MECHANICSBURG, Penn. - June 11, 2007 - The Joint Commission awarded the Gold Seal of Approval™ for stroke care to HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital of Mechanicsburg. The hospital is one of only a few stroke rehabilitation programs in the country to earn the Gold Seal of Approval™ and to receive Disease-Specific Care Certification by The Joint Commission.

To earn this distinction, a disease management program undergoes an extensive on-site evaluation review by a team of Joint Commission reviewers once every two years. The program is evaluated against Joint Commission standards through an assessment of a program's processes, the program's ability to evaluate and improve care within its own organization, and interviews with patients and staff.

"This certification means HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital of Mechanicsburg does the right things and does them well for stroke patients," says Jean E. Range, M.S., R.N., C.P.H.Q., executive director, Disease-Specific Care Certification, Joint Commission.

"HealthSouth Rehabilitaton Hospital of Mechanicsburg voluntarily pursued this comprehensive, independent evaluation to enhance the safety and quality of care we provide," says Gregory Toot, hospital administrator. "We're proud to achieve this distinction."

The Joint Commission launched its Disease-Specific Care Certification program in 2002. It is the first program of its kind in the country to certify disease management programs. A list of Joint Commission-certified programs is available at www.jointcommission.org.

Founded in 1951, the Joint Commission seeks to continuously improve the safety and quality of care provided to the public through the provision of health care accreditation and related services that support performance improvement in health care organizations. The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits nearly 15,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States, including more than 8,000 hospitals and home care organizations, and more than 6,800 other health care organizations that provide long term care, assisted living, behavioral health care, laboratory and ambulatory care services. An independent, not-for-profit organization, the Joint Commission is the nation's oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care.

About HealthSouth
HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital of Mechanicsburg is a 83-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital that provides a higher level of rehabilitative care to patients who are recovering from stroke and other neurological disorders, brain and spinal cord injury, amputations, orthopedic, cardiac and pulmonary conditions. Accredited by The Joint Commission, the hospital is located at 175 Lancaster Blvd.

HealthSouth strives to be the health care company of choice for its patients, employees, physicians, and shareholders. Operating across the country, HealthSouth is one of the nation's largest providers of health care services with a focus in the inpatient rehabilitation industry. HealthSouth can be found on the Web at www.healthsouth.com.

Media Contact
Katherine Middleton
717-691-3730