Miland E. Knapp Rehabilitation Center celebrates 50 years of teamwork
Hennepin Healthcare’s Miland E. Knapp Rehabilitation Center is celebrating its fiftieth year of helping patients return to their homes after severe injury or illness. To mark the occasion, the nationally recognized Center is holding an open house on Sunday, July 14 from 2-5pm at Hennepin Healthcare’s Clinic & Specialty Center, 715 South 8th St. in Minneapolis.
The Miland E. Knapp Rehabilitation Center (Knapp Rehab) is an acute inpatient specialty program of Hennepin Healthcare serving adolescent and adult patients who have been traumatically injured or disabled.
“Our legacy of caring for patients began in an area with only four rooms shared by four patients each,” explains Geoffrey Roe, RN, Nurse Manager of Knapp Rehab. “Of course the center itself, therapies and interventions have changed over time, but the commitment to providing state-of-the-art, compassionate care has remained the same.”
Current and former patients, families and staff are invited to attend the event that will include a short program, refreshments, and time for listening to patients share stories of how they overcame dramatic physical and emotional barriers with the support of Knapp Rehab professionals.
“No one faces their challenges alone,” said Roe. “We offer each Knapp patient a customized, intense, comprehensive therapy schedule – and we’re with them each step of the way. From their initial assessment to the hugs exchanged as they leave our doors, I can honestly say that as staff we’re actually the ones who end up being inspired by the strength and perseverance of our patients. They’ve overcome so much and they never cease to amaze us.”
Dr. Miland E. Knapp, a pioneer and leader in the field of rehabilitation for more than 50 years, managed polio victims in Minneapolis between 1946 and 1952. He applied some of the rehabilitation techniques and therapies that worked for polio patients to others with physical impairments and revolutionized patient rehabilitation. Dr. Knapp became the first chief of Physical Medicine at Minneapolis General Hospital – which later became Hennepin Healthcare. The Knapp Rehabilitation Center is recognized for excellence by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF).
In 2019 Hennepin Healthcare also celebrates 30 years as the first hospital in Minnesota to be verified by the American College of Surgeons as a Level I Trauma Center, caring for both adult and pediatric patients. Many of these trauma patients go on to receive inpatient care at Knapp Rehab, where their progress can be followed by the surgeons and specialists who cared for their traumatic injuries.
“It’s a seamless continuum of care that not only benefits patients and families, but the care team as well,” explains Roe. “We enjoy seeing the transitions of the patients from admission to discharge. Every patient has their own struggles to work through, and it is very rewarding to observe their personal successes and watch our colleagues support them along the way. When the patients are able to discharge after completion of their goals, it’s seen as another win for the whole team.”
With patients as the key members of their comprehensive team, Knapp Rehabilitation looks forward to the innovations and interventions that will make the next 50 years as resoundingly successful as the last.
