NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue has a distinguished history in the field of rehabilitation medicine. In 1947, Dr. Howard Rusk, the ‘Father of Rehabilitation Medicine’, and Dr. Howard Deaver, a leading expert in physical therapy, established the first non-military rehabilitation service in a general hospital at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue. This tradition of ‘firsts’ continues today through our longstanding affiliation with the Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine. We offer inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation services and are a Center of Excellence for traumatic brain injury rehabilitation.
Appointments + Referrals
Inpatient: 212-562-3603
Outpatient: 212-562-1101
TBI Center of Excellence: For inpatient referrals or outpatient services, contact the Brain Injury Service Transfer Coordinator at 212-562-3603, Monday – Friday, 8:30 am – 3:30 pm.
Areas of Expertise
Inpatient
Our 30-bed inpatient rehabilitation unit offers personalized, intensive therapy programs tailored to the unique needs of each patient. Patients receive three or more hours of therapy daily, five days a week, in a modern, state-of-the-art facility. Family members are encouraged to participate in the care process to support recovery and long-term success.
Inpatient Services Include:
- Physical Therapy: Focused on improving strength, balance, flexibility, and mobility.
- Occupational Therapy: Helps patients regain independence in daily living tasks like bathing, dressing, cooking, and community activities.
- Speech Therapy: Supports recovery of speech, language, cognitive, and swallowing functions.
- Psychology Services: Provides emotional support to help patients cope with life changes and maximize rehabilitation progress.
- Physiatrists: Provide the medical supervision care and care patients need
- Rehabilitation Nursing: Provide the nursing care patients need while undergoing rehabilitation
Outpatient
Outpatient Therapy Services:
- Physical Therapy – Specializing in:
- Orthopedics
- Neurology
- Vestibular rehabilitation
- Amputee care
- Brain injury.
- Occupational Therapy – Specializing in:
- Hand therapy and orthopedic protocols
- Brain injury and cognitive/perceptual retraining
- Lymphedema management
- Ergonomics and low vision
- Upper extremity rehab
- Wheelchair and seating evaluations
- Early intervention services
- Swallowing Evaluations
Specialty Clinics
- General Rehabilitation Clinic
- Pediatric Rehabilitation Clinic
- Brain Injury Clinic
- Prosthetic, Orthotic & Wheelchair Clinic
- Acupuncture Clinic
Traumatic Brain Injury Rehabilitation Center of Excellence
Bellevue is proud to be the only New York State–certified acute Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) rehabilitation center within NYC Health + Hospitals. Our expanded and fully equipped unit offers advanced care for individuals facing physical, cognitive, and emotional challenges following brain injury. Our physicians are affiliated with NYU Grossman School of Medicine and work in close collaboration with NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue as part of the Traumatic Brain Injury Model System. This partnership ensures the highest level of care, research-informed treatment, and a seamless transition across the recovery journey.
Services Include:
- Board-certified physiatrists
- Rehabilitation nursing
- Physical & occupational therapy
- Speech and swallowing therapy
- Psychology & neuropsychology
- Creative arts & recreational therapy
- Low vision therapy
- Vestibular rehabilitation
- Community re-entry programs
- Family and patient support groups
- Social work services
- Intensive therapy for patients with altered levels of consciousness
- Patient elopement prevention systems
- Weekly multidisciplinary team rounds to ensure highly individualized care
Conditions We Treat:
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
- Stroke (ischemic and hemorrhagic)
- Aneurysms and neurovascular disorders
- Brain tumors
- Anoxic encephalopathy
- Hydrocephalus
- Altered consciousness (coma, vegetative, minimally conscious states)
- Multiple sclerosis
- Parkinson’s disease and other neuromuscular disorders
- Toxin-induced brain injury
- Post-neurosurgical recovery
Resources
Any community resources that rehab in/outpatients might need
Amputee Support Group
Awards + Patient Testimonials
Newsweek America’s Best Physical Rehabilitation Center 2021-2024
Newsweek Names Bellevue Hospital Among Nation’s Best Physical Rehab Centers – NYC Health + Hospitals
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NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue has a distinguished history in the field of rehabilitation medicine. In 1947, Dr. Howard Rusk, the ‘Father of Rehabilitation Medicine’, and Dr. Howard Deaver, a leading expert in physical therapy, established the first non-military rehabilitation service in a general hospital at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue. This tradition of ‘firsts’ continues today through our longstanding affiliation with the Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine. We offer inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation services and are a Center of Excellence for traumatic brain injury rehabilitation.
Outpatient Services
We offer outpatient rehabilitation services to individuals of all ages with injuries or other health related conditions that limit their ability to perform functional activities. The goal is to maximize function, improve mobility and independence and prevent further disabilities.
What clinics do we offer?
- General Rehabilitation Clinic
- Pediatric Rehabilitation Clinic
- Brain Injury Clinic
- Prosthetic, Orthotic and Wheelchair Clinic
- Acupuncture clinic
What common diagnoses do we treat?
- Arthritis
- Musculoskeletal pain impacting on function
- Gait/Balance disorders
- Post-Orthopedic surgery
- Neurological conditions such as Brain Injury, Stroke, Multiple Sclerosis, Peripheral neuropathy, Parkinsons, Amputations
- Post-Surgery Lymphedema
What outpatient therapy services do we offer?
- Physical therapy, including specialty in Orthopedics, Neurology, Vestibular, Amputee, and Brain Injury
- Occupational therapy including specialty programs in Hand Therapy, Orthopedic protocols, Brain Injury program, Lymphedema management, Ergonomics, Low vision program, Perceptual/cognitive re-training, Upper Extremity retraining, wheelchair and seating evaluation, and Early Intervention
- Swallowing evaluations
Inpatient Services
NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue offers a variety of inpatient therapeutic services specifically tailored to the needs of each rehabilitation patient. Our modern facility is equipped with state-of-the-art therapy resources to help patients achieve their goals. In general, our inpatients will attend three or more hours of therapy a day, five days each week. Family members are invited to participate with their loved ones. Therapies include:
- Physical Therapy – Physical therapists help patients to improve their mobility. Exercises and treatments focus on improving strength, flexibility, balance, coordination, and mobility.
- Occupational Therapy – Occupational therapists help patients learn to take care of themselves after an injury or illness. Exercises and treatments focus on activities of daily living: eating, dressing, bathing, toileting, cooking, shopping, leisure, and community skills.
- Speech Therapy – Speech-Language Pathologists evaluate and treat disorders of speech, language, cognition, and swallowing. Treatments focus on improving function and on strategies to compensate for difficulties.
- Psychology Services – The psychology service provides emotional support to help individuals get the most out of their rehab medicine treatment, cope with changes, and plan for the future.
Traumatic Brain Injury Rehabilitation Center of Excellence
NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue is the only New York State-certified acute traumatic brain injury rehabilitation center within NYC Health + Hospitals. We provide comprehensive medical rehabilitation services to persons who have acquired physical and/or cognitive challenges due to brain injury.
Our newly remodeled and expanded unit features state-of-the-art equipment to assist individuals in attaining maximum physical, cognitive, psychosocial, educational, and vocational capabilities.
Our physicians are affiliated with NYU and are specially trained in the treatment of individuals with brain injuries. For inpatient referrals or outpatient services, contact the Brain Injury Service Transfer Coordinator at 212-562-3603, Monday – Friday, 8:30 am – 5:00 pm.
What conditions do we treat?
- Traumatic brain injury (open and closed head injuries, diffuse axonal injury)
- Toxin induced brain injury
- Ischemic strokes
- Hemorrhagic strokes
- Aneurysms
- Neurovascular disorders
- Brain tumors
- Anoxic encephalopathy
- Hydrocephalus
- Altered levels of consciousness (Coma, Vegetative state, Minimally conscious state)
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Neuromuscular Disorders (Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease)
- Post neurosurgical procedures
What services do we offer?
Our 24 bed inpatient unit and dedicated outpatient clinic offer:
- Board certified physiatrists
- Rehabilitation nursing
- Physical and occupational therapy
- Psychology and Neuropsychology
- Speech and swallow therapy
- Creative arts and activities therapy
- Low vision therapy
- Community re-entry program
- Social work
- Family and patient support groups
- Vestibular rehabilitation therapy
- Intense therapy for individuals with altered levels of consciousness
- Patient elopement prevention system
- Active partnership between NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue and NYU as part of the Traumatic Brain Injury Model System
- Weekly multi-disciplinary rounds on every individual to ensure proper attention to each individual’s needs and close communication among the outpatient treatment staff
