Evolving into a Rehabilitation Hospital
MossRehab as we know it today began to emerge in the 1950s. The decision to become a rehabilitation hospital did not come
easily. Many years of negotiation and exploration took place before the leaders of the Lucien Moss Home decided to apply for
hospital construction funds under the federal Hill-Burton Act. In 1957, Hill-Burton awarded the funding and at the recommendation
of the Jewish Federation, Martin Kaplan was appointed the Home's executive director. In 1959, ground was broken at 1200 West
Tabor Road for the new facility – Moss Rehabilitation Hospital (later to become MossRehab).
In 1961, MossRehab began a long process of transformation. In order to reshape its nursing home image, the MossRehab board
made a point of actively identifying the hospital with modern medicine. To achieve this goal, they established a research
agenda. In 1966, MossRehab received its first outside research grant of $500 to test drugs for the National Drug Company of
Philadelphia. This was just the beginning of MossRehab's journey to become one of the most respected rehabilitation research
institutes in the country. Although MossRehab was becoming a much more clinically advanced hospital, it still remained true
to its original mission – improving the quality of life for its patients.
In the 1970s MossRehab became a major advocate for people with disabilities in the community and beyond. In 1979, MossRehab
sponsored its first art exhibition for people with physical disabilities. MossRehab also created a driving school in 1976
to teach individuals with disabilities how to become safe and independent drivers. In addition, MossRehab established a Travel
Information Service (now called Moss ResourceNet) to help people with disabilities overcome accessibility issues while traveling.
Since debuting online in 1998, the service (
www.mossresourcenet.org) has expanded to include facts on a variety of disabilities, information on sexuality and disability and hyperlinks to supportive
organizations, newsgroups and other Internet resources.
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Groundbreaking for the new Moss Rehabilitation Hospital (circa 1959)
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