The Lowcountry’s Most Established Rehabilitation Hospital Marks Two Decades of Service

Established in 1992, the Roper Rehabilitation Hospital (RRH) marks its 20th anniversary today.  

Often called a hospital within a hospital, RRH is a full, inpatient rehabilitation hospital located inside RoperHospital. The facility’s goal is to help people with disabling injuries or illnesses reach their highest possible level of independence upon discharge from the program. 

Among its success of the last 20 years, RRH:  


  • Is the first and only rehab facility in the Lowcountry to earn national accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF);
  • Holds an 85 percent discharge-to-home rate, which exceeds the national average of 81 percent;
  • Has treated more than 15,000 patients;
  • Underwent expansions to provide private and semi-private patient rooms;
  • Implemented innovative technology such as metronome therapy and rehabilitation slings;
  • Set a record 124 discharges in May 2012.  

“The success of the RehabilitationHospital is reflected by the number of patients who move forward to live, active productive lives,” said Cathy Therrell, service line director, RRH. “We have higher functional improvement rates than the national average and have been rated highly in patient and employee satisfaction.”  

RoperRehabilitationHospital focuses on healing the whole person and not just the injury, Therrell said. To that end, RRH offers a number of services and amenities that include:  


  • A full kitchen, laundry facilities and a “Real Life Room,” with a car for therapeutic skills training;
  • Recreational therapy;
  • Community Re-entry Program with social and athletic programs;
  • An activity room, treatment gym and dining room;
  • Accessible furnishings, including cabinets, closets and “roll under” sink and counter to accommodate wheelchairs.  

RoperRehabHospital expanded services in June 2011 when it partnered with Medical University of South Carolina to establish the Center for Spinal Cord Injury. The state-of-the-art facility offers a single treatment location for patients with spinal cord injuries whose varied needs are often difficult for a single healthcare system to meet.  

“Our staff, partners and donors recognized the need for a centralized location in the Lowcountry where people with spinal cord injuries could receive treatment,” Therrell said. “I’m proud that we worked together to provide a really meaningful service.”  

The Center was made possible through generous donations and grants from donors such as the S.C. Spinal Cord Injury Research Fund (SCIRF), Charles and Joanne Cole, South Carolina Electric & Gas Company, Wells Fargo and others.  

Dr. Brian Cuddy, a Roper St. Francis Physician Partner and the SCIRF board chairman, said that fostering projects such as the Center for Spinal Cord Injury was part of the fund’s ongoing mission.  

“The purpose of SCIRF is to bring scientific advances to the bedside, which will allow patients access to new clinical trials and research,” Cuddy said. “The Fund essentially marries the research with the excellent care of RoperRehabilitationHospital and the money that was raised.”  

Rob Duckworth, a former patient and current volunteer at the Center for Spinal Cord Injury, says the Center changed his life. “Before the Center opened I wasn’t sure where to go and I was nervous. But they were so helpful and interested in my care that I felt at ease. I volunteer because I’d like to give back.”  

For more on Duckworth’s story, click here.

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