|
ABC News Anchor/Reporter Bob Woodruff and his wife, Lee, know from personal experience that physical and cognitive rehabilitation following a devastating injury or illness can result in miraculous recovery and a life of independence and success. In 2006, Bob Woodruff was critically injured in a roadside bomb attack while covering the war in Iraq for ABC News. In the attack he suffered life-threatening injuries, including a traumatic brain injury. He spent weeks in the intensive care unit of hospitals in Iraq, Germany and the United States as doctors fought to save his life. He also received many months of intensive physical and cognitive rehabilitation therapy, including physical, occupational and speech therapy as he worked to return to the life he knew before the attack.
Woodruff and his wife will be featured speakers at the Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital 40th Anniversary Gala celebration on Wednesday, Sept. 29, at the Philadelphia Country Club. The couple will join the community and executives from Main Line Health and Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital in commemorating 40 years of excellence in physical and cognitive rehabilitation. The Woodruffs were chosen as featured speakers because of their personal experience and knowledge of the importance of acute rehabilitation.
Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital began its focus on physical and cognitive rehabilitation in the summer of 1970 and since that time has been a pioneer and leader in acute inpatient and outpatient rehabilitative care. Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital boasts comprehensive programs dedicated to brain injury, stroke, spinal cord injuries and diseases and orthopedic injuries and illnesses. The gala celebration will culminate a year-long celebration commemorating the hospital's mission, which has remained the same throughout the past 40 years: dedicating services to individuals and their families whose lives can be enhanced through physical or cognitive rehabilitation. In addition, the hospital staff continually strives for excellence by providing care and services tat are valued by patients and the staff is tasked with contributing to the community through education, research and the prevention of disability.
In recognizing this anniversary milestone, Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital President Donna M. Phillips said, "Our hospital has been and continues to be a pioneer in the field of physical medicine and rehabilitation. We have been the only acute care rehabilitation hospital in Chester County for 40 years and I am proud of our history of providing extraordinary care to our patients. Each day our employees touch the lives of individuals who suffer from the effects of traumatic injuries and illnesses and they dedicate themselves to making sure our patients achieve the highest level of independence possible as they work to get back to the lives they once had. Each accomplishment our patients achieve reminds me of why Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital changed its focus to physical medicine and rehabilitation 40 years ago and why it remains our focus today."
Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital was founded in Malvern, in 1902 as the country campus of Rush Hospital. The focus of care at that time was on patients with tuberculosis and allied diseases. In 1955, the hospital changed its focus to geriatric medicine and meeting the needs of the aging population. In 1970, Rush Hospital merged with Bryn Mawr Hospital and the Malvern location dedicated itself to providing physical medicine and rehabilitation therapy services. Eight years later the hospital was named Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital.
Today, Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital is affiliated with Main Line Health and it continues to provide a unique, state-of-the-art environment for recovery for individuals with brain injury, stroke, spinal cord injury and other physical and cognitive disabilities. With 148 beds and an extensive Outpatient Network, the hospital is the largest and most comprehensive rehabilitation services organization in the region.
Tickets for the Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital 40th Anniversary Gala Celebration are on sale and can be obtained by calling 484-596-5607.
|