Blog of The Week: Abra Auto Body and Glass Gives Back to the Community

I had never heard of the Benedictine HealthCenter at Innsbruck, http://www.bhcinnsbruck.org/,until my husband Bill told me that the Roseville Abra Auto Body Shop, www.abraauto.com, had cut the front end off of a car for them.

This seemed to me at odds with their mission of delivering quality repairs in a timely manner but Bill went on to say the client had requested it. Why? To add it to their Mobility Courtyard so individuals can practice getting in and out of a car during their transitional care physical rehabilitation.

Gary Woessner, MA, MBA, CAS, Regional Director for Benedictine
Health System, said in a lot of cases the first time a patient attempts to get
into a vehicle is when they are going home from the rehab facility. The addition
of the car, which is parked out back in the courtyard, means they can practice
every day and in all types of weather conditions.

I went with Bill for the Healing Garden Dedication on Oct. 4 and was able to tour the mobility courtyard. In addition to the car, they have a set up that features walking paths made of mulch, sand and gravel, a bridge, concrete dividers, bus stop bench, mailbox and laundry line. All common place things we encounter and/or use every day, but which pose a whole new challenge if you have had a hip replacement or knee, elbow or shoulder surgery.

Abra got involved when a relative of an Abra executive was in for physical rehabilitation and during a conversation with Woessner was told they have forty providing a range of services from complete long-term care services for aging adults to short-term rehab and outpatient rehabilitation services. Yet only three locations had vehicles.

The Abra in Roseville received the 4-door Saturn sedan with the
engine already taken out courtesy of their recycling partner LKQ. The front end
was then cut off using a plasma cutter which dispenses a high-velocity jet of
ionized gas – hot as the sun, according to Bill – and only took about ten minutes.

A larger portion of time was spent replacing the interior, repainting and building secure stands for the front end. They finished only hours before the dedication and arriving at the center were told the easiest way to place it in the designated courtyard spot was to roll it down a hill! Luckily that was accomplished with no damage to car…or bodies!

Glenn Durham, Vice President - Abra Minnesota, was also at the dedication ceremony and was so impressed with the center and the work they do that he has vowed to keep an eye out for more cars that can be remodeled for similar use by other Benedictine facilities.

That is good news because with the aging population in Minnesota I have a feeling more of us will be using one sooner, rather than later, and knowing facilities like Innsbruck are out there are comforting.

The Benedictine Center is a member of a Catholic organization called the Benedictine Health System (BHS) http://bhshealth.org/   founded by the Sisters of St. Benedict in Duluth, Minnesota. They are well-known for operating St. Scholastica College, but their health care ministry dates back to 1888.