History
Burke Rehabilitation Hospital opened its doors April 1915, through the generosity of John Masterson Burke.

Originally called the Winifred Masterson Burke Relief Foundation, in honor of the benefactor’s mother, Burke welcomed patients to 12 neoclassical buildings and a series of graceful colonnades—all with a view of the surrounding countryside.  Patients, who traveled by bus from the New York City admitting office, were treated for pneumonia, ulcers, fatigue, cardiac and thyroid disease. 

Burke’s earliest programs included rigorous exercise, medical supervision and daily chores.  Among the first institutions to encourage moderate exercise for cardiac patients, Burke helped found the American Heart Association in 1924.

During World War 1, Burke became a naval hospital, serving 2,000 sailors, known as “Burke’s Navy.”  But it was World War 11 that transformed the field of medical rehabilitation.  The number and nature of injuries suffered by veterans led to a renewed emphasis on physical and occupational therapies, improvements to prosthetic limbs and wheelchairs, and the development of community services.

In 1951, its focus emphasizing multi-disciplinary medical rehabilitation, The Foundation formally became The Burke Rehabilitation Hospital.Today, Burke is a private rehabilitation hospital, a leader in the field of medical rehabilitation and research, and accredited by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Health Care Organizations & Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities.

The Hospital specializes in recovery from physical disabilities due to stroke, brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis and other neurological disorders, cardiac disease, chronic pulmonary disease, arthritis, orthopedics and amputation.