Sunnyview Rehabilitation Hospital

Founded in 1928, Sunnyview is a 115-bed regional rehabilitation hospital in Schenectady with more than 31,000 patient days annually from the Capital Region and 31 surrounding counties, including other states in the northeast. Sunnyview is the only comprehensive rehabilitation hospital in the region, serving children and adults, and is one of only four such hospitals in New York State. Sunnyview treats patients of all ages, income levels, gender, race/ethnicity, physical ability and language. Our mission is to improve the lives of people with disabilities and the lives of their families.

What is acute medical rehabilitation? It refers to a comprehensive approach of medical treatment and education to help individuals attain maximum function, a sense of well-being, and a personally satisfying level of independence. It helps people who have had an accident, illness, or surgery regain the skills to complete what medical professionals call activities of daily living. This can mean caring for their personal needs, walking, preparing food, returning to work, driving, paying bills, or a wide range of skills that allow people to maintain an independent lifestyle. At Sunnyview our motto is “Enriching lives through greater independence.”

The Sunnyview approach combines cutting-edge therapy techniques, along with a comprehensive, integrated plan combining all of Sunnyview’s departments. Led by four (4) board certified Physiatrists (physicians who specialize in physical medicine and rehabilitation, programs include occupational therapy (to regain skills for daily living), physical therapy (to work on the person’s physical condition and mobility), neuropsychology (to evaluate a person’s cognitive and perceptual deficits related to their neurological condition), speech therapy (to assist a person in regaining speaking skills and also address swallowing problems), audiology (diagnosing and correcting hearing problems), social work (to help the patient coordinate services within the community), and assist in counseling the patient and his or her family members in coping with the disability.

Sunnyview recently was awarded three-year accreditation by the Commission on the Accreditation of Rehabilita¬tion Facilities (CARF) for six of its programs. This marks the tenth consecutive year that Sunnyview has been awarded three-year accredi¬tation from CARF, and represents the highest level of accreditation that can be awarded. It is important to note that CARF accreditation is strictly voluntary. An organization receiving a three-year accreditation has undergone a rigorous peer review process by a team of surveyors who are professionals working in the field of medical rehabilitation. Sunnyview, during its on-site CARF visit, demonstrated its commitment to pro¬grams and services that are of the highest quality are measurable and accountable.

In its report, CARF highlighted many areas of strength and exemplary performance, including our hospital’s:

• health and safety practices
• expert rehabilitation physicians
• high quality interdisciplinary team
• dedicated staff with long-standing service
• well-maintained environment of care
• array of programs and services
• commitment to staff education/development

In addition, CARF noted Sunnyview’s commitment to such specialty programs as the young adult stroke survivors, low vision, driver rehabilitation, adaptive sports and recreation, and waiver services for the brain injured population, as well as leadership’s vision and dedication to the needs of our patients. Achieving this highest level of CARF accreditation makes a strong statement about Sunnyview’s expertise and commitment to providing the highest quality and safest care. As the only area hospital specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation, we are proud of our experienced team of professionals who utilize the most ad¬vanced technology and techniques available to help our patients achieve the fullest possible recovery

Sunnyview has 205 physicians and 75 allied health practitioners on staff. There is 388 paid full-time staff and 275 paid part-time staff. Sunnyview Rehabilitation Hospital enjoys a robust volunteer program with 182 adult and 60 juniors (high school age) providing the hospital 26,417 volunteer hours in 2009 saving the hospital $740,996 (the amount is based on the New York state average wage for a volunteer of $28.05 per hour).