History - DMC RIM Rehab

The scourge of polio hit with a deadly and paralyzing vengeance in the 40's. It attacked without warning and produced terrified victims and helpless families. Detroit was in desperate need of help.

What was lacking was a facility dedicated to providing rehabilitation medicine for both polio survivors and severely injured World War II veterans.

A single facility was needed to integrate services that would enable the disabled to return to their communities at the highest level of independence, not only physically, but psychologically, socially, and vocationally.

In 1951, Rehabilitation Institute of Metropolitan Detroit was founded at Herman Kiefer Hospital in Detroit. This was also the site of the Metropolitan Detroit Polio Foundation, which merged with the Rehabilitation Institute in 1953. These two partners soon realized they needed a building of their own to house all their services. As a result, in 1958, the Rehabilitation Institute moved to a newly built hospital at John R and Mack-its current location.

Although the focus of disability has changed over the years, RIM's mission has remained the same: providing quality patient care, academic excellence and cutting-edge research in physical medicine and rehabilitation.

Today, RIM is considered a national leader in the field of physical medicine and rehabilitation. With its 94-bed inpatient hospital and numerous outpatient sites located throughout southeastern Michigan, RIM is also one of the nation's largest freestanding rehabilitation hospitals.