About Shepherd Center in Atlanta, GA

Your Nationally Ranked Patient Rehabilitation Center

Shepherd Center, located in Atlanta, Georgia, is a private, not-for-profit hospital specializing in medical treatment, research, and rehabilitation for people with spinal cord injury, brain injury, multiple sclerosis, spine and chronic pain, and other neuromuscular conditions.

Founded in 1975, Shepherd Center is one of the nation’s top hospitals for rehabilitation by U.S. News. Our patient rehabilitation programs are designed to focus intensely on your recovery and lifelong wellness.

In its more than four decades, Shepherd Center has grown from a six-bed rehabilitation unit to a world-renowned, 152-bed hospital that treats more than 743 inpatients, 277 day program patients, and more than 7,161 outpatients each year in more than 46,000 visits.

Patients in Shepherd Center’s rehabilitation programs get more than just medical care: They get an experience that brings healing and hope. Shepherd’s team of highly specialized, experienced clinicians are dedicated to helping their patients rebuild their lives with hope, independence, and dignity, advocating for full inclusion in all aspects of community life while promoting safety and injury prevention.

Clinicians work with each person to create a blueprint for rehabilitation, tapping into state-of-the-art medical care, therapeutic equipment, and comprehensive educational services. Staff members also serve as ambassadors to help patients navigate their journey over a lifetime. At Shepherd Center, we are a family, working together to help patients and their families obtain the care they need plus so much more.

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Medical Advantage

Our specialization has enabled our staff to develop higher levels of expertise and achieve better results for those we serve. When it comes to functional improvements, our patients are more independent and have better outcomes than the national average. Our return-to-home and return-to-work rates are among the best in the nation.

Continuum of Care

Shepherd Center offers a complete continuum of care, from evaluation and medical treatment to rehabilitation and lifelong support programs. Those we serve to have access to programs that many other facilities don’t have. Those programs include recreation therapy, community outings, pastoral care, extensive family training, assistive technology, back-to-school programs, peer support, vocational counseling, return-to-work programs, and enhanced, post-discharge case management to help ease the patient's transition back into the community.

Advanced Technology

Patients at Shepherd Center receive customized solutions to help them integrate daily tasks back into their lives. Experts and technology specialists help people customize an appropriate package of technological solutions that maximize independence in accomplishing day-to-day tasks.

Leaders in Research

Clinical studies are conducted in collaboration with leading experts at other hospitals, research centers, medical schools, and universities around the world. Whether studying a new device, testing an improved surgical procedure, or developing a new treatment method, researchers at Shepherd Center work to directly improve the quality of life for our patients.

Accreditation

Shepherd Center is accredited by The Joint Commission and the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF). Shepherd Center is also one of an elite group to be designated as both a Spinal Cord Injury Model System and a Traumatic Brain Injury Model System by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR).

Patient and Family Training

Patients and families at Shepherd Center participate in training sessions to learn as much as possible about the injury or illness to manage ongoing medical care after returning home. A thorough understanding helps individuals take full advantage of the patient rehabilitation process and can help prevent rehospitalization.

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