About RIC
The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC) has been recognized as the "#1 Rehabilitation Hospital in America" since 1991 by U.S. News & World Report. No other specialty hospital has been consecutively ranked the "#1" by U.S. News & World Report for so long.
Founded in 1954, RIC has earned a worldwide reputation as being a leader in patient care, advocacy, research and educating health professionals in physical medicine and rehabilitation. People from around the globe choose RIC because of our expertise in treating a range of conditions, from the most complex conditions including cerebral palsy, spinal cord injury, stroke and traumatic brain injury, to the more common, such as arthritis, chronic pain and sports injuries. Many people also come to RIC because of our specialized services, including Assistive Technology, Prosthetics and Orthotics and Vocational Rehabilitation, which help individuals lead more independent and fulfilling lives. People also choose RIC because of our ability to provide rehabilitation care for patients of all ages - from children to adults.
RIC offers different levels of care, including inpatient, day rehabilitation and outpatient services, according to the special needs of each patient. At all levels of treatment, specialists from many disciplines are brought together to help patients progress. Each team is lead by a physiatrist, a physician who specializes in physical medicine and rehabilitation. Other members of the team could include rehabilitation nurses, pediatric-certified nurses, physical and occupational therapists, speech/language pathologists, psychologists, chaplains, social workers, rehabilitation engineers, recreation therapists, vocational counselors and respiratory specialists and many other health professionals. Through a collaborative approach, each team focuses on helping patients meet their individual goals and get back to life.
RIC Highlights
- RIC has over 30 locations in the Chicago area, Southern Illinois and north central Indiana, including strategic alliances with Advocate at Illinois Masonic Medical Center (opens in new window), Alexian Brothers Medical Center (opens in new window), Blessing Hospital (opens in new window), Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center (opens a new window), Southern Illinois Healthcare (opens in new window), and RML Specialty Hospital (opens in new window)
- RIC offers programs and services through its advocacy and community outreach efforts to improve the quality of life for people with physical disabilities. Programs include the LIFE Center (opens new window) , Helen M. Galvin Center for Health and Virgina Wadsworth Wirtz Fitness & Sports Program, Vocational Rehabilitation and Women with Disabilities Center.
- RIC is the home of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine's Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and operates one of the largest and most prestigious physiatry residency programs in the United States. Additionally, the Institute offers more than 100 continuing education courses every year through its Dixon Education and Training Center, which attracts more than 7,000 healthcare professionals from all over the world.
- The Searle Rehabilitation Research Center at RIC is one of the nation's largest such programs of its kind in the country and one of the most respected in the world, attracting research scientists from around the globe. With $12 million in federal and private foundation grants and other donations, and working in collaboration with Northwestern University and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, the goal of scientists at the Searle Center is to provide practical solutions for today and the promise of hope for tomorrow for people with physical disabilities. The Institute is the only federally funded stroke rehabilitation research and training center in the country.
Research teams are involved in more than 200 projects, including cutting-edge studies with the Lokomat, a robot-assisted walking therapy that may help people with paralysis walk again; brain mapping, to determine how the brain activity changes after strokes; and creation of a "cyborg" that connects animal brain cells and a robot in the quest for more functional artificial limbs.
- RIC is accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities.