Two former racquetball courts are serving up space for additional physical therapy patient care at the Camp Lejeune Naval Hospital.

Hospital officials will cut the ribbon today on a physical therapy annex fashioned in a converted racquetball building on the hospital grounds, allowing the physical therapy department to add six therapists, five physical therapy assistants and increase productivity by 68 percent.

The department has had to defer active-duty patients to clinics off base because of the demand for services, but the expansion will allow the department to serve all active-duty patients, said Cmdr. Deborah Carr, the Naval Hospital department head of physical therapy.

"We like taking care of our own," she said.

Keeping patients in the hospital system also allows for a multi-disciplinary approach to care, said Capt. Mark Olesen, the hospital's commanding officer. Physicians from various departments can work together to treat the patient, instead of sending the patient to unconnected clinics off base.

The physical therapy department currently sees about 200 patients each day at the hospital, Carr said.

The demand for care has increased by more than 30 percent since 2005, Olesen said, and "the demand has outstripped the capacity."

Physical therapists see strains, sprains and training injuries, as well as wounded warriors recuperating from combat injuries, Carr said. One each of the new therapists and new assistants will be concentrated specifically on wounded warriors.

"We want to make sure nobody falls through the cracks," she said.

Construction on the new annex began in July 2007. Crews took down a wall separating the two courts and built a second level, creating a 3,384-square foot area for the department. Eventually, when work is complete on a new Warrior Hope and Care Center on the hospital grounds, some of the new physical therapist positions will transition over to that center, Carr said.

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