However, now faced with more changes in health care that have rendered the need for an orthopedic rehabilitation hospital obsolete-unlike in the past, inpatient orthopedic rehabilitation is usually not necessary for more than a few days-the Florida Elks have decided to close the hospital and direct their charitable efforts into an exciting new program that will even better serve children. Rather than provide rehabilitation services in a central location, the association will hire physical therapists, provide them with vans in which to travel, and arrange for youths in need of therapy to receive services at home for absolutely free.
Making necessary changes to meet the latest needs in health care is nothing new to the Florida Elks. Their children's hospital originally was a treatment center for children with polio, and the discovery of a cure for the terrible disease forced the change to orthopedic rehabilitation services. Today the forward-thinking Florida Elks, in refocusing their efforts to in-home therapy, have demonstrated why updating programs is so essential to serving the less fortunate well-and why Florida has one of the many great State Major Projects in the Order.
The Florida State Elks Association's State Major Projects are partially funded by annual grants from the Elks National Foundation.