Burke Health and Rehab Opens $1.25 Million Gym

has officially opened a new $1.25 million rehabilitation gym.

According to Mandy Gannon, administrator of the center, the gym went from a mere 900 square feet to a 4,200 square foot room with state of the art equipment.  “The renovation makes ours the largest rehab facility in the Northern Virginia area,“ she said.

Burke Health and Rehabilitation Center was first opened in 1991 by Medical Facilities of America, a family-owned for profit corporation based in Roanoke, Virginia.  The company funded the renovation as part of its LifeWorks Rehab program.

According to the company, “LifeWorks Rehab is a comprehensive, progressive inpatient rehabilitation service for patients who’ve had joint replacement or other surgery, experienced a stroke, or been injured in an accident.”

Gannon said about 100 rehab patients are admitted and discharged each month.  The stay provides a bridge between hospitalization and return to independent living.

Federal Judge Lawrence Block experienced that bridge.  When it came time to be discharged from the hospital, his doctor encouraged rehabilitative care at Burke Health.   “My first thought was that I needed to go home and resume my life,” he said. 

Judge Block had undergone fiver surgeries for an acute infection.  He said while leaving the swimming pool one evening, he’d stepped on something, but thought nothing of it until he came down with a 103 degree fever.

After the surgeries, Block’s doctor’s encouraged him to seek rehabilitation at Burke Health.  “It’s one of the best decisions I ever made because it enabled me to return to my job and my life,” he said.  At the center, Judge Block learned first to use a wheel chair, then crutches, then a cane. 

The center also provides long-term care for those who are not able to return to caring for themselves.

Governor Bob McDonnell, who spoke at the opening reception, shares a special relationship with the staff at Burke Health and Rehabilitation Center.  His father spent the final years of his life there, from 2007 through 2010.  “The staff create an atmosphere here where people thrive,” he said.

The staff at Burke Health and Rehabilitation Center are known for their dedication, and for longevity at the facility.  Gannon, who has served as administrator for 18 years, said many of the staff have been with the center since the beginning.  “We foster an environment of customer service with our patients and their families, and with our staff as well,” she said.