Laurel Brook Rehab & Healthcare Earns Prestigious American Heart Association Stroke Rehab Certification

Laurel Brook Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center in Mount Laurel is among the first in the United States to earn the Skilled Nursing Facility Stroke Rehabilitation Certification offered by the American Heart Association®, a global force changing the future of health of all. The Mount Laurel skilled nursing center’s established NeuroGen stroke recovery program is a progressive subacute offering customized to the individual needs of stroke patients. 

Under the direction of Laurel Brook physiatrists Michael Rhee, MD, and Adam Schindelheim, MD, the specialized program supports each patient’s journey toward functional independence by targeting essential skills they may have lost, such as walking, general mobility and ease with daily living. 

“Earning the American Heart Association’s Stroke Rehab Certification reflects Laurel Brook’s commitment to transformative skilled nursing services,” said Kate Bauer, regional director of market development at Marquis Health Consulting Services, which supports the center. “Laurel Brook’s NeuroGen stroke recovery program prioritizes every aspect of an individual’s well-being – physical, emotional, cognitive and social – and is designed to help restore independence, strength and quality of life.” 

Stroke is a leading cause of serious long-term disability in the U.S., and approximately 795,000 people each year experience a new or recurrent stroke, according to the Association’s 2025 statistical update. This certification provides a framework for evaluating skilled nursing facilities against rigorous science-based requirements for stroke rehabilitation, including program management, patient and caregiver education and support, care coordination, clinical management, and quality improvement.    

“When there are evidence-based processes during every phase of care, patients have the best opportunity for positive outcomes,” said Pamela Duncan, PhD, PT, FAPTA, FAHA, volunteer chair of the American Heart Association’s Skilled Nursing Facility Stroke Rehabilitation Certification Oversight Workgroup. “Participation in this certification benefits the patient and the facility by standardizing care, helping patients and their loved ones choose a facility that follows important best practices.”      

The Association’s certification ensures stroke rehabilitation care is coordinated from pre-admission through discharge. “At Laurel Brook, the team is committed to employing the most innovative care for its patients recovering from stroke,” Bauer added. “With the certification, the American Heart Association has armed the center with additional tools and recognized its success.”       

Laurel Brook’s multidisciplinary services include physical, occupational and speech therapies. Its rehab therapy gym features state-of-the-art equipment and technology to support the unique needs of stroke survivors. A spacious activities of daily living (ADL) suite mimics a home environment with a kitchen, bedroom and bathroom – enabling patients the opportunity to regain skills before returning home.

Located at 3718 Church Road, the 220-bed skilled nursing center provides post-hospital care, short-term rehab and long-term residential care. For more information, visit laurelbrookrehab.com

Marquis Health Consulting Services provides administrative consulting services to skilled nursing facilities and senior living communities along the Eastern Seaboard. The company’s “Care, anew” philosophy supports its mission to help clients transform industry processes, mindsets and outcomes. Marquis-serviced skilled nursing centers have access to an evolving suite of clinician-led specialty care models, signature services and comfort features – enabling innovation, compassion and purpose in every aspect of care.