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About the Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center

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Opened in 1978 at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center in Knoxville, Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center is East Tennessee’s recognized leader in rehabilitating stroke, spinal cord and brain injury patients.

The Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center offers a comprehensive, team approach to care. Individualized programs for patients can include physical, occupational, and recreational therapy, behavioral medicine and speech-language therapy. Therapists work with physiatrists (doctors who specialize in rehabilitation medicine) to implement plans of care that help patients return to a normal lifestyle as quickly as possible. Rehabilitation nurses collaborate with specialists to teach self-care techniques and provide education to help patients reach optimal functionality.

The Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center observed its 40th anniversary in 2018 with year-long celebration that recognized the center’s many accomplishments and growth. Today, PNRC has 73 beds and serves nearly 1,000 inpatients annually. It is one of the largest inpatient rehabilitation centers within an acute care hospital in the country. The center has touched the lives of thousands of patients and families from around the nation, accumulating nearly 30,000 patient success stories over the years.

The center’s services, technology, and staff have all expanded as the community has grown, and Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center rivals the offerings of rehab facilities in much larger cities. It has 10 separate accreditations from CARF, the Commission on the Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities. The high number of accreditations is among the most in the nation and offers a testament to the excellent level of care at the Patricia Neal Rehab Center.

Award-Winning Care

In the world of healthcare, awards are often affirmations of quality and excellence. Alongside data about outcomes and other performance measures, awards can be symbols of “mission accomplished.” The Patricia Neal Center is a six-time Top Performer award winner for customer service. 

In addition to high ratings from patients, the Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center is one of many Covenant Health organizations to win clinical awards and recognition for innovation, quality of care, and successful outcomes.

“Excellence is an ongoing process, and we are always striving to improve,” Dr. Mary Dillon, medical director of the Center, says. “The Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center is one of the top centers in the country in terms of our accreditations and awards. However, we aren’t driven by the prospect of awards. As a staff, our goal is to provide the best care – the kind we would want for our family members and loved ones.”