Mount Sinai Morningside Unveils New, State-of-the-Art Facility for Patients Who Need Inpatient Rehabilitation

Mount Sinai Morningside Unveils New, State-of-the-Art Facility for Patients Who Need Inpatient Rehabilitation

Renovated location will offer pioneering treatments and lead innovative research in rehabilitation medicine

For patients who have mobility impairments or other conditions that require inpatient rehabilitation, Mount Sinai Health System has opened a new, modern, high-tech facility at Mount Sinai Morningside on the West Side of Manhattan at 1111 Amsterdam Avenue (at 114thStreet).

All inpatient services formerly housed at The Mount Sinai Hospital on the East Side have relocated to this newly renovated space with enhanced equipment and technology, still called the Mount Sinai Rehabilitation Center. It aims to enhance care to patients with a wide range of rehabilitative needs, including brain and spinal cord injuries, stroke, cancer, and postsurgical disorders.

"We're already a magnet for patients who come to us from across the country and around the world. They come here because of our experts and our reputation, and now they will get to experience world-leading care in an incredible state-of-the-art facility that will streamline care," says Joseph Herrera, DO,the Lucy G. Moses Professor in Rehabilitation Medicine and Chair of Rehabilitation Medicine and Human Performance for the Mount Sinai Health System. "A patient's recovery environment is just as important as the treatment procedures and therapies, and this new space will enhance our ability to provide pioneering treatments. Our facilities have not undergone a major renovation since the 1990s and we are grateful for this investment."

The new space features lifts in every room, making it easier and safer for nurses to move patients as needed. The new rooms will also be larger, and staff can more easily transfer patients into large power wheelchairs or robotic exoskeletons used for rehabilitation therapy. The rehabilitation gym was remade into more open space with new, state-of-the-art equipment.

The renovation also includes technology upgrades, such as new digital displays in each room that connect to a central scheduling hub for therapists. Since patients in the rehab units require three hours of therapy a day, including physical, occupational, and/or speech and language therapy, these displays will allow them to see their daily schedule at a glance, streamlining the process for patients and staff. The digitally equipped "smart rooms" will also have video-monitoring capabilities, crucial for patient safety in a no-restraint facility. The department does not use physical restraints to restrict patients who are agitated or moving in unsafe ways, relying instead on video monitoring to keep patients safe.

The new facility will have dedicated space for research and innovation. Researchers will use this facility to test large devices like exoskeletons-robotic suits that help patients with paralysis or mobility issues move and walk with assistance.

"We pilot many innovative tools that are not yet on the market, such as exoskeletons and virtual and augmented reality systems. Having more space for research will allow us to continue to lead in those emerging areas," Dr. Herrera says. "This long-overdue revamp will help us take patient care, education, and innovation to new levels."

This move follows a significant honor from the White House in 2023, when President Biden signed a new law designating The Mount Sinai Hospital as a national innovation rehabilitation center. Mount Sinai is one of the only hospitals in New York and one of 15 across the country to receive this distinction. The Dr. Joanne Smith Memorial Rehabilitation Centers Act recognizes rehabilitation facilities that conduct specific federal research and training for traumatic brain injury or spinal cord injury, and that serve at least a certain number of Medicare patients. The mission of the designation is to continue to push innovation for rehabilitation medicine and to work closely with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to help support the treatment and care for patients on rehab units. The Mount Sinai Hospital's designation will move with the department to Mount Sinai Morningside.

Mount Sinai's Department of Rehabilitation and Human Performance is the only program in New York State to receive a prestigious award to support its exceptional, comprehensive care for patients with spinal cord injuries and dedication to improving treatment options for this population. The Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems grant from the National Institute of Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research is valued at $2.3 million over five years starting in 2021. Mount Sinai is one of 18 sites across the country to have this designation.

The Department of Rehabilitation and Human Performance is also one of 16 in the country designated as a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Model System. This comprehensive program, funded by the National Institute of Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research, is dedicated to improving the lives of individuals with traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) and focuses on research, clinical care, and disseminating information about TBI.

The Center is also accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities for Spinal Cord Injury, Brain Injury, and Stroke, encompassing both its inpatient and outpatient programs.

About the Mount Sinai Health System

Mount Sinai Health System is one of the largest academic medical systems in the New York metro area, with 48,000 employees working across seven hospitals, more than 400 outpatient practices, more than 600 research and clinical labs, a school of nursing, and a leading school of medicine and graduate education. Mount Sinai advances health for all people, everywhere, by taking on the most complex health care challenges of our time-discovering and applying new scientific learning and knowledge; developing safer, more effective treatments; educating the next generation of medical leaders and innovators; and supporting local communities by delivering high-quality care to all who need it.

Through the integration of its hospitals, labs, and schools, Mount Sinai offers comprehensive health care solutions from birth through geriatrics, leveraging innovative approaches such as artificial intelligence and informatics while keeping patients' medical and emotional needs at the center of all treatment. The Health System includes approximately 9,000 primary and specialty care physicians and 10 free-standing joint-venture centers throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida. Hospitals within the System are consistently ranked by Newsweek's^® "The World's Best Smart Hospitals, Best in State Hospitals, World Best Hospitals and Best Specialty Hospitals" and by U.S. News & World Report's^® "Best Hospitals" and "Best Children's Hospitals." The Mount Sinai Hospital is on the U.S. News & World Report^® "Best Hospitals" Honor Roll for 2025-2026.

For more information, visit https://www.mountsinai.org or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, and YouTube.