FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ST. LOUIS, MO, JUNE 23, 2004--RehabCare Group, Inc. (NYSE:RHB) has announced a strategic partnership with the Arthritis Foundation, a non-profit organization, to enhance care and services for the 70 million Americans with arthritis, the country's number one disabling condition.
RehabCare Group, one of the nation’s largest providers of therapy program management services to hospitals and long-term care facilities, plans to work closely with the Foundation to develop specialized clinical treatment and education programs for people with arthritis. The Company also hopes to merge the community outreach efforts of RehabCare programs and the Foundation's local offices in markets where they overlap. In 2003, RehabCare treated an estimated 33,000 patients with arthritis or arthritis-related conditions in its inpatient rehabilitation and nursing home programs.
"We believe that people with arthritis represent an underserved population in regards to therapeutic treatment," says Tom Davis, President of RehabCare's Hospital Rehabilitation Services division. "They're also a major patient group affected by the new CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid) rule governing admissions to inpatient rehabilitation. We can think of no better partner, and patient advocate, than the Arthritis Foundation to help enhance our services and expand our reach to people with arthritis."
Kathy Stover, Physical Therapist and Director of Program Development for RehabCare, agrees. "The partnership between RehabCare and the Arthritis Foundation is a natural," she says. "We share common goals of developing effective methods to help people cope with or prevent chronic illnesses like arthritis."
Stover says RehabCare, with collaborative input from the Arthritis Foundation, is developing a clinical program called ArthritiSpine, which will augment the company's LifeSpineSM product line. Programs under the LifeSpine umbrella incorporate personalized exercise, education, and overall conditioning to bring patients with spinal dysfunction to their maximum level of physical activity and function, with minimal pain.
"The evidence continues to mount regarding how regular, appropriate therapy and exercise can improve the quality of life for people with arthritis, including increasing range of motion and teaching joint protection strategies and modification of daily tasks to reduce joint strain." she says.
As part of the partnership, RehabCare will use the Foundation’s “Proud Sponsor logo in local and national advertising, promotional materials and educational programs.
Arthritis encompasses more than 100 diseases and conditions that affect joints and connective tissues, including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, gout, lupus, lyme disease, and more, and affects the quality of life for over 70 million Americans.
Founded in 1948, the Arthritis Foundation is the only nationwide not-for-profit organization helping people take greater control of arthritis by leading efforts to prevent, control and cure arthritis and related diseases. It also is the single largest non-profit contributor to arthritis research in the world. For free arthritis information, contact the Arthritis Foundation at 800-283-7800 or on the Web at www.arthritis.org.
RehabCare Group, Inc., headquartered in St. Louis, MO, is a leading provider of program management services for hospital inpatient rehabilitation units and skilled nursing units, outpatient therapy programs, and contract therapy services in conjunction with more than 700 hospitals and skilled nursing facilities in 39 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. RehabCare is pleased to be included in the Russell 2000 and Standard and Poor s Small Cap 600 Indices.
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