Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation

What We Do

The Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation (RWSIR) is one of the oldest comprehensive rehabilitation centers in the nation. The primary focus in both the medical and vocational programs is on outcomes that improve functional independence, self-sufficiency, quality of life and employability. RWSIR is internationally recognized for its commitment to independence, self-choice and innovation.

Founded in 1927 by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt as a polio treatment facility, and known as the Georgia Warm Springs Foundation, it became one of the premier rehabilitation facilities dedicated to eradicating polio. When the disease all but disappeared in the 1960s as a result of the Salk vaccine, the Foundation’s mission expanded to embrace all people with disabilities.

Services We Provide

• The RWSIR medical unit, composed of the main hospital and four satellite clinics, provides inpatient and outpatient services to some 6,000 Georgians annually. The hospital consists of an inpatient acute rehabilitation service, serving stroke, amputation, orthopedic disorders, and numerous neurological disabilities, as well as a long term acute care unit specializing in rehabilitation and focusing on infectious disorders, skin disorders, COPD, cardiovascular, complex fractures, stroke after-care, and spinal injuries.
  
  An interdisciplinary team of physicians, nurses, respiratory, physical and occupational therapists, and speech-language pathologists directs treatment for people with disabling conditions. Specialty programs include the diabetic foot center, seating and wheeled mobility clinics, rehabilitation technology, aquatic therapy and diabetic education.
  
  
• The vocational rehabilitation unit provides educational and work preparation experiences, as well as rehabilitation services, to between 300-500 clients each year in a residential community environment. Students learn to interact with a variety of people, accept a broad range of personal responsibilities, and focus on improving individual skills.
  
  
• The Institute is also home to the Roosevelt Sports Training Center, which combines the state-of-the-art Frank C. Ruzycki Center for Therapeutic Recreation and Camp Dream, and is the location for training and competition for world-class Paralympic athletes, as well as unique camp opportunities for persons with disabilities from throughout the state.

For further information about the Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation, call the Central Office at 706-655-5000 / 706-655-5176, or e-mail us at rehab@dol.state.ga.us.