under Memorial Hermann, which serves the greater Houston community.
“”TIRR treats people with a range of disabilities, from complex conditions like brain injury, stroke, spinal cord injury, multiple trauma and amputation, to rehabilitation for conditions including multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, post-polio syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus,”” according to the website.
The health care centers made the Top 50 list in U.S. News’ America’s Best Hospitals issue for 2009-2010.
The new location will help Mark Kelly, Giffords’ husband and an astronaut, in seeing his wife and aiding in recovery.
Dr. Peter Rhee, medical director of UMC’s trauma and critical care and professor of surgery at UA’s College of Medicine’s Department of Surgery, said in a press conference update the services of the entire military were made available to doctors there due to her husband’s status with NASA.
UMC also confirmed that two other patients previously being treated in the hospital after the hospital’s press conference were discharged. This places Giffords as the only patient from the shootings remaining in the hospital until her reported move.
In light of the shootings, hundreds of stuffed animals have been delivered to Giffords’ office from the community, according to a news release by Darci Slaten at UMC.
Officials from Giffords’ office also will be donating approximately 300 to 400 stuffed animals to UMC’s Diamond Children’s Medical Center today at 11 a.m.
Representatives from her office also will be donating stuffed animals to Tucson Medical Center and Casa de los Niños.
